THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE

Much of my INTROSPECTION body of work seems rooted in work my father did fifty years earlier.

My father, Frank Rampolla (1931-1971) in his studio, 1967

My father was a figurative expressionist Artist who had a following in the 1960’s, much of which continues to this day.  He taught at The Ringling School of Art in Sarasota (1960-1968) before teaching at USF in Tampa. My mother was the girls den mother and we lived in the girls dorm for the first several years of my life.

Before he constructed his studio, his studio was in an old bus garage below the girls dorm. He painted with only one light above his canvas so the remainder of the studio was usually pretty dim. Often, I would hang out there while he painted.  The studio was full of roaches and who knows what.

A typical late afternoon could experience classical music so loud it distorted badly on the cheap stereo and me playing with paints and paper trying to create something that looked remotely like representational art.

My father and I in his studio, 1967

My father’s work spoke much about the human condition. This is portrayed in my work as well, and as I dig deeper, I realize how much my work has been influenced by the work of my father. The debt I have to my parents is immense.

My INTROSPECTION body of work touches on feelings of isolation due to the lack of real connection in society today.

In my father’s work, there was often a general lack of human connectivity portrayed with his subjects.  Even when he portrayed two or more figures in a piece, there was a feeling that each figure was alone.

Building upon his work, I look at the lack of connectivity in our world today.  More than ever, with all of the technological connections we have now, many people are feeling emotionally isolated.  There is a lack of real connection in our society today.

The INTROSPECTION body of work conveys feelings of isolation we all have from time to time; even though we don’t always show it.”