This corner of the board is dedicated to the memory and art of my brother, Liborio Fratello.

In 1989, influenced by his love and deep respect for the martial arts and Eastern philosophies, Liborio embarked upon a unique artistic journey. His Studies in the Tao of Art , or as he likes to call them, "my magnum opus", is a four-volume collection of over 800 hand- rendered illustrations that took him twenty years to complete.  

Briefly, Liborio's Magnum Opus is an extensive study of the hexagrams, color variables and resulting permutations all achieved by using a complex mathematical system of process and organization inspired by the I Ching, an ancient Chinese book of divination. The book details, using drawings, a Taoist philosophy focusing on an individual’s relationship with the world while concentrating on Yin and Yang—opposite forces that complement each other. 

Liborio completed both his artistic journey and journey through life in 2009 after a battle with cancer caused by exposure to Agent Orange during his military service in Vietnam. He was 60 years old.

Liborio’s dream was to make his method of creating artwork using hexagrams known to a receptive audience. “Only a book would accomplish that,” he once told me. . . . Soon after his passing, my husband and I embarked on a quest to publish a book to pay homage to his work and thought.

However, to organize his 20-year collection of notes and explanations while studying over 800 hand- illustrated drawings has not been a simple task. Aside from the search for literary agents and publishers, writing and editing a demanding manuscript, conflicts in putting into order the enormous amount of amassed references, scattered notes, and dozens of books filled with underlined passages, and the indexing of hundreds of drawings and sketches played a major role in delays.

Although it is a labor of love, emotionally, it has been trying, as each year leaves its indelible weight on my heart. Today, we have reached a milestone and are now confident that Liborio's dream, will slowly but surely be completed—beyond his expectations.