My colorful artwork explores a variety of areas including magic realism, parades, personal experiences, and most recently, film noir of the 1940s and 1950s. All of my artwork connects to my life in some way. My work includes humor and is direct. It evokes emotions and ideas.
My MFA is from Pratt Institute. For me, the process of making artwork is very fulfilling, challenging, and surprising. I start with a general idea, but usually don't know what my pieces will look like until they are complete. Some of the materials I use include oil paint, oil pastels, watercolor, gouache, and casein paint. The mystery and exploration involved in making art keeps me energized in the studio.
My goal is to share my work with others and participate in some of the dialogs going on in the art world today. I want my work to challenge viewers and make them think. I hope my work sparks viewers’ imaginations and brings them all the benefits that come with art.
***Artist website: www.KathleenVaccaro.com.
Kathleen Vaccaro's Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/kathleenvaccaro
All of my artwork is original and handmade.
Parade Artwork Description:
These works mix imagery from imagination, memory, and photographs of performing groups and spectators at parades. In this work, identities reveal themselves in relation to other identities. The search for the mythology present in reality is a main force behind this investigation. I explore how in uniform, group settings, subtle differences make the individuality of each person apparent. I wonder how individuals in groups show their idiosyncrasies. How do they do this even as they move and dress similarly? What are the ways we see a group member’s individuality without knowing his or her personality? People masquerade themselves, hide themselves, and reveal themselves when in a group.
These images are painted in an intentionally simple manner through bold applications of color. Individuals are not painted with sympathy but rather candidly. My love for paint and pastels is evident in my work. These are frank, wry images. To be direct, I view painting and drawing as one.
Color expresses my personal experience in the images. The color is often used in more of a symbolic way than a naturalistic way. I explore how something can be both color and form (or space) at the same time.
These works are concerned with the slight differences that make individuals unique and yet still connected.
