Angelo Marino spent much of his life working as a commercial artist in New York City. For more than thirty-five years, he was able to make people happy with his art. “Many people paint for themselves, but I always painted to please other people. I always wanted to have people admire my work, so I would paint what they wanted,” Angelo said.

As a young boy, he began drawing to be like his older cousin: “I didn’t know anything but drawing, and I wound up being a much better artist then my cousin.” He went on to say, “I just never believed I couldn’t do it. Drawing was what I’ve always done.”

By moving from drawing to illustrating to painting, Angelo has created and sold thousands of paintings. “I’ve been painting since I was twenty, and now I’m 76. Painting was difficult for me at first. Drawing with a brush is much more complicated especially in realism. You have to worry about colors drying and not getting too muddy”, Angelo admits. He always prefers to create human-interest art. “Whatever I am doing at the time, whatever I am painting, that is my favorite thing. Then when I move on I love the new thing I am doing,” Angelo said.

When approached about creating Heroes of the Suffolk County Police Department painting, Angelo knew it was something he had to do. “It got a little complicated, but everything we included really needed to be there to tell the story,” he said. He is proud of the collage and what it represents: “When I got it all together and blended, it made sense. Everything revolves around the monument, and that is what we wanted. It was an honor for me to be a part of this project.”

He is humbled by the possibility of having this piece hung in the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Museum. “Anytime you have your work put where it belongs, you feel good about yourself. You feel proud,” he said.