Jonathan Ricci

Jonathan Ricci lives in New Jersey where he works as an artist and educator. His academic achievements include, a B.F.A in painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art, an M.A. in art from Eastern Illinois University, and an M.F.A. in painting from Bowling Green State University. He exhibits nationally including such venues as The Toledo Museum of Art, The Butler Institute of American Art, The Columbus Museum of Art, ARC Gallery, Chicago, Meridian Gallery, An Art Place, The Center for Contemporary Art, NJ.

In essence, my paintings are inspired by color.  They explore the harmony of relationships on an emotional and physical level.  My approach is sometimes an intuitive process and at other times, a deliberately focused one.  For me, this is the most exciting and satisfying part of the painting experience.

My process begins with a pair of colors arranged in a checker-board pattern.  The squares and rectangles bump up against each other.  Repeating over and over again, I change and layer the paint, until relationships appear to have a balanced coexistence.  At this point, I start to recognize the spatial effects, how colors push, pull, recede and advance.  Now I begin to envision the figurative elements of the painting, what parts may become land, mountains, sea or sky.  As the composition congeals, my next step is to add the found elements.  Images from bird encyclopedias, clothing patterns, maps and travel documents have become part of my visual vocabulary, and I collage on top of the painted surface.

The image of the bird appears in an almost obsessive way. It is based in memory, taking me back to my grandfather’s aviary. It is also symbolic, coming from birds in mythology and ideas of flight, travel and migration.

I aim to fearlessly combine paint, color and collage into joyfully poignant, nonlinear storytelling.