Carla D’aguanno
In her hometown of North Providence, R.I., Carla D’aguanno realized she was meant to be an artist at a very young age. She recalls her high school teachers commissioning her to paint their children and grandchildren in high school. After graduating from Otis/Parsons School of Design with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art, she began her career as a movie poster artist, illustrating posters for movie advertisement companies in Los Angeles. She eventually returned to her native New England and began illustrating young adult and romance covers for New York publishing companies including Bantam, Doubleday, Pocket Books and Harper Collins.
After Carla was married she soon realized that she needed to paint from the heart and the subjects of her affection. Thus, she turned to fine art and began painting children, animals and Western genre. Her love for the Pioneer days of the West as well as children and horses is evident in her work. She describes her technique as expressive representational art. She claims her greatest challenge is bringing the beauty of her subjects to life on a canvas. Her greatest source of inspiration comes from her faith in God who has given her the skill and ambition to paint since childhood. She often reflects on life back in the Little House on the Prairie which was one of her favorite shows as a child. The simple way of life when people actually enjoyed the simple pleasures is what she wants to convey to her viewers. Her challenge lies in capturing the innocence and beauty of her subjects to glorify the Creator, who in her opinion is the greatest artist of all.
Carla was awarded the 1st Place Gallery Choice Award from Art Trends magazine and the 2nd Place People’s Choice Award at the Florida Invitational. Carla’s Keeper Of The Flock painting took third place in the Women Artists Of The West East; Meets West Show, judged by Nancy Guzic . Carla also received the Horses In Art magazine’s Advertising and Editorial Award for Back From The Dusty Trail. Carla was named the recipient of the John Steven Jones Purchase Award at the 21st Bosque Conservatory Art Classic. The juried show was judged by acclaimed artist, Martin Grelle. Carla’s piece titled Sabino Gold won the coveted top award in the show and is now part of the Bosque Conservatory’s private collection. Sunshine & Sweet Melon recently won the second place award in the Oil Painters of America on-line showcase competition for Spring 2013.
Carla is a member of Oil Painters of America and Western Artists of America (WAA). In March of 2012 she was awarded the Gold Award and Best Presentation Award in the WAA 8th Annual Show at the Pearce Museum. Now a member of the Artists of the American West (AAW) she looks forward to working with this talented group of artists preparing for their Annual Show at the prestigious Pearce Museum in Corsicana, Texas.
Carla’s originals appear in many private collections and a museum in Texas. Galleries showing and selling Carla’s work include Saks Gallery, Colorado, Altermann Galleries in Santa Fe, and Fredericksburg Art Gallery in Texas.
Several of her images are now being licensed on puzzles, greeting cards, prints, calendars and other products being sold in the U.S. and Europe. Canvas or paper prints of her work can be purchased through Great Big Canvas.