Charles Fazzino, at the age 38, is one of the
world's foremost creators of three-dimensional prints--serigraphs that,
like pop-ups in a child's storybook, attain depth through the magic of
scissors and glue. The artist's upbeat, frenetic panoramas of New York,
Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit and other cities have attracted a fanatic
following since he burst onto the print scene in the early 1980's. Collectors
(including celebrities such as David Letterman, Roseanne, Connie Stevens
and even Europe's most noted royalty) snap up his witty, meticulously crafted
images quickly, and are willing to pay a premium for scarce older editions.
New York is the well from which Fazzino's work
springs, the city that molded him and continues to inspire him. As a boy
growing up in one of its northern suburbs, he would take the train into
the city on weekends to hang out in Greenwich Village and Central Park.
In the late 1970's Fazzino became a regular at the Washington Square Park
Outdoor Art Festival in the Village, Displaying New York skylines and street
scenes executed in bold, oversized acrylic paintings. His mastery of color
and knack for capturing the hurly-burly energy of the Big Apple caught
the eye of collectors, and before long Fazzino was on the national art
circuit, exhibiting at shows such as the Ann Arbor Art Festival in Michigan
and Miami's Coconut Grove Art Festival. Fazzino's studio is in a 150-year-old building
once occupied by Terry Tunes, the creators of Mighty Mouse and Daffy Duck.
Large windows on the second floor let in plenty of light and a distant,
over-the-rooftops view of Long Island Sound. Adapting techniques from origami,
decoupage, mixed media, and other art forms, Fazzino has devised a unique
three-dimensional style. Original canvases---which Fazzino couldn't paint
fast enough to meet demand-- gave way to self-published 3D lithographs.
Later, financial success allowed him to produce 3D serigraphs (silkscreen
prints) in an array of smaller formats--maxi, mini, and ultra-mini--designed
to appeal to collectors without the cash or the space for a full-sized
print. Although other artists assist in the cutting and assembly, Fazzino
designs each piece and is involved at every stage of the production process.
Fazzino's vibrant, gloriously cluttered pictures
capture the essence of big cities---the bustle, the nightlife, the potpourri
of cultures, creeds, and cuisine. The artist's geographic scope has grown
with his reputation, encompassing U.S. cities and foreign metropolises
such as Zurich, London, Paris, and Tokyo. He assiduously researches each
piece on-site, talking to residents about their favorite haunts, sketching
and photographing street scenes, and mixing business and pleasure in restaurants
and nightclubs.
