PROPS:

I grew up in Long Island, NY, with parents from Rockaway/ Belle Harbor, Queens. Their fascination & awe of “the great metropolis” has always inspired me. I moved to Brooklyn at 18, almost immediately after graduating high school, & just had a love affair with the city! Couldn’t get enough of the concrete jungle juxtaposed against my love for the beach. I feel so lucky to live in such an interesting environment.

Some big influences on my work are; subliminal signage of subways, sewer systems, electricity, Manhole covers, building numbers (in metal or iron), the FDNY, especially the old red fire call boxes that used to stand on every other block. Both of my moms brothers were firefighters in NYC. That bravery, courage, & comradery is also a big inspiration. I remember stories of the weekend cooking my uncle did, Italian food of course, & the all day card games at the firehouse.

The color red is my branding color, again, influenced by the fire call boxes, WET PAINT signs, lipstick, & the like! But also for being the best color for branding as it stands out in nature, like a red rose in a bush. It’s fire-y, warm, inviting, & captures the eye.

We tend to overlook the power of signage. Street signs, warning signs, fire stations, emergency telephone lines, etc...But these are the very things we cling to in order to survive. These simple yet powerful graphics have become an ingrained part of both my psyche & my art. The submersible quality of the everyday mundane, all of the pops of red around NYC. A universal language distinguished by color & clarity.

They’ve also helped me fall in love with type, graphic design & GRAFFITI. Graff is another one of those things that make you look & try to decipher what it says, sending messages to those that are “aware” & “awake”. Submersing the psyche of those around it, without them even being conscious of it!

MAD PROPS!