Meet the Artists whose work is currently on display:
Richard “CHiD” DiCarlo (VAC President)
Award-wining artist Richard DiCarlo has been creating artwork since he was a child, when he began painting still-life watercolors and surrealistic landscapes on torn-open paper bags. He graduated in 1984 from New York City’s prestigious School of Visual Arts with a B.A. in Fine Arts. Richard pushes boundaries by combining present-day pop imagery with antiquated, ancient or obsolete mediums and canvases. His most popular art form is his hand-sculpted bricks, “Urban Fossils” which have appeared in newspapers and magazines along with appearances on television including local and network news programs and HGTV’s hit show “That’s Clever!” He was commissioned in 2011 by ESPN to construct the famed UCLA’s basketball coach John Wooden’s “Pyramid of Success”.
Richard has served as Valley Arts Council President for the past nine years, and to date has sold more than 1500 pieces to an international audience.
Award-wining artist Richard DiCarlo has been creating artwork since he was a child, when he began painting still-life watercolors and surrealistic landscapes on torn-open paper bags. He graduated in 1984 from New York City’s prestigious School of Visual Arts with a B.A. in Fine Arts. Richard pushes boundaries by combining present-day pop imagery with antiquated, ancient or obsolete mediums and canvases. His most popular art form is his hand-sculpted bricks, “Urban Fossils” which have appeared in newspapers and magazines along with appearances on television including local and network news programs and HGTV’s hit show “That’s Clever!” He was commissioned in 2011 by ESPN to construct the famed UCLA’s basketball coach John Wooden’s “Pyramid of Success”.
Richard has served as Valley Arts Council President for the past nine years, and to date has sold more than 1500 pieces to an international audience.
Stephen DiRienzo (VAC Vice President)
Stephen DiRienzo specializes in freelance graphic design and illustration and has worked for a mix of local agencies, small business, start-ups, and individuals for more than 28 years; touching nearly every facet of the advertising industry including pre-press production, staff design to print, web development, and art direction. As an award winning illustrator and oil painter he covers everything from landscapes to portraits to still-life compositions exploring form, color and contrast resulting in vibrant and visually striking works of art. As an art instructor, he teaches several courses & art enrichment programs, along with volunteering for several artistic community projects, schools and other local non-profit groups, he has served as the Vice President and Executive Director of the Lower Naugatuck Valley Arts Council for the past ten years.
Stephen DiRienzo specializes in freelance graphic design and illustration and has worked for a mix of local agencies, small business, start-ups, and individuals for more than 28 years; touching nearly every facet of the advertising industry including pre-press production, staff design to print, web development, and art direction. As an award winning illustrator and oil painter he covers everything from landscapes to portraits to still-life compositions exploring form, color and contrast resulting in vibrant and visually striking works of art. As an art instructor, he teaches several courses & art enrichment programs, along with volunteering for several artistic community projects, schools and other local non-profit groups, he has served as the Vice President and Executive Director of the Lower Naugatuck Valley Arts Council for the past ten years.
Floatin’Fred Massiello
Artist, musician comic and a heck of a nice guy... Fred is a life-long Connecticut native, born in New Haven, Floatin’Fred’s life could best be described in the Grateful Dead’s song lyric “What a long, strange trip it’s been”. Immersed in music at an early age, and later on in poetry and art, Floatin’Fred’s life has been a roller coaster ride of peaks and valleys. One thing is for certain, it hasn’t been boring! His visual art spans many mediums and he’ll be the first to admit that while his work is not everyone’s “Cup of Tea”, he attempts to give the viewer a glimpse of his world and to better understand the world in which we all live.
Artist, musician comic and a heck of a nice guy... Fred is a life-long Connecticut native, born in New Haven, Floatin’Fred’s life could best be described in the Grateful Dead’s song lyric “What a long, strange trip it’s been”. Immersed in music at an early age, and later on in poetry and art, Floatin’Fred’s life has been a roller coaster ride of peaks and valleys. One thing is for certain, it hasn’t been boring! His visual art spans many mediums and he’ll be the first to admit that while his work is not everyone’s “Cup of Tea”, he attempts to give the viewer a glimpse of his world and to better understand the world in which we all live.
Bob Kukiel
An active Veteran, UCONN graduate and self-taught painter, Bob Kukiel is a long standing member of the Valley Arts Council. His ever expanding painting style is a unique reflection of local scenery and daily life which capture moments in time. Bob takes part in several Veteran organizations and activities throughout the local area and can be found all around the valley making a difference.
An active Veteran, UCONN graduate and self-taught painter, Bob Kukiel is a long standing member of the Valley Arts Council. His ever expanding painting style is a unique reflection of local scenery and daily life which capture moments in time. Bob takes part in several Veteran organizations and activities throughout the local area and can be found all around the valley making a difference.
