I wasn’t expecting too much from an art show in the Rose dining hall, but I’m really glad I went to this one. I assumed beforehand that the gallery would just be a conglomerate of random works from various artists, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that the artist himself (Nicholas Carbonaro, a graduate of Ithaca College) was present. He answered our questions, guided us through his thought process behind every piece, and talked a little about his early life (and how it influenced his artwork).

I learned that he grew up in New York City, which he didn’t seem to particularly enjoy (“all of you people who want to move there after graduation, good luck,” he quipped). Nevertheless, he was influenced by a number of NYC-esque things, such as the colorful graffiti in subway stations.

The pieces are arranged in chronological order, starting with works from the late 90’s and ending with a 2013 painting of the artist’s grandmother. The part of the art show that really made an impression on me was when Nicholas talked about the piece entitled “Welcome to My Home.”

Welcome To My Home

For “Welcome To My Home,” he painted over an antique screen door that he found in town. I was surprised because it was such a polished piece from a distance that I hadn’t even noticed the old door until he mentioned it. Other surprising media that he’s used in his artwork: chili pepper seeds and makeup (lipsticks/pigments). He ended by saying that he hopes to experiment with more mixed media in the future, so I’m looking forward to what he’ll work with next.