Renée Ricciardi, January 2011

Interview with Photographer Renée Ricciardi

Renée Ricciardi is an artistic photographer residing in Norwell, Massachusetts. Her photo “Spin Cycle” was featured in the Spring 2010 issue of Redivider. Renée’s photographs and poetry have been published in several issues of Venture Literary/Arts Magazine, and in 2008 she had a spread in Indigo Art Journal. Her image “Soda” was included in the book “Pink Attitude” published by Liz Edition and her photo “Retro” was featured as cover art on a music book by Alfred Publishing Co., Inc. Renée was a recipient of both the Gold and Silver Key Awards in the Boston Globe Scholastic Art competition in 2007. A portion of her series of nautical images is on view in the Morton R. Godine Library at Massachusetts College of Art through February 2011.

RDR: You’ve mentioned that each photograph is personal and meaningful for you-how is “Spin Cycle” reflective of your aesthetic?

RR: Each photograph is personal in a sense that it evokes one moment or fragment of time in my life. I’ve found that my more successful photos are those which I stumble upon, without considerable planning, so just about every image is a memory of my day to day activities and events. “Spin Cycle” is part of a series of images taken in this spontaneous manner, and captures an ordinary moment in a Laundromat. The series showcases colorful close-ups and minimal compositions of ordinary objects that often go unnoticed.

RDR: Tell us a bit about your artistic journey. How did you begin? What have you learned?

RR: Photography began as an expressive hobby of mine, which for many years I considered exactly that: a hobby. It wasn’t until studying entrepreneurship in college when I learned that my time should be used taking chances and following dreams. After making Dean’s List at Suffolk University, I transferred to Massachusetts College of Art in pursuit of a degree in Fine Arts, the greatest decision I have made in my life.

Initially my favorite subjects to shoot were places and things that inherently involved the city since I grew up in Quincy, just south of Boston. I enjoyed making cityscapes and was passionate about street photography. However, I recently moved to Norwell, MA, and have become fascinated by the rural way of life that still exists less than an hour away from the city. Observing this change in lifestyle in turn affected my photography style because the adjustment marked a major transition in my life.

RDR: Which artists or works have influenced you? Do you have an affinity for any particular style?

RR: On a recent trip to the Portland Museum of Art in Maine, I was heavily influenced by the exhibit, Debating Modern Photography: The Triumph of Group f/64, which highlighted a major transformation in early photography. In the late 19^th century photography was a tool for creating images that resembled painting by using a soft focus and romantic style, known as Pictoralism. As a revolt of this style, a group of Californian photographers challenged this idea and set out to make large format images as sharp and as detailed as physically possible. F/64 is a reference to a setting on the camera that allows for a sharp depth of field. As far as fine art photographers, my favorites are Sally Mann, Nicholas Nixon, and of course, Ansel Adams, each of who use/used large format view cameras.

RDR: One of my favorite parts of photography is developing film, though I haven’t done it in a long time thanks to digital cameras. Do you work with film? Do you enjoy it?

RR: Digital photography is how I began taking pictures and it is how I originally fell in love with the art form. I am still enticed by its instantaneousness that satisfies my love for immediate gratification. However, while digital photography quality is rapidly increasing and is constantly changing, black and white film photography is a perfected medium.

Film holds more integrity because what you are creating is an actual chemical reaction of light hitting light-sensitive film and creating a negative. Film holds the same charm as receiving a thoughtful written letter from a close friend in the mail, which is obviously different than receiving an email.

RDR: Speaking of methods, have you used multimedia in your art? Do you find that people expect technology to be employed in the creation of photographs?

RR: After recently completing a metalsmithing jewelry class, I discovered many possibilities that the 3D art making process allows, and how I can apply this to my work. I have made several “photo sculptures” that showcase work in unorthodox ways, such as standing images upright displayed in a circle together, or by hanging them from the ceiling with other objects.

Over the past year I have been experimenting with placing photos into book form, which is another tangible way of showcasing 2D work. I am currently working on a series of pictures taken on a private island on Cape Cod that I will be presenting in book form in November of 2011. The work focuses on how the Cape is bustling with tourists during the summer season but is beautifully desolate come the off season. The work is meant to illustrate the fragile beauty of New England’s harsh winters and how it relates to that of the populated summer.

RDR: It can be difficult for creative people to make a living. How did you know this is what you wanted to do? Do you have a day job?

When I am not behind the lens, I am often in front of one as a part-time runway and print model. My painting background and love for children jumpstarted my small business as a traveling face painter at parties and corporate events. I never did plan on becoming an artist; it was something I sort of slipped into without force.

In my spare time I have been planning a public art show in late April called “Bark fur Art” which will showcase my work, as well as others, at the Massachusetts College of Art Student Life Gallery. Art that relates to animals or is inspired by the wilderness will be displayed, and all types of media will be shown such as painting, sculpture, fibers, metals and fashion design. All work will be for sale with proceeds to benefit the Boston MSPCA shelter in Jamaica Plain. There will be a gallery opening complete with food and drinks donated by local vendors as well as live runway models revealing animal inspired clothing crafted by local fashion designers.

RDR: What advice would you offer to aspiring artistic photographers?

I always keep a sketch book with a list of goals and constantly reference this list and try to keep the proverbial ball rolling. I consider myself an aspiring photographer and understand that it’s not for the lighthearted to make a living as an artist. The most important thing is to never stop exploring your media. Many graduates end up working in nonrelated fields other than what they studied in college. Even if that happens, make sure that you are not sidetracked from your dreams that are inlayed within.

RDR: Anything else you want to share?

I would like to thank you for taking the time to interview me. It is so important that new artists have a platform to show their work and give them a voice in explaining its deeper reasoning. I am more than grateful that Redivider has allowed me this privilege.