“I’m focused on creating art that responds to our changing world, in all it’s messy and imperfect ways, because it’s both the struggle and the joy that make us human”
-Maria Carluccio
The art here speaks to the various themes that resonate with me, the subjects I think about but also the random little experiments that I try in the process. I embrace all of it, I value the missteps as much as the pieces I like. The bonus in making iterative art is that you are able to see how it all connects. I like to say, “a journal is a journey”, one that allows us to look back and examine the path and the things that lead us there.
I believe every path you choose can teach you something very important about yourself. For example, when I was about 20 years old I decided to move to Italy because I knew if I stayed in NY (where I was living at the time) I would never be able to make the career change I craved. For 3 years I traveled and worked in Italy, noticing the details that grabbed me, and trying to distill what I was seeing down to its essence. Ironically enough, I find myself many years later, still trying to capture these same moments in my daily sketchbooks. I see these as fragments of my imagination that have the potential to be funny, hopeful, or poignant, all of it beautiful in its own way.
Presently, I live in Columbus Ohio. My daughter has now moved to California to study at University but I still have my insane little cat Juno to keep me company (and inspire me too). I teach illustration at Columbus College of Art and Design and I also create children’s books, editorial illustrations, and pattern collections for some awesome companies.
Thanks so much for stopping by and please reach out if you’d like to collaborate or simply want to say hello.
To learn more about my licensed products and illustration work please visit www.mariacarluccio.com.
