Photo By: Melissa Dilger
We first met TODD DICIURCIO when he and his wife were passing through Bali visiting mutual friends a few years back. We met this charismatic couple and we were instantly drawn to them. Not only were they dressed to the nines in some fabulous gear, but their personalities and love for each other was attracting to say the least, and that night ended up with one too many, at last call…Or so we were told 😉
We quickly learned that Todd was quite the artist and had made a name for himself in the NY art scene, as well as the music and fashion world. This is when we began following his career and our love for his spontaneous and vibrant works of art came about.
It’s an honor for us sister to introduce you to such a talent as Todd. Todd lives a fast paced life in New York City and is often seen on the red carpet at the fashion shows, music gatherings, gala’s and charity events. He’s kind of a big deal folks…The coolest part about him and his art is that he is known for his “Live Performance” . Where he synchronizes his art method or art technique while a live band plays…The collaboration between artist and musician become something else. He has worked with bands such as: The Rolling Stones, The Killers, The English Beat, Broken Social Scene, Bon Jovi and The Kings of Leon…Just to name a few.
He has collaborated with fashion house such as Rag & Bone and The GAP, he has been selected as “Artist Residence” in hot spots like, The Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas and had a kitty cat named RHYTHM THE CAT who left us a while back…but based on his love for the furry guy, you would think this cat still roams the earth. RIP Rhythm. It’s shit like this folks, that makes this human a real down to earth, rad and talented mother fucker. Excuse the language, but there really is no better way to explain this talented human.
We asked him a few personal questions…Take a read. Take a look.
Photo By: Melissa Dilger
Photos By: John Robinson
Sisters: Give us some insight into your childhood, upbringing and when you discovered your love of art.
TODD: Creating was always a way for me to show something that felt important. I remember the effect of television as a kid- tracing right on the screen to Michael Jackson when he performed at The Grammys, football games, Sesame Street, Kung Fu movies, The Three Stooges, cartoons, car ads…just reacting. When MTV hit, I was still doing this. It was like connecting to the static of the world off the static from the tv. Music became the fuel & I was the vehicle. That energy combined with growing up bouncing from suburban to farmland Pennsylvania shaped my world quite a bit. Dysfunctional family arrangements & the loss of my Mother to brain cancer when I was 14 launched me into my own headspace, a headspace full of freedom that craved to experience things for itself, with autonomy, abandon, & love for all adventure. That freedom certainly tuned my periphery to seek what I believed was the unexplored, the ultimate zenith of the darkest reaches, the underground. And I was going to draw just that.
Sisters: When did you really start committing to you artwork?
TODD: I attended fine art school at Kutztown University. This juncture found me creating & swimming in work all hours of the day & night. Sleep was just a word. The drugs were free (or close to it) & I was deep in the exploration of mark making thru psychedelics. So much so that I would actually choose from tens of works to turn in for final drawings, retrofitting them to the required syllabus. This was a bit toxic being that I was seemingly getting further away from what my professors wanted, but I was way down the mineshaft by then…there was no turning back. That said, I was hugely inspired by my professors as a result- they helped me to understand the tools needed to structure this cervasse filtering upwards into my sky- I felt reciprocated in reality, an altering that would bring great benefit to my new understanding of composition. This became my foundation.
Sisters: How would you describe your art?
TODD: It’s anybody’s observation. I’ve heard it called post-modern expressionism. I guess my name is in that hat to some degree. It’s just how I express myself.
Sisters: What inspires your art?
TODD: Humanity, relative synergy, infinite possibilities, music & all its incarnations, dark dreams- the ones I remember. The rest just happens when I see, (mis)read or (mis)hear something, break it all apart, & let it come out onto the surface.
Sisters: What medium do you use? How did you discover your love if this medium?
TODD: I’ll draw with anything that will make a mark just to see what I can get or see out of it, what I feel from it. Drawing is the truth. I love ink- to abandon the notion of capturing the appearance of something for the pursuit of its spirit is where my projections lie- that’s the zenith status in my book.
Sisters: Where do you currently live? Do you have a studio?
TODD: For almost 15 years now, I’ve lived & worked out my studio in Brooklyn NY with my wife Megan, who heads Entertainment PR for Tommy Hilfiger.
Sisters: What are your hobbies outside of art?
TODD: I would say traveling & Surfing are the top of that list for Megs & I- always trying to get home to the beach. The rest of the time we’re herding two cats, Buddy Miles Davis & Ella Fitzgella.
Sisters: Where has your artwork taken you? Shows? Buyers? Collaborations? Etc…
TODD: I’m always open to collaborations- I’ve worked with Rag And Bone for a special capsule collection, did Gap Product Red thru Art Production Fund, been commissioned to draw live with every band at Splendour In The Grass Festival in Australia, worked on Broadway with Sweeney Todd & In The Heights, Off Broadway with Chicken & Ironbound doing live drawings. My work has been featured in motion pictures, short film, magazine features & interviews, & used creatively by the bands I’ve had the pleasure of drawing alongside.
Collectors are what keep this ship sailing, & most are private. Honestly, I couldn’t list one name of a supporter without 500 others coming to mind so I will say you know who you are!
Photo By: Melissa Dilger
Photo By: Ashley Costello
