An artist emerges Chance meeting brings Lawrence man's creativity into wider view By Russell Contreras, Globe Staff | August 17, 2006 It started during lunch and a glance at a restaurant wall. Two years ago, loft developer Bob Ansin was eating at the now defunct One Mill Restaurant in Lawrence when he noticed a charcoal painting above his table. The surreal image had a Lawrence mill morphing into a commuter train with a montage of objects around it. It looked like a dream. Ansin couldn't stop staring at the painting and had to ask the owner about it. ``Oh, your busboy did it," the owner said, pointing to Javier Osorio . An immigrant from Colombia, Osorio was working at the restaurant and painting whenever he found free time. Then Ansin learned he had done the menu and other art projects around the restaurant. ``I remember thinking, `Why is this guy serving me water?' " Ansin said. At the time, Osorio knew only a handful of words in English. Ansin spoke some halting Spanish. But, somehow, from their strained conversation, Osorio was able to invite Ansin to his tiny Lawrence apartment to show him the rest of his work. Around the apartment were small, unfinished paintings wherever there was space. All had the same quality of the artwork in the restaurant. ``I didn't know much about art, but I knew he was talented," Ansin said. ``And I knew that the world wanted this guy to be an artist, not just filling up glasses of water." Today, the restaurant is gone and Osorio is no longer cleaning tables. Instead, he spends his days pouring paint over canvases, sculpting angels, and shaping wires. He does all of this as full-time artist-in-residence for Ansin at the Monarch on the Merrimack lofts. Throughout his studio are surrealist paintings of horses, scenes from Lawrence, the human body, nature, and, of course, images from Colombia. The pieces, fusions between magical realism and fantasy, with a touch of modernism, are now grabbing the attention of the art world and would-be loft buyers. Osorio occupies a 3,000 -square-foot studio free of charge and produces artwork for the project, like the giant butterfly he painted on the exterior. Ansin said he hired Osorio for the loft project because he sees his works fitting in perfectly. The Monarch on the Merrimack is a $200 million project in the historic Wood Worsted Mill, where 200 condominiums are up for sale, at prices of $189,000 to $440,000. The project, located next to the Merrimack River and across the street from a new regional transportation center, has generated a buzz around the city because many former Lawrence residents are looking to move back to the city in the luxury lofts. But Osorio is creating his own buzz. As construction of the Monarch on the Merrimack lofts continue, Osorio is devoting all of his time to perfecting his skills. He walks around town, dabbling in his notebook, listens to classical music, and paints, sometimes furiously. The work has paid off because now, buyers of lofts also are expressing interest in his work. ``Bob Ansin is helping my dreams come true," Osorio, 38, said in Spanish. ``I couldn't believe what he was offering, and I haven't been the same ever since." Osorio also teaches art to adults and children, provides art activities for the community, and lets anyone interested tour his studio. He's even starting to sell his work. Osorio arrived in the United States nearly a decade ago after studying art in Colombia and Cuba. Born in Ibagué, Colombia , he arrived in New York during a museum tour and decided to stay. About a year later, Osorio set his sights on Boston after following the rivalry between the Red Sox and Yankees. Boston, he soon discovered, has a lot of culture, and, it seemed, could fill a void in his artistic life. Somehow, he ended up working in Lawrence restaurants five years ago so he could send money back home and support his avocation -- art. Now, Immigrant City is his home. Visits to Osorio's studio usually include a talk about his influences. Among his favorite artists are Salvador Dali, Fernando Botero, and Diego Rivera. When Ansin brings would-be loft buyers to survey empty spots, Osorio regularly is focused on another painting. Sometimes, the would-be buyers end up buying artwork from Osorio on the spot. ``Javier has to learn about how to sell his paintings," Ansin said. ``At first, he was offering pieces that should have been $6,000 for $200." That modesty, Osorio acknowledged, is a byproduct of his initial fears that no one would like his work. That's why it took him a long time to show anyone. ``I've been into art ever since I was around 8, more or less," Osorio said. ``I never thought I'd have something like this, though." Recently, art galleries have been asking to exhibit his work. Prospective art buyers contact Ansin about Osorio and his latest projects. And last month, the Colombian Consulate held a special event on Colombian Independence Day to honor their expatriate for making the homeland proud. ``His stuff is amazing," Lawrence City Councilor Nunzio DiMarca said during the Colombia reception as he looked at a piece with an image of a coffee grower. What's next? Osorio isn't sure. He said he's not looking for fame and fortune. ``All I want to do," he said, ``is make my art, and I'll be happy." Russell Contreras can be reached at rcontreras@globe.com. © Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.