User:Exchange26/Ralph Sirianni

Ralph B. Sirianni (January 2, 1949 - ) is an American painter, draughtsman, and monument designer. A resident of Buffalo, New York, today, Sirianni works as a creative arts therapist for the Buffalo Veterans Affairs Medical Center, where he has been employed since 1977. He also serves as a part-time continuing education instructor of portrait drawing with the Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda School District and as a courtroom and police sketch artist.

Early life
Ralph Sirianni was born in Buffalo, New York and grew up in Kenmore, New York. From a young age, he demonstrated an interest in art. His brother, Mario, first taught him how to draw as a child.

Growing up, Sirianni was most influenced by Italian artists Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo, and often tried to reproduce their works. At age nine, he traveled to Italy with his parents, and for the first time saw the original artwork of his three childhood idols. According to Sirianni, "Seeing the original masters' works touched something deep within my soul. Perhaps it was then that I'd realized my destiny: a life in art."

Sirianni attended Kenmore West Senior High School, and at age 19, enlisted in the United States Marine Corps where he served as an infantryman in the Vietnam War. After completing his military career in 1972, Sirianni faced emotional challenges as he attempted to acclimate back into civilian life.

Career beginnings
In the fall of 1974, Sirianni enrolled in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program at the University at Buffalo. As an undergraduate student, Sirianni studied under the guidance of art professor Walter Prochownik (1923–2000), who served as Sirianni's mentor. Prochownik, himself, was a United States military veteran who had served in World War II and recognized the problems Sirianni was facing after his experience serving as a Marine infantryman in the Vietnam War. Prochownik taught Sirianni how to express his emotion and sensory observations through art. According to Sirianni, this form of expression helped him mentally confront "the horrible things that happened in Vietnam."

Paintings

 * War Themes Series (1981–Present)
 * African-Influenced Period (1999–2000)
 * Of My Blood Series (2001–2003)
 * Peaceful World Series (2003–2008)
 * Found Objects Series (2006–Present)

Drawings
Throughout his professional career, Sirianni has been credited with helping to positively identify numerous murders, rapists, and other violent criminals as a volunteer police sketch artist.

In 2007, police arrested serial killer Altemio Sanchez, who murdered at least three women and raped at least 14 others in and around Buffalo, New York over a span of 25 years (1981–2006). Because many of his crimes took place near secluded bike paths, Sanchez is known as the "Bike Path Rapist." In 2004, Sirianni was asked by police to create a sketch of the Bike Path Rapist based upon the account of one of Sanchez's rape victims. The victim's encounter with Sanchez, however, had occurred a decade earlier, and so Sirianni had to "age" the victim's description by 10 years. On December 2, 2006, Sirianni's sketch was broadcast nationally on the American television show, America's Most Wanted. Sanchez was captured by police 45 days later, on January 15, 2007.

In 2003, Sirianni was presented the Buffalo Police Detectives Association Award in recognition of his volunteer service as a sketch artist for the Buffalo Police Department. The following year, Sirianni was given the City of Buffalo Mayor's Award of Merit, again for his artistic contributions to the Buffalo Police Department.

Monument Designs
In 2007, Sirianni was commissioned to design a monument for the Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial, a public memorial located in Walter M. Kenney Field in the Town of Tonawanda, New York. He created a seven-foot V-shaped Paradiso granite monument, standing for Veterans, to serve as the memorial's focal-point.