Peter Marangi
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Peter Marangi

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"Place of Work Driving Force"

Place of work driving force behind paintings. Ford assembler inspired by people, personalities and the environment at truck plant.

by Paula Henriques for the Oakville Beaver - Oct 30, 2002
By day, Peter Marangi is an assembler at Ford's Oakville Truck Plant, by night he's an artist. The faces, friends, personalities, and environment at the Ford plant are the inspiration behind his newest compilation of art entitled, The Ford Series.

"I take a personal element of the people I work with home. I'm inspired every day," he said.

His good friend Akbar Khan started it all. A Muslim, Khan would pray at work maybe five times a day, said Marangi. "In the middle of steel, sparks, he could pause and capture such peace. I said to myself, 'wow'."

Using aluminum siding as his canvas, Marangi put his respect for Khan into illustration. The grey aluminum background captures the Ford environment and in the centre, framed with lines of blues, yellows, reds, and whites is Khan, his graceful form in a bow, praising his God.

The Ford Series continues with "Mommy", a tough Jamaican woman, who he loved having around at work, "because nobody messed with us" when she was on the job. The others in the series capture the "dark time" when Ford announced the truck plant was to close. All paintings have the same aluminum background, all with a crisp, hard edge outlining the figures. Marangi said the work is a tribute to all the workers at Ford. "I wanted to put something together that was timeless."

Marangi, age 30, calls his work a fusion, or a culmination of different styles and mediums. But it was all accidental, he said. He likes to experiment with different textures, like cardboard, and just "bang the hell out of it." In his Ford Series, he created paint chips, scratched the aluminum, and produced a rough edging along the painting to create an industrial look.

"Ford has been a 100 per cent influence on me. I take Ford home with me," he said. Due to his Ford Series his artwork has graced the covers and pages of magazines such as Edge Magazine, E Business Journal, and is currently working on a cover for Microsoft Ideas. But it took him nine years to finally realize his talent. Marangi returned to Sheridan College after a nine-year hiatus and graduated from the illustration program in April and was presented with the 2002 Illustration Program Faculty Award for his achievements. But, he said, he never would have gone back to school if it weren't for Ford, and his volunteer work at a local church.

With the rumours flying about the intended closure of the Ford Truck plant, Marangi decided it was time "I got off my butt and did not wait for someone to tell me if I have a job or not. It was frustrating to wait." At the same time he wanted to volunteer at his local church, St. James, but didn't know in what area he could offer his services. So he gave them art in the form of a calendar commemorating the 500th anniversary of Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria. He said it was a lot of work and a huge job, but "if it wasn't for the Catholic calendar I never would have gone back to school. I told myself, 'God gave you this talent. You gotta do something about it.'"

A father of two, Marangi said his wife was also a big inspiration. "She was very instrumental in getting me back into the artwork. She made me realize my talent." Marangi's first indication that he had a knack for visual creativity came about when he was very young. Of Italian heritage, Marangi would regularly visit Montalbano, Italy, his parents' hometown. From these summer visits stemmed the The Things I Learned Series, a collection of work dedicated to the people he met at Montalbano.

His creativity also stems to music. A musician in a band called The Syndicate, Marangi said their music translates into his art. He said it's this culmination of influences from his life that have allowed him to create his unique pieces. "It all beautifully relates. Working at Ford for nine years, the confidence gained from being on stage. It all helped."

- The Oakville Beaver


"Reviewers from garageband.com"

Corroding classic.
This song has a great R.L.Burnside kinda singer here.i really like the vibe here,very highwayman type of shit.i love the shit electric guitar tone and the vastness of the reverbs here. this song is very cool for this genre.Great hamronica solo in here.Every thing is very rusty, i do not mean in performance i mean every thing has this decaying sort of vibe to it.. old and weathered.
Reviewed by: BattleshipEthel from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

The Thrill is Gone
Good lead off groove. Really creative. Like your voice. I hear a lot of different sounds in this tune. Harmonica gives it a nice touch. Almost Ray Charles/Jose Feliciano like throughout. Your guitar licks are nice. This song is really different and I think that makes it interesting.
Reviewed by: richardmorris from Salisbury, Maryland
- garageband.com


Discography

Independent CD release
Don't ask me...McMaster Radio
Akbar... CBC radio one

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

As a singer songwriter, musician, producer and music enthusiast, Peter Marangi has inspired countless others to appreciate and explore their passion for music. He is a consummate performer, always impressing audience with his diversity. Peter's music defies classification into one particular genre, but rather is a fusion of many different styles and influences.

Both as a band member with The Syndicate (a blues based rock band) and as a solo artist, Peter has performed on many stages. His fans have been very receptive to his unique blend of blues, rock, country, jazz, and experimental sounds. In fact, these fans have awarded him with the Track of the Month, and and Song of the Day credits, on several occassions on garageband.com.
Peter has played for both intimate audiences, and boisterous crowds. Performances to date have included the Burlington Sound of Music Festival, the Oakville Waterfront Festival, numerous local establishments, and charitable events. Peter's music has received airplay on several internet radio sites, McMaster's CFMU radio, as well as CBC radio one.

Peter's vision for the direction of his music is limitless. He seeks out opportunities to explore these boundaries within his own music, and also the music of those he produces and influences. For more information on Peter or the services he provides visit his website at www.petermarangi.com