Salvatore (Sal) D’Agostino grew up in an environment where his creativity was nurtured and appreciated. From third through eighth grade, D’Agostino studied at Three Rivers Waldorf School in La Crosse where he learned through artistic means.
“My mom is pretty artistic, and art was always prevalent in our household,” D’Agostino said. “Art was just something that you did.”
D’Agostino graduated from High Point Charter School in Sparta where he further enriched his love of art. He finished the majority of his credits early and spent his senior year shadowing Denise Geiwitz, an art teacher at Sparta Montessori.
He also spent a lot of time at Sparta High School taking art classes from Sue Iverson
“She was awesome,” D’Agostino said. “A lot of the stuff I was learning was self-taught and Sue really helped me by giving me a little bit of structure by introducing me to the settings of what an art class is.”
He went on to attend college at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls where he initially studied art education with the intent of becoming an art teacher.
“I got about halfway through the program, and I learned that you have to have some tough skin to endure the trampling that teachers have to go through,” he said. “I have always had a passion for education, but I just couldn’t handle the bureaucracy of it.”
He then decided to study biology for a brief time. “Art in itself is very subjective and not concrete. I felt like studying science was nice because it’s a little more black and white and it isn’t up in the air all the time,” D’Agostino said, adding that he eventually decided it wasn’t for him.
He eventually ended up obtaining his degree in painting and drawing. He also studied photography, ceramics, dance and a whole list of art classes.
Although he does enjoy the act of ceramics, painting is probably D’Agostino’s favorite form of artwork. “Painting is my center core. If you took away painting, I’m not quite sure what I am,” he said.
Some of his most popular pieces are his vibrant pet portraits. D’Agostino found his love for creating pet portraits through his grandmother, who was heavily involved with pet rescues and training dogs.
“I do this in honor of her memory,” he said. “As I started to find myself with art, I found that I got a good feeling when I saw someone else appreciate the work that I did and see that radiate outward.”
Whenever he makes a piece of art that lights up someone's day just by looking at it or he thinks about how many of his pieces are on the walls of other people’s homes, it brings him joy to know that his hard work is appreciated.
“I definitely have fun with color and making things feel whimsical,” he said. “I try not to take myself too seriously.”
While he uses oil paints on occasion, he prefers to work with acrylics for several reasons but mostly because it's cheaper and it allows him to keep the costs of his pieces down to an affordable price for his customers.
“I’ve been told that I make acrylics look like oils,” he said with a laugh. “I take that as a pretty high compliment.”
D’Agostino and his partner lived in Tennessee for a while, but he wasn’t doing as well with commission work, and they decided to move back to Sparta following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We both just really like the Midwest vibes,” he said. “I’m having fun getting back into the social circles.”
D’Agostino will be available at the Sparta Farmers Market until the end of the season, selling pet portraits and taking orders for commissioned pieces. He is also available through email at salvatore.dagostino.studio@gmail.com.
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