About Joseph R. D'Apice                  Artists Statement   •   Resume

Joseph has been an artist ever since he picked up his first pencil at a very young age. Since then, he has explored oils, pastel and charcoal. He graduated from Montserrat College of Art with a BFA in Painting with honors.

From his apartment in Boston, Joseph paints and draws nightscapes of real and imagined places. Joseph credits George Gabin; mentor, professor at Montserrat and accomplished artist with having the largest influence on his artistic development. Joseph admires Claude Monet's work with color and Georges Seurat's drawings. Joseph is a serious young painter who continues to develop ambitious work. His paintings are luminous cityscapes that capture the night-time color and evoke a specific mood. He uses small pieces of color, sensitively applied, to develop work of impressive scale and complexity. His hope is that when people view his work that they have an emotional experience.

Joseph is a member of the Copley Society of Boston, and a former member of the Cambridge Art Association.(1999). Joseph's painting, "Down Town Crossing" was a featured work in the Arts Festival of Boston (2003). He also was a participant in The Collection Art and Wine Series, DaVinci Designer Gallery (2003). Joseph was chosen to participate in the juried Cambridge Art Association National Prize Show (November 1999). He also won the Montserrat College of Art, Dana Confalone Prize (1995). Joseph shows at the Copley Society of Boston and is actively pursuing representation in New York City.

 

Artists Statement

My keen interest is in expressing realism through cityscapes caressed by the night. Darkness has a residue of visual mystery that appeals to me.

The night has quiet beauty that’s unique. Instead of seeing a structure bathed in bright sunlight, I am more fascinated by the luscious subtlety and complexity that come with focused artificial lighting upon a structure. There is a gradation of light intensity that alters and transforms the texture and the surfaces of building and people.

The people I render are merely for scale and are a part of the composition; they are supplementary images to the building and structure that remains my primary interest. The night also allows me to fill the canvas with a layer of abstract symbolism thus things are not really what they seem at first.

To begin a painting, first I go to a site and take a series of panoramic photographs to use later as a point of reference and to help recall specific details. Then often I do a charcoal sketch studying the composition before starting oil on canvas.

The size of my work varies as the image dictate. These images are treated as if it is a theatrical backdrop instead of an architectural rendering of a real building. There proportional distortions and a great deal of color and drama as they stand alone existing beyond brick and mortar. These buildings are bustling with activities during the day, but at night, they recede into a void filled with a different kind of purpose and meaning tempered with imagination; they are organic, living and breathing images.

 

 

Resume

Objective:
To enhance my exposure as an independent artist through corporate and gallery exhibitions.

Education:
Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, MA, 1992-1998 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Painting (GPA 4.0 1998)

Exhibitions:
Copley Society Red Room Show, February, 2004
Copley Society Group Show, November, 2003
Dorchester Open Studios, September and October, 2003
Arts Festival of Boston, 2003
The Collection Art and Wine Series, DaVinci Designer Gallery, June, 2003
Copley Society Group Show July 2003 Cambridge Art Association National Prize Show, November 1999

Memberships:
DeCordova Museum's Corporate Program, February 2005
Copley Society of Boston, Associate Member, 2003
Certified Artist, 2003
The Cambridge Art Association, 1999

Honors:
Montserrat College of Art, Painting Award, 1998 Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities, 1998
Montserrat College of Art, Honors Award: Spring 1998, Fall 1997, Spring 1996, Fall 1996
Montserrat College of Art, Dana Confalone Prize, 1995 Boston Herald Second Annual Scholastic Competition Award, 1989