"Local artist's journey from Knaresborough to Italy (via Oz)"

Local fine artist Lori Rebequ is on the brink of realising a lifelong dream with the announcement that she is to be the first "Pittrice D'Arte", Painter of Art, at Salvo's, the award winning Italian restaurant in Leeds, adjudged by The Times to be one of the top 10 pizza restaurants in the U.K.

Brothers Gip and John Dammone who run this 30-year old neighbourhood restaurant, described as 'a Headingley Institution' by The Leeds Guide, have been planning for over three years to create a "space" to share their family's love of wine, food, art, and music.

Their vision has now been realised with the opening of their latest venture: the classically named "Enoteca Nunzia", a beautiful "Prosecco" bar, with a splendid selection of Italian wines and 'Spuntini', small dishes, to complement the drinks; the music, 4000 Vinyl 45s, played on an original 1970's juke box; the "space" named in memory of their Mam, Nunzia.

"Meeting Lori and seeing her work was the final piece of the jigsaw" said Gip. "We already had the other ingredients: the food, like Nunzia, our Mam, used to serve up; the wine that comes from the hills round where we had the family home; the music we grew up listening to on the juke boxes in the cafes Dad had here in Leeds, when we were kids; 4000 vinyls from the 60's that the juke box man used to give me when he changed the music each week. And the 1970 Vespa, just like the one Mam used to buzz around on. The missing element was the art."

That was, until they shared their vision with a customer who had been eating at Salvo's since it first opened its doors: Tony Handley, a Founding Partner of Brahm, Headingley's other long term success story, whose offices for the last 23 years have been a mere 400 yards from the restaurant. 

Tony, another Knaresborough resident, had just bowed out from Brahm, a decision marked by him receiving the profession's "Lifetime Achievement Award", and had committed to sponsoring an unknown artist, Lori Gould, who had just left a 5 year teaching post at King James's to paint full time.

Lori says, "Looking back I realise that when I graduated, I was on the brink of finding a new life through my art, but it was a case of family comes first. Now, however, with both of our children happily installed in King James's, I have the opportunity to prove to myself, once and for all, whether or not my graduation dreams should have been realised."
 
Her chance meeting with Tony could not have been better timed.

Now, 18 months later, they both believe the Salvo's sponsorship, providing guaranteed exhibition space for Lori's work for 12 months, in a venue dedicated to the best of Italy, is the start of that pathway which has eluded her so far.

She is calling her collection of abstract landscape oil-pourings, "Hidden Visions", because everyone sees different images within them: as befits the true definition of abstract fine art.

Lori's show is available to view every evening from Monday through Saturday and during the day by appointment. If you would like to play the juke box then take a 2 bob coin!

In addition to sponsoring Lori, Salvo's are donating a "gallery fee equivalent amount" (10%), on all of her sales, to Wheatfields Hospice whilst Rebequ has pledged to donate an equivalent sum to ANTaR,

Salvo's can be found at:

115 Otley Road, Headingley, Leeds LS6 3PX. Tel: 0113 2755017.