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May 10, 2017
Student Maria Rizzo Has Successful Opening Reception for "Velatura" Exhibition
Family, friends, teachers, colleagues and community members came out on April 4 to an opening reception for "Velatura: Trees and Places with Subtle Layers of Purples, Greens and Blue.”
The exhibition is a collection of oil paintings by Maria Rizzo '17, who won first prize and the poster contest at the college’s most recent annual Student Art Competition.
"It is so important for graduating arts students, like Maria, to have the opportunity to work closely with experienced, talented mentors, like Professor Alan Stankiewicz, in putting together a final showcase of a selected body of her visual work," said Professor of Art Yvonne Murphy, who also worked with Rizzo. "In this way, Maria gains further confidence in and exposure for her work that feeds back directly into her ongoing development as a professional."
“The term ‘velatura’ reflects my painting process, which consists of the fabrication, subtle layers upon layers of color, of dreamlike, and sometimes playful, realities,” said Rizzo. “I truly enjoy creating paintings that reflect my admiration for nature's creative force. With each brushstroke, I feel a connection with its whimsical energy.”
Rizzo explains her work as being centered on “trees and nature scenes created as a response to those places that deeply resonate with me.”
She also shares her insights into the world of art, including a post about this show, in her blog, “The Artist’s Path.”
Rizzo, who was born in Bologna, Italy, in 1987, and moved to the U.S. in 2007, lives in East Syracuse, N.Y., with her husband, Dan Wagner, and their two young sons.