Rita DiCaprio

Painting is a way for me to quench an insatiable desire to create. I have always been captivated by the beauty of nature and the world around me. I feel so fortunate to live near the Adirondack Mountains where the beauty constantly astounds me. I find an endless number of subjects to paint in the ever changing colors of the landscape.

I create work in both oil pastels and acrylics. I fell in love with oil pastels over two decades ago when I stumbled upon them and was immediately drawn to their versatility. I could both draw and paint with them, as their rich texture allowed me to create the mood and atmosphere I desired to convey in my work. By using my fingers to build up layers of pastel, I often feel like I am sculpting as much as I am painting. This process of being in direct contact with the pastels excites me and allows me to engage in a continual dialogue with the painting as I respond to its unfolding and watch it eventually come to life. My work in acrylic allows me to create vibrancy with a rich fluid medium using both my hands and a brush. I am attracted to their quick drying quality which allows me to add layers of pigment similarly to my work in pastels. My painting process is very intuitive... I let the painting take me where it wants to go, rather than sticking to a preconceived notion of what I think the end result should be.

When I truly open my eyes I find beauty in most everything. My hope is to invite you into an intimate look at my view of the world and to feel the joy I feel when I paint. Art is not just something I do, but a deeply felt part of myself. For me, to live life fully is to paint my way through it.