This summer I was lucky enough to attend my first artist residency. High on a hill above the ancient Valle Camonica in the town of Cividate Camuno in Lombardy, surrounded by the majestic embrace of the Italian Alps, stands RUC. This mystical place is an ancestral home where artists from all over the world come to work in and be inspired by nature and history.
Miami Art Week is one of the most attended art events in the world and this year I am headed there to show my work for the very first time! I'm proud to share that my work has been selected by PULSE Art Fair Director, Cristina Salmastrelli as part of The Next Generation exhibit - an initiative designed to showcase the artwork of emerging artists during Miami Art Week.
This month I'm all about that dark olive/hunter green with a touch of brassy peach and of course, lots of depth and texture. Lately I'm using a lot of these tones in my original paintings and in my wardrobe.
Going through a website revamp and redesign is A LOT of work. My previous website launched almost 7 years ago but internet years are like dog years and I was long overdue for a change. Here are four very important lessons I learned when I rebranded and redesigned my website.
This summer I was lucky enough to attend my first artist residency. High on a hill above the ancient Valle Camonica in the town of Cividate Camuno in Lombardy, surrounded by the majestic embrace of the Italian Alps, stands RUC. This mystical place is an ancestral home where artists from all over the world come to work in and be inspired by nature and history.
When I first left NYC I found the quiet and the colors of the Hudson Valley to be jarring instead of calming. SO. MUCH. NATURE. I felt offended by the serenity and bored by the lack of movement and activity. But, the longer I lived away from all that NY is, I gradually started to realize that the chaos of the city, while exciting and energizing wasn’t feeding me in the way I needed and recognizing that truth has been a game changer that has affected my entire outlook and the way that I approach life, work and even parenting.
Last summer, while on vacation with my family in Greece, I took a photo that has become the starting point for an entire new series of paintings, as well as the perfect self-portrait that I could find in nature. There is a story underneath the surface of every person. Outside you see one thing but inside...inside there could be something completely unexpected, charged, surprising, even. People are complicated. We are layered and nuanced.
My obsession with photography started with my love of black and white film. Since I was very little I used to imagine scenes in shades of gray and when I started painting I would often sketch my paper or my canvas using charcoal and then feel reluctant to paint them with my colors. I pretty much live for color nowadays and I love to bring my images to life in that way, but it's true what they say about never forgetting your first love. I've been exploring and studying tones and contrasts for years but lately I'm feeling so energized and inspired by the patterns and textures that I'm finding in nature.
