Riza Costello
College of Fine Arts, Studio Art (BFA)
Bridge Pidge
My name is Riza Costello and I am a Tallahassee native visual artist. I've found inspiration in the variety of trees, wildflowers and traveling birds in the North Florida area. I am always searching for how serenity manifests in our world. In my art I juxtapose nature and human industry to reinforce our relationship with the environment and other creatures. In my practice I prioritize play and wonder, continuing to remain curious about the nature of the world.
This mindset often leads me to novel questions that I use to guide my process and explore meaningful narratives. How do people use imagination to fill in the gaps of our understanding? What are the signs around us that would cue to us that we are dreaming? Ultimately, I emphasize and prolong moments of stillness to accentuate the beauty in the overlooked and commonplace. I desire art that places me in my breath here and now.
My primary medium is oil paint where the raw chaos of my palette opens up my vision onto the canvas into coherence. There's something fulfilling about moving colors with a brush in my hand that connects me to my inner world and transcends limitations. I add abstraction by emphasizing textures and shapes and incorporating unexpected colors. My practice reframes mundane fleeting moments as spontaneous and rewarding.
Artwork Description:
This oil painting was inspired by a trip to New York City and the ephemeral metro card. The pigeon is perched on the Manhattan Bridge bathed in warm light with a metro card in the "trompe l'oeil" technique hanging from a string off the painting. The contrast between the soft bird subject and the industrial materials highlight its fleeting nature. This piece offers a romantic repositioning of the default perspective people tend to have when viewing ordinary life and everyday experiences.