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Retired graphic designer opens show of florals, landscapes at Reflections Gallery
Robert A. DeCarlo went to college to be an artist, but sought a more traditional career after he married and started a family.
“The reality is I couldn’t make a living just painting. I had to become a professional,” he says.
Though he left behind his paintbrush, art still figured into his career choices. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Philadelphia College of Art and his career as a creative professional has included advertising and illustration design. Over the years, he designed packages, logos and carpeting and was known in the flooring industry as a forecaster of color and style trends.
In 2010 DeCarlo retired and took up painting again. It had been 35 years since he’d held a brush.
He showcased his first efforts in an art show at Memorial Hospital. Last month, he began an exhibition at Reflections Gallery. His work will be on display there until June 15. A reception is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, May 11.
DeCarlo is featuring three original acrylic oil paintings, selling for $700 each. He also has prints available, some for as inexpensive as $40 depending on the size, he says.
Now that his children are adults and his lifestyle is more stable, he can focus on his art, he says. All of his paintings are an expression of who he is.
“I’m doing what I feel inside,” says the 76-yearold husband, father of three and grandfather of four.
He calls one painting at the art gallery “Country Place.” It’s a hillside topped with a house he first saw when a former co-worker invited him there for her wedding. The painting depicts a country home overlooking a patchwork of grasses, rocks and wildflowers. He describes it as a rustic interpretation, with the yellow, green, rust and earth tones of the foliage complemented by soft blue-gray skies.
A cottage also figures into the background of “The Pond,” inspired by a duck pond he saw off Ringgold Road while driving toward Dalton. He took pictures to remind himself of the scene, though he changed some elements,
including the house. He wanted to focus on nature, he says, so he took the liberty to change it.
The last featured painting, “Floral Rhythm,” depicts brush strokes that move rhythmically across the surface of the flower petals. The colors, he explains, are warm variations of pink and coral, accented with tinted whites. The rich burgundy backdrop is in direct contrast to the soft interpretation of the flower.
More of DeCarlo’s paintings can be found online at www.RobertADeCarlo. com.
Contact Yolanda Putman at yputman@times freepress.com or 423-757-6431.