Jack Vitito has been creating wildlife art for 30 years Making blocks of wood come to life By Larry Myhre
Reprinted from the Sioux City Journal
When Jack Vitito began carving back in 1980, he didn’t dream this hobby would become a full-time job.
He had started his business, Jack’s Uniforms in 1972 in South Sioux City and sold the successful business to his son Dale in 1997 to pursue his artwork full time.
Since then he has concentrated his activities on painting and carving.
“I currently have carvings in 40 states,” Vitito says.
He has carved a lot more than decoys, as well.
“I’ve done butterflies, hummingbirds and what is currently very popular are songbirds, especially the cardinals, goldfinches and wrens,” he says.
His interest in art actually started back in junior high school when he began sketching.
“I actually used to sell some of my pencil sketches to some of my classmates,” he smiles.
Now it is his paintings of wildlife and landscapes which gains attention.
“I have no idea where all of my paintings are at,” he says.
He currently has 48 pieces on exhibit at the Woodland Trails Gallery at Winnebago, Neb.
“The exhibit is a mix of my paintings and carvings,” he says. “And I also do metal etchings. It is a very nice gallery down there and it is well managed.
“I do landscapes and wildlife mainly because that is where my love is,” he continues. “I have reference works and I shoot a lot of photography. I’ve currently got close to 32 carousels with 140 slides each in them, so I’ve done a lot of camera work.”
The photography and reference works insures realism and accuracy in his work.
But sometimes when he sits down to paint he may not have a firm idea as to how the painting will look.
“I put the brush to the piece and pretty soon I can see something in there and start working,” he says.
Although he attended a lot of art shows, pheasant fests and Ducks Unlimited shows in the past to display his work, he doesn’t do much of that today.
“You get good exposure at those shows,” he says, “but mostly, I think, people learn about my work through word of mouth.
“When I was in the uniform business, people would ask, ‘how’s business,’ but since 1980 the question is, ‘what are you working on now.’ Word travels.”
Mostly of his paintings are done in acrylics.
“I use acrylics because it dries faster, much faster than oil paint that many artists use,” he says. “I have made my own frames and done my own matting, again because I enjoy doing that and I want my work to look the way I want it to,” he says.
His carvings are done in basswood.
“Except the fish,” he smiles. “I joke that I can’t carve a walleye out of basswood. I have to use walleye wood.”
He has a carving of a walleye and a crappie at the gallery in Winnebago.
There’s a lot more to his carving than just creating the object.
“I work it over with a woodburner which is a very tedious job,” he says. “Then I paint with what they call washes, which is no more than just dirty water of the color I’m working. If you use anything heavier the woodburning is filled in.”
Washes also helps him blend the paints together.
Vitito has entered the World Carving Competition in Ocean City, Md. His best effort was a drake ruddy duck which placed third out of 26 entries in the floating category.
“The decoy has to float just as a wild bird,” he says. “The judging is very critical and they even create waves to see how the decoy reacts.”
Jack has been an outdoorsman since the age of 12.
“I’ve hunted and fished all my life,” he adds.
He owns 242 acres of timber east of town and says it is like a miniature Stone Park.
“I’ve done a lot of work out there,” he says.
And no doubt, the wildlife enjoys that. And so too do the many customers lucky enough to have a piece of Jacks’ artwork.