Looking over Boston Harbor, Sail Boston 2017
“When the picture is still, the mind is moving. When the picture is moving, the mind is still.”
Alfred Mira with his works - Allston, Ma. 2017
Alfred Mira
Alfred Mira was born in 1940 Manhattan, New York in Greenwich Village and grew up in Corona, Queens. He was an accomplished oil painter who moved to Boston in 1968. With 50 years of experience painting, he was influenced by the stillness of timeless structures.
In 1958, Mira attended Fordham University for one semester, and knew right away the academic life was not for him. He quickly quit college and traveled to Rome, Italy, with his father Alfredo S. Mira, a Sicilian Immigrant. Alfredo introduced the world of Art to his son, Alfred, while he took trips to France to paint. Alfredo S. Mira is also a celebrated artist, with his art displayed in museums across the United States. Alfredo's art is sold by upscale dealers and auction houses such as Invaluable, Skinner, Christie's, and Heritage Auctions.
Upon returning to the US, Mira joined the consecrated life, with three years as a Franciscan brother, and four years as a Trappist monk at St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts. Taking this knowledge with him, he applied these principles to his life after he left the consecrated life, dedicating his time to his family, art, and spirituality. He started painting portraits for people in the 1970's-90's. Clients sat for up to four hours for a custom portrait. When the busy modern life became vogue, his client base suffered. He took to the neighborhoods of the greater Boston area to paint the beautiful New England architecture. Sitting on the street corners for up to three days, these masterful paintings came into existence. Rain didn't deter Mira's work, and he would remove a seat from his 1966 Volvo, making room for the tools of his craft and himself. He would paint pictures from inside his cherished, unique car.
Bostonians might remember Mira driving around the Boston area in his 1966 red and white Volvo with "God Bless You" painted on the trunk. He lived in Allston, Massachusetts where he to painted, printed spiritual cards for Thousands for Free, and collected books for prisons.
Alfred Mira passed into God’s eternity on January 9th, 2026. His mass was celebrated at St. Anthony’s Parish in Allston, Ma, and was well-attended by people who loved him from near and far. His work uplifted many people throughout the local area and in the larger United States, with more than 145 million cards distributed over 56 years in ministry.