BIO
Born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania in 1968, Tom Mazzullo earned a BFA from Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, and an MFA from Syracuse University. He has exhibited in competitions, in curated museum shows, and in professional and experimental galleries all over the United States. His artworks are held in many public and private collections, and he is the co-author with Susan Schwalb of Silverpoint and Metalpoint Drawing: A Complete Guide to the Medium, published by Routledge/Focal Press. He has been a visiting artist and lecturer all over the country, and has taught at Cayuga County Community College, Hamilton College, The University of Denver, and at the Art Students League of Denver.
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
Each drawing I make is a record of the struggle to understand the object in front of me, and I work in silverpoint because it demands patience. I take visual inspiration from the graphic work of the European Renaissance, and I hold the idea that the deeper one looks, the more likely they are to find the supernatural.
MORE ABOUT SILVERPOINT
Silverpoint, or more generally metalpoint, is a medieval drawing medium rarely practiced by artists today. Metalpoint drawing can be done with any soft metal – silver, gold, and copper are common, and exotic metals like platinum and bismuth can also be used. Metals are too hard to mark on plain paper, so a prepared surface, such as paper or board coated with paint, must be used. The choice of grounds is wide, and includes gesso, casein, homemade grounds, and products like Golden Silverpoint Drawing Ground. Metalpoint technique allows the artist to make very fine lines of pale-gray color, but metals have different lusters and also tarnish; while initially silver resembles graphite, a drawing in silver left open to the air will take on a warm, sepia hue.
My preferred materials and techniques have not changed much since I learned silverpoint from my drawing professor Chuck Schmidt at Tyler. I use a stylus made from sterling silver wire held in a mechanical lead holder, and hot press 140lb. watercolor paper coated with casein paint. Much of what I've learned over the past 35 years is included in the book, Silverpoint and Metalpoint Drawing: A Complete Guide to the Medium.
CONTACT
Tom Mazzullo
2422 W 82nd Place
Unit 2C
Westminster, CO 80031
Phone: (303) 909-7937
tom@tommazzullo.com