Carla San Giacomo

I am a fine artist currently living and working in central Florida. Born and raised in New England, I spent fifteen years in the Pacific Northwest before moving to Florida in 2000. I worked in higher education for most of my career before transitioning to a full-time artist. I am primarily a self-taught artist with an undergraduate degree in psychology (University of Connecticut) and graduate degrees in higher education (University of Connecticut and University of Florida). I paint both realistic and abstract art, drawing artistic motivation and inspiration from the simplicity and complexities of nature and everyday life.

My painting, Dancing Reeds, was featured on the cover of The College of Central Florida’s IMPRINTS 2006 and helped that literary and art magazine win best in state cover design that year. A second painting, Cypress on the Rainbow River, was accepted into IMPRINTS 2007, and was purchased by The College of Central Florida. Finally, my painting, River Rocks, won an honorable mention in the 2009 student showcase from the same college.

Over the years, my work has been displayed in numerous local art shows. I have also been retained for specific commission pieces. I enjoy collaborating with other artists through online meetings and in-person open critique sessions. Currently I am working on building a body of work in preparation for my first solo show.

For this show, Art of Aging 2024, the painting called Cannon Beach is of my mom taken from a photo of her looking out of our beach house window onto the estuary many years ago. It reminds me of her willingness to try new things and of her love for her family. It has a very special place in my heart.

I am a fine artist currently living and working in Ocala, FL. My original work in oils, acrylic, watercolor, or mixed media is inspired by meaningful connections people have with ordinary events, people or things. I primarily paint on both single and multi-level canvases. 

This painting is intended to show the interplay among the grasses, rocks, light, and aquatic life of the Florida springs. This piece began as pieces of paper torn from magazines that were then arranged on and glued to a hard surface. The painting was rendered from this design. Tell me what you see when you look at this design! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did creating it!

FL