Stamford Advocate (Sunday)

Man with lifelong love of the arts honors Black scholars at hospital show

- By Amanda Cuda

GREENWICH — It was a mix of boredom and infatuatio­n that motivated Carl “Cal” Edward Bocicault to take his first real step toward becoming a profession­al artist.

The Stamford resident, who is now 34, has been interested in the arts for much of his life. One can even say that the arts are in his blood.

“A number of folks on my mother’s side were naturally gifted when it came to the arts,” said Bocicault, whose parents are from Haiti. “You thought every family had a group of artist or a group of athletes.”

Though he took one painting class in college while pursuing a degree in graphic design, it wasn’t something he seriously considered until he received a canvas and some paints as a Christmas gift.

“One day, out of just boredom, I decided to put something on the canvas,” Bocicault said.

As with a lot of art, this painting was inspired by love — well, puppy love, at least.

“One of my very first crushes was Flo-Jo,” he said, referring to the late American track and field athlete Florence Griffith Joyner, well-regarded for both her athletic accomplish­ments and her flamboyant style.

Bocicault said he decided to paint Joyner in her longnailed glory, using what he calls a mixture of portraitur­e and abstract art.

“She was running down the track,” in the painting, he said. “It was playing between focused and not focused. Her hair was out. Her nails were out. People loved it and I loved it too.”

After that, Bocicault said, his confidence in his artistic abilities grew. He’s now an accomplish­ed painter whose work has been displayed in a variety of art shows and galleries, including the VW Contempora­ry in Greenwich, the Norwalk Art Space in SONO, and Black Wall Street in Tribeca, N.Y.

Bocicault now has an exhibit on display outside Greenwich Hospital’s Garden Cafe through the end of the month. The exhibit, which is in honor of Black History Month, features people from historical­ly black colleges and universiti­es.

“This particular series was my way of having a visual

conversati­on about HBCUs,” he said.

Bocicault said the idea of

the hospital show was pitched to him by a friend, Jerry Laureano, who is also

co-chair of Greenwich Hospital’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

Council.

Laureano said he’s known Bocicault for a

while, and was interested to spotlighti­ng a local Black artist at the hospital for Black History Month.

“I’ve always felt like people think ‘Greenwich’ and don’t see the diversity that Greenwich Hospital has,” Laureano said. “The patients, the people who work here — we’re all very different.”

Laureano said the paintings have been well-received so far.

“People seem to enjoy them,” he said. “I like the colors and the way they stand out.”

Bocicault said he’s received good feedback as well.

“People have sent me DMs of themselves standing next to the portraits,” he said. “This has really given the people in my community an opportunit­y to see my work if they missed any of my shows.”

Moving forward, Bocicault said, he wants to continue to paint but also to educate on the importance of the arts.

“I want to get involved with (schools and other institutio­ns) and spread the message that we’re all artists in many different discipline­s and it’s OK to reach across discipline,” he said.

 ?? Greenwich Hospital/Contribute­d photo ?? Artist Carl “Cal” Edward Bocicault Artist, center, with from left, Annie Nardi, Diana Lieblong and Jerry Laureano, co-chairs of the Greenwich Hospital Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Council.
Greenwich Hospital/Contribute­d photo Artist Carl “Cal” Edward Bocicault Artist, center, with from left, Annie Nardi, Diana Lieblong and Jerry Laureano, co-chairs of the Greenwich Hospital Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Council.
 ?? ?? Artist Carl “Cal” Edward Bocicault of Stamford stands next to a self-portrait. The painting is part of a show by Bocicault at Greenwich Hospital and features paintings of people from historical­ly black colleges and universiti­es. The show is in honor of Black History Month, which is February.
Artist Carl “Cal” Edward Bocicault of Stamford stands next to a self-portrait. The painting is part of a show by Bocicault at Greenwich Hospital and features paintings of people from historical­ly black colleges and universiti­es. The show is in honor of Black History Month, which is February.

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