ABOUT

My name is Luminous Antonio and I was born an artist, although no one around me would ever point that out or even acknowledge it! I went to Catholic school, and art was not available…catechism was embedded in everything. When I got to high school, I found a way to get excused from gym class and then got into an art class about wood carving. The teacher marveled at what I did. I wish I had it today.

Later, I went out and bought myself some oil paints and canvas and painted my first painting, a purple mountain – long lost. The significance of the purple mountain was not known to me then, but now I know a "purple mountain"; is often interpreted as a symbol of spiritual royalty and high elevation due to the color purple representing nobility and power, while the mountain itself symbolizes a connection to the divine or a place of higher consciousness in many cultures; essentially signifying a sacred space with a connection to the highest realms.  For my life – for all our lives - that makes sense.

Later, I picked trash and sold it at flea markets which led to opening a shop, which lead to becoming an art and antique dealer. Eventually, I became knowledgeable about 18 th -20 th Century American and European art and antiques and sold my finds through uptown auction houses like Christies, Sotheby’s and Doyles. I had a few shops but could not stand being confined…so I was more of a high end “picker”. I spend a decade or more in museums, art galleries, auction rooms and the like…. I have seen more art than most people ever will.

My father was thrilled that I made a great living through selling art – but deep inside I still wanted to make art. I moved from the New York area to San Franciso and inadvertently landed at the San Francisco Art Institute to buy a piece of paper and ended up spending six years and earning two degrees. I have continued making art ever since and have hundreds of paintings.

My own quote:

“You will never work hard enough to get the money to buy the time to do the thing you want to do”

.…has been a beacon.

I had to work, I did not have a trust fund, was not independently wealthy, I was and am a single woman who supports herself. I enjoy the finer things in life, and travel, great food and wonderful friends. 

I have always been an entrepreneur – so I have gone broke down to the last penny more than once and somehow managed to build up from the bottom. Entrepreneurs do not get a paycheck so if things go sideways so does your income. This never scared me as much as being trapped in a soul sucking job.

I have had studio spaces as small as a card table and as big as 1200 sq. ft. –regardless, I always made art. That fire inside did not get snuffed out by any of life’s curve balls. Art is a place I can always go with my joys, disappointments, feelings of any kind and make all that into something else.

I WAS BORN AN ARTIST

…but no one around me seemed to notice.
I went to Catholic school, where art wasn’t part of the curriculum—catechism was king.

In high school, I figured out how to get excused from gym and landed in a woodcarving class.
The teacher was stunned by what I made.
I wish I still had that piece.

THE PURPLE MOUNTAIN

Sometime later, I bought oil paints and a canvas and painted my very first painting:
A PURPLE MOUNTAIN—now long lost.

Back then, I didn’t understand its meaning.
But now I do.

“Purple mountains” are often seen as symbols of spiritual royalty—high elevation, divinity, nobility, and the sacred.
For me—and maybe for all of us—that makes sense.

FROM FLEA MARKETS TO FINE ART

I started out picking through trash, selling treasures at flea markets.
That led to a shop…
Which led to becoming a high-end art and antique dealer.

I became deeply knowledgeable in 18th–20th century American and European art,
and sold pieces through Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Doyle.

I ran a few shops over the years,
but I could never stand being confined—
I was always a true picker at heart.

I spent over a decade immersed in museums, galleries, auction houses—
I’ve seen more art than most people ever will.

THE CALL TO CREATE

My father was thrilled that I made a living from art.
But deep down, I still wanted to make it—not just sell it.

When I moved from the New York area to San Francisco,
I stumbled into the San Francisco Art Institute—
intending to buy a “piece of paper.”
Instead, I stayed six years and earned two degrees.

Since then, I’ve created hundreds of paintings.
I’ve never stopped.

A BEACON

One quote has guided me for years:

“You will never work hard enough to get the money to buy the time to do the thing you want to do.”

I didn’t have a trust fund.
I wasn’t independently wealthy.
I’m a single woman who supports herself—and enjoys travel, great food, beautiful things, and deep friendships.

THE ARTIST’S LIFE

Being an entrepreneur means I’ve hit rock bottom more than once.
No paycheck. No fallback plan.
But I always rebuilt.

What scared me more than failure was the thought of being trapped in a soul-sucking job.

I’ve had studios as tiny as a card table, and as large as 1,200 sq. ft.
But no matter what life handed me—
I always made art.

That fire never went out.

Art is my place of transformation.
It’s where I take every emotion—joy, grief, confusion—and turn it into something new.

ART IS WHERE I BEGIN AGAIN

Every time.
Always.

Later, I went out and bought myself some oil paints and canvas and painted my first painting, a purple mountain – long lost. The significance of the purple mountain was not known to me then, but now I know a "purple mountain"; is often interpreted as a symbol of spiritual royalty and high elevation due to the color purple representing nobility and power, while the mountain itself symbolizes a connection to the divine or a place of higher consciousness in many cultures; essentially signifying a sacred space with a connection to the highest realms.  For my life – for all our lives - that makes sense.

Later, I picked trash and sold it at flea markets which led to opening a shop, which lead to becoming an art and antique dealer. Eventually, I became knowledgeable about 18 th -20 th Century American and European art and antiques and sold my finds through uptown auction houses like Christies, Sotheby’s and Doyles. I had a few shops but could not stand being confined…so I was more of a high end “picker”. I spend a decade or more in museums, art galleries, auction rooms and the like…. I have seen more art than most people ever will.

My father was thrilled that I made a great living through selling art – but deep inside I still wanted to make art. I moved from the New York area to San Franciso and inadvertently landed at the San Francisco Art Institute to buy a piece of paper and ended up spending six years and earning two degrees. I have continued making art ever since and have hundreds of paintings.

My own quote:

“You will never work hard enough to get the money to buy the time to do the thing you want to do”

.…has been a beacon.

I had to work, I did not have a trust fund, was not independently wealthy, I was and am a single woman who supports herself. I enjoy the finer things in life, and travel, great food and wonderful friends. 

I have always been an entrepreneur – so I have gone broke down to the last penny more than once and somehow managed to build up from the bottom. Entrepreneurs do not get a paycheck so if things go sideways so does your income. This never scared me as much as being trapped in a soul sucking job.

I have had studio spaces as small as a card table and as big as 1200 sq. ft. –regardless, I always made art. That fire inside did not get snuffed out by any of life’s curve balls. Art is a place I can always go with my joys, disappointments, feelings of any kind and make all that into something else.