Dan's Cover Artist Carol Calicchio Discusses Her Floral Inspiration

This week’s cover art comes to us from Florida artist Carol Calicchio. Here, she discusses the inspiration for the featured cover painting, how her style developed and upcoming events.

A Chat with Carol Calicchio

What inspired you to create “Celestial Moonlight” (2020), and how did you select its title?

In 2020, I took many evening walks along the beach. It was that perfect midsummer night where the stars were out and brighter than ever. Everything seemed magnified in a good way, with the cool sea breeze blowing as the vibrant hibiscus flowers swayed along the coast. One night I dreamt about this exact scenario and in the morning, I went right to my studio and began painting my vision.

The title for it came to me in an instant: an ethereal arrangement of colorful flowers that seemed to float in the moonlight.

What did the creation process of this acrylic painting entail?

The process of creating this acrylic painting began with the flowers: their shapes, the composition, and then creating the depth of the sky by mixing many blues, violets and raw Sienna together for the galaxies and magentas and cadmium orange for the hibiscus flowers. It’s always intriguing because my interpretation of painting is a mirror to my subconscious. When I’m laser-focused I have the ability to paint what I’m thinking on canvas. Fortunately, my dyslexia can be helpful in that way.

How did you develop the style found in this painting, and how has your style evolved throughout your career?

The style in this painting was developed many years ago from one of my previous works titled “Paradise.” In it, the flowers appeared to be floating, and again in “Lovers in Paradise” but more exaggerated, through more shadows, depth and color.

From that point in time my paintings were inspired by that theme. I also painted “Celestial Seasons” and “Heaven and Earth” from this series and timeline. They are a magical 48″ x 48″ diptych, created at an important time in my life when everything was about to change: the calm before the storm. Besides a fascinating story behind every painting, there is a growth factor in each one, the truth about nature and the answers that slowly unravel.

My paintings are timeless, and I put every ounce of my energy and creativity into them, sometimes long into the night, and in the quiet. I even paint outside during thunderstorms. I prefer to paint outside since it motivates me. Other times I painted from my porch on a cliff overlooking Lake Erie to capture the essence of nature and its wonder.

“Paradiso Grande,” a very large painting installed at The Canopy by Hilton in West Palm Beach, feels as if you could walk inside it. It represents a time in my life of ultimate freedom and the realm of the good fortune that awaits us all. I have learned more about myself as a person through my paintings. It has defined me. You must believe in yourself and keep nourishing your brain to produce a positive outcome.

What art accomplishment or accolade are you most proud of?

The accomplishment that I am most proud of to date (besides my mother framing my first crayon drawings and telling me at an early age that I’m an artist) is being recognized as one of Palm Beach County’s top ten influencers and honored by Vicki Schneps at Schneps Media and Dan’s Papers at The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach, along with the other nine interesting and talented influencers. Since then, it has been a career boost for me, and I have been inundated with commissions for hotels and private residences.

What do you find most rewarding about being an artist?

What I find most rewarding as an artist is that it’s very affirming. It seems to make people happy and smile when they hear that I’m an artist. Many of my collectors write to me that my paintings have changed their lives for the better. When you place something beautiful that you love in your home it changes the energy of your domain and workspace.

You vibrate higher. As a child if I couldn’t explain something I would just draw it. My teachers loved me. I was always the one staying after school and painting murals during the holidays and working on theater sets.

Where can your art be viewed now, and are you working on any upcoming exhibitions or projects?

My art can be viewed at several locations besides my website carolcalicchioart.com: Canopy by Hilton West Palm Beach, all paintings in lobby and second floor; Palm Beach Design Showroom; Pureskin West Palm Beach; Fivestory Palm Beach, New York, Southampton; Tammy Fender Holistic Spa (all oversized paintings have healing crystals embedded in the canvases including amethyst, pyrite, rose quartz and opal); Manolis Projects Gallery, Miami; Gallery at Four India Street, Nantucket; and The Diamond Door, Nantucket.

Famed collage artist Bruce Helander, whose art is in over 50 museums, is writing a book about my artwork. Renowned British art critic Anthony Haden Guest will be writing the foreword, along with an essay by New York writer Elizabeth Sobieski.

Upcoming events: A book signing and art exhibit is scheduled at The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach on December 18, and there is a home collection coming out in 2024. On August 20, I will be honored at Schneps Media and will be offering signed limited edition prints of “Celestial Moonlight,” with one print donated to the cause that supports the LGBTQ+ community of the East End at the Out East End Impact Awards.

Would you like to share any closing thoughts or additional information?

If you are interested in purchasing, leasing or consigning oversized paintings in a commercial space please contact me at carol@carolcalicchioart.com. Also, I would love to hear your feedback. Please visit my Instagram for weekly 30-second reels on painting tips: @CarolCalicchioArt.

For information on my latest shows, paint and sip classes and new paintings, please subscribe to my newsletter on my website carolcalicchioart.com.