Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Galluccio.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
In May 1995, I relocated here from the NJ Shore area, where I was attending college as a Biochemistry major and transferred to Florida Atlantic University. Coming from spending many of my nights in NYC amongst the art and fashion students, I had gained a tremendous appreciation for the ability to truly express myself and my personal style within that environment.
I had always been creative throughout my youth, making jewelry, drawing, air-brushing clothing in my parent’s basement, painting my Jnco jeans, thrifting for vintage finds and altering them, and simply wearing things that I liked or that brought me joy. Going into FAU from a much smaller school in a more metro area was a huge adjustment at the time. I had no friends here, no community and nobody dressed like me.
My first semester was brutal, I was lost…. I decided to take the next semester to register for two art classes, Drawing 1 and Painting 1. Not one second of these classes felt like “work” to me, I felt like I was finally in a space mentally and physically where I was meant to be, where I was doing something that fulfilled my need to create. I spent a great part of my drawing focused on bio/medical illustration, which solidified the foundations of my illustrative style.
From there, I immersed myself in art; in every class possible from painting, hand-building clay, intaglio printing, etc but Color theory was by far my favorite course. I graduated in 1998 with a BFA in Studio Art and a minor in Biochemistry and no idea what my art style was or how that would ever come to be.
I spent far too much time worrying about this in hindsight. However, it urged me to study artists whose work I admired, look at techniques used, try new methods, and work toward building that style based on my own personal strengths and what I genuinely enjoyed making on a continued basis.
So much of my style has evolved from the convergence of illustration and color theory. Botanicals always spoke to me, floral patterns and vintage fabrics with bold stylized flowers. Over the years, I played with variations of these themes and eventually created a more definitive style with my floral mandalas.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Nothing worthwhile is ever a smooth road in my opinion. I have definitely seen the nature of the art industry shift and change over the past 25 years. Tech plays a huge part now in the arts with digital design, animation, 3D projection mapping, and interactive installations. I do respect the growth in these areas as it has gotten the masses to enjoy art. It was definitely a challenge for me to go from fine art skills to the digital realm.
I fought against learning it for so long until I couldn’t anymore. Rendering projects and murals using antiquated means was starting to look less professional so I took on learning digital illustration a couple of years ago. Now it’s all I use for my printed merchandise and I enjoy teaching it to my art students as well.
In overcoming that hurdle and turning it into a strength, I felt far less intimidated by the digital art world. Learning gaps can be overcome with real intention and passion for your own direction and there’s definitely no linear path. Struggles and gaps in knowledge are a part of being creative. We are lucky to live in a time where we can easily Google how to learn anything and put together a plan through trial and error while exploring new materials.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I would consider myself to be an illustrator with my style focusing on bright bold colorful florals, fruits, plants, and pollinators done in an illustrative style using acrylic paint. However, over the past few years, I have made a huge transition into digital design in an effort to create very crisp designs for merchandise and wearables.
I still love to paint and show my original work through art institutions, galleries, and spaces I feel fall in line with the vibe of my work. My floral mandala work has become a recognizable signature style over the past 10 years and I would say it is what I am most known for. I think expanding into other media has helped me grow over the last few years.
My focus shifted more from painted originals to the design aspect for my brand, licensing to companies, and creating work for public art projects. I am most proud of the window installation I created in 2020 at the Mandel Public Library in West Palm Beach that remains in place. It is by far the largest scale piece (at 40 feet high by 10 feet wide) that I have created to date and it pushed me well out of my comfort zone.
I think what sets me apart from other artists is my own unique style and probably a passionate consistency and commitment to honing my craft and continuously growing as an artist. With that said, I am very lucky to have quite a few artist friends in my life who possess these qualities and wholeheartedly support and inspire each other.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out.
Don’t be afraid to ask other artists questions! Many of us have been mentored by older established artists in many ways. Find out all that you can about the medium you are most interested in dedicate time as often as you can to your craft and persist. I am a firm believer in the 10,000-hour rule.
One thing I wish I had known when I was starting out….. don’t worry so much about “finding your style” as it will develop naturally over years through trial and error, making art that you like, and dedicating time to learning more.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.nicolegalluccioart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolegalluccioart
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/nicolegalluccioart
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-galluccio-18696b34
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/nicolegalluccio
