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CARFAGNO Debbie
Debbie Carfagno has been painting since 1975 and has developed repute as both an instructor in printmaking at New York’s School of Visual Arts (SVA) and as master seriographer at Ruppert Smith’s printmaking facility from 1977-1983, where she produced works on canvas and paper for artist Andy Warhol.
She received her BFA from SVA in 1976 and worked for various other printmaking facilities and artists before devoting her energies to Warhol.
Relocating to New Hope, Pennsylvania in 1983, she operated Now Voyager gallery for the next 11 years, showing both local Bucks County artists, and name artists from New York; continuing to paint while facing the challenges of fostering the appreciation and understanding of fine art.
Upon selling the gallery and moving to Miami in 1994, she has been developing her own vision full time. In 1998, she began to develop a new medium involving oil painting on aluminum. Starting with a precise line drawing, the shapes are cut out by water jet. After bending and fabrication, these pieces become unique sculptural and multiple art form. These “multiple originals” employ a wide range of techniques. The fabrication process includes shearing, grinding, hand bending and welding. Some become multi layer wall pieces others free standing sculptures. Finally, a ground is applied and they are painted with traditional oil paints.
This work lies somewhere between painting and sculpture, balancing abstraction and realism. Drawn to a universal imagery, she repeats shapes from nature, contrasting painted and raw textured finishes. Converting pencil line to the edge of aluminum affects a dialogue between medium and content. The images are reduced to their essence, creating a highly dimensional effect. This enhances these forms as symbols of spiritual beauty, while capturing the stark elegance of nature.
Carfagno is an observer of nature and art. She looks for the real in the abstract, and the abstract in the real. This requires an attitude of openness and an attention to fine differences in shapes, colors and surfaces. Using patterns of colors crates a feeling of rhythm and vibration in a stationary object. This balance between exactitude and chance provides endless possibilities as she continues to expand this medium, which is accessible, yet mysterious. By breaking out of a rectangular mold, she allows the viewer to participate in creating an art that can be adjusted and expanded within their environment. Reflections on these works bring messages of dignity, wisdom and tranquility.
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