We met Shelly and Michael Buonaiuto, A Little Company, over 15 years ago at the American Craft Council Show in Baltimore, MD and immediately fell in love with their whimsical sculptures. It was an honor that they allowed us to feature their new series of figures in our Artcraft shops.The Buonaiuto’s have been sculpting for over 40 years, their creations are beautiful; from clay to resin, each hand-crafted, hand-painted, and unique. Their relationship was a symbiotic and romantic approach to collaborating creatively. Shelly would take days to create the perfect expression for their figures, and only when she was satisfied with the correct emotion then that Michael would cast the mold to use as the final piece. She captured the emotion like a photograph; a happy memory that never subsided.We always try to represent the best one of a kind hand crafted goods and we knew right away that we had to have them in our galley. A Little Company decided to let us be the first gallery to represent their heart warming collection. It has been a great success and such an honor to have been able to see their work blossom.
Sadly, when we learned in 2007 that Michael Buonaiuto had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s our hearts went out to him and his family. Michael responded to his diagnosis like a true artist would – he continued to create. He began to focus primarily on painting, with pastels as his medium. Alzheimer’s hadn’t affected his love of beauty.
The process of creating art enriches the lives of those stricken with Alzheimer’s, allowing for self-expression, engagement, even after dementia has progressed.
An article in USA Today describes how creating art can awaken Alzheimer patients in decreased cognition. It can inspire those individuals that are limited in speech to use a paintbrush to communicate. We learned that Michael’s development has not diminished his sense of accomplishment and that each of his paintings brings him joy. As we look at his paintings, we see his story, we hear him speak in a language that needs no words.
Shelly continues to work on their resin series creating figures for their company, based out of their home studio in Fayetteville, AR. Shelley’s hand-painted resin statues are based on her bonded porcelain originals, always cheerful and full of life. They have made us smile every time we look upon them and remind us that joy can be captured. We hope they make you smile every time you see them. All pieces are limited editions, which are signed and numbered. View their beautiful collection here.
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