Artist RoseMarie Davio creates collages that reflect her life experience and perspective on the world. View more of her work by visiting her website.
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t feel at home as an artist. My first exhibit was a pink and white chalk drawing of a bunny in first grade displayed at a local museum in my hometown of Danbury, Connecticut. While I appreciate the importance of showing and sharing my work, my heart has always been in the creative process of expressing the way I look at the world through my art.
I see lines. I see shapes. I see movement. And I see patterns and colors. I want to translate, abstract and highlight the parts I see so others can feel the story or the history, too.
Each piece tells a story of what I saw, what I thought and felt, and where I was in the world.
I have traveled and lived around the world with my husband, first with the military, then with his work. From the east coast to the south to the west coast of the United States and overseas to The Hague and South Africa. We even lived in Venezuela, too. All have had a profound influence on me, including the architecture, the people, their art and especially their local art teachers.
I believe the combination of being compelled to keep busy and use my hands to create combined with a love of learning kept me challenged and inspired. The mix of broad influences help my art connect with people from all over. They find their home or their past in my work.
I love learning about art and the artistic process as much as I love creating. Being accepted to Silvermine College and then Rochester Institute of Technology was very important to me. It has been invaluable over the years for me to seek out mentors and masters in all areas—painting techniques, encaustics, collage and even in three-dimensional work like textile and basket weaving.
I love the process of applying what I learn. This is worked into my original perspective, but tweaked to suit my needs. I work my art like a puzzle—fitting in pieces, colors and techniques—trying them, and then removing them if they don’t fit.
My studio is full of family and travel photographs, magazines, collected objects and books for inspiration. They are as essential to my process as the paints, canvases, papers, encaustics and finishes.
I’ve been exhibiting my work more in the last few years, and now have greater confidence. The feedback and curiosity I get about my artistic process from artists and art lovers is very rewarding.
I am starting to see a convergence of all I have learned over the years. I’m considering bringing together my love of photographs, collage, mixed media, encaustics and cold wax into a larger, more three-dimensional installation. The artistic thread never ends for me. It moves through every piece like a visual history of my perspective on the world.
Artist RoseMarie Davio invites you to follow her on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
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