We recently connected with Aria Ferraro and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Aria, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

Visual arts gave me a sense of wonder and reward like nothing else I knew. Through my doubts and fears I realized that I could navigate it better than other things I felt mediocre at. I felt less like an “outsider” when I was practicing it or studying it, so it was the choice that made more sense to me when I was younger but as time went by I also understood what a magnificent tool Visual Art is for self-discovery and understanding… and the best part of it it’s that it is free, untouched, unpoisoned from the world. You can access it everywhere from all walks of life, with any medium and it still will give you wonder, it will teach YOU about yourself as you create. It’s like magic and history has shown us that… from the cave men to the Renaissance and beyond. The more I chose to do art, the more it gave me back somehow by teaching me something, either a skill or emotional coping. It is truly a beautiful exchange.

Still, my dedication to it was not enough. Like most people my main concern was always how, where and when I was going to be able to do it. In Italy, where I am from, art and craftmanship is at the cultural core of its history and it is enormously appreciated it. That was a strong encouragement for me, however, unless you have a prolific artisanal family business or “Bottega D’Arte” that has been going of for generations as well as with the never ending economic changes, it was very difficult for a lot of families to imagine having children pursuing artistic careers. It’s a tale as old as time. The “American Dream” has its forms in other countries as well, especially when you come from working class generations. Like millions of people before and after me, the very boring story of having to prove you can pay your bills with an artistic career to myself and then others. Still today, although I had my rewards and accomplishments, I have my moments of worry and yet I find that we all do… it’s part of the process and it is important to accept it.

Aria, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was born and raised in Italy and emigrated to the United States at the peak of adolescence, when I was 14 and let me tell you that it was a real emotional roller coaster.

I was already studying fine arts in my country but when I arrived in New York, I got accepted into the Fiorello LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing arts as an art major. I then obtained a BA in Art with concentration in drawing from CUNY Hunter College, while attending extra curricular classes at The Art Students League as well as summer courses in restoration of paintings on canvas at Palazzo Spinelli in Florence.

I had been practicing different artistic methods throughout these years. It started with figure drawing as my main medium and then transforming into painting by the time I was in my early twenties. However, I am always experimenting with new things!

I would say that the work that I make is truly the reflection of my upbringing. Growing up in Italy, I had a connection with nature and the spiritual world from a very early time in my life. The word “spiritual” shouldn’t scare anyone who reads this interview because it is not to be associated with a specific religious faith. For me, something with spirit, it is something done with purpose. I have learned, through my culture, that the simplest ordinary thing can be celebrated and done with love: from the small object handcrafted in a small workshop to those that for generations take pride working through the elements with their hands to provide for their family.

To relive that connection with nature and land, I like to use incorporate natural materials in my work. I see beauty in repurposing wood scraps and pieces that otherwise would be thrown out. I love gold leaf and the way it reminds me of the Italian sun and Baroque art so it is often part of my pieces.

I work on my personal work but always take commissions of all types and have also done murals. Though I have done pretty big sized panels in the past, I have recently have been exploring with creating a small internet shop on the side, where I sell little wooden paintings that I call talismans. The idea came from my experience in growing up visiting homes where people would have a special place for small objects or votive figures that reminded them of a loved ones: little photographs and images that allowed ordinary people to feel connected to something unseen and allowed them to push through the hardships of life. They can represent anything in someones life but most of all it something not pretentious and with a strong emotional connection that you can carry with you whenever you need it.

What are you most proud of and what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc.

What I am most proud is the feeling of having found a purpose to share with others, it is not just an exchange of goods.

People who support my work are getting something that is aesthetically pleasing to look at but most of all they are contributing to a web of of traditions, life values and world perspectives.

I find that extremely beautiful and it is one of the reason I would support other artists myself.

When I pay to purchase your work I am not only paying to have a painting hanging up on my wall, I am paying for this person to keep their spirit alive in a world where inner beauty and kindness is being crushed everyday.

It’s like the metaphor of keeping watering a plant so that one day it can be a gorgeous tree that we all can enjoy the shade of.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

We live in an era where everything is made fast, in large quantity, mostly for profit and without soul. The mentality nowadays is that lots of things are not meant to last or stay around for a long time. The very short shelf life allows companies to have you keep purchasing with the illusion that you are getting a great deal… but what’s the catch?

You don’t know who you are supporting and where your money is going. You don’t know if you are contributing to an oppressive system that has inhumane values. You also won’t receive a quality product.
The exchange is shallow and empty, with no spiritual attachment to it.

The best way to support artists is to first acknowledge the work it takes to bring their art to life.
It is about physical labor and the hours involved, as well mental commitment the artist puts into their act. When you purchase/support what they are making, you are allowing people with such spirit to stay alive and thriving in this world.
Don’t compare their labor and prices to something that was created by a machine in half of the time. Invest in their work knowing that your money is contributing to the artistic ecosystem and keeping a valuable exchange going where more magic gets created for this world.

Also, in the painting world an art piece can last a lifetime and become a family heirloom.
An artist has a choice to create various pieces that can be accessible to people that come from different walk of life. That can be helpful in creating an environment where more people feel able to commit to handmade products.
There is definitely the need for a trade-off here from both the POV of the artist and buyer.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

In a world where deception is accepted and trust often broken, I like to be able to have my paintings be a bridge of deep, spiritual connection between me and other people. Either a commissioned work or something that I have created out of my imagination, I always feel that at the end of the process I have a bond with the recipient of the piece. If they appreciate the work, I feel that perhaps we share common values and life perspective, so that is a beautiful feeling of community.

Something I am grateful for and that it is also rewarding aspect of this craft is when people come up to me to let me know that through my piece I have unlocked a memory or emotion within them. It gives me a sense of healing and humanity that is hard to describe. Here we are, we could come from two different walks of life and yet one image can makes us feel closer without the need of words.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ilariaferraroart.wordpress.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ariaferraroart + https://www.instagram.com/arte.arcana/
• Email: [email protected] OR [email protected]
• Tiktok: @arte.arcana ** please note that I have two instagram pages related to my paintings, one of them, Arte Arcana, is my shop for smaller pieces.

Image Credits
The picture where I am gold leafing a store front is taken by Derek Berg (https://www.instagram.com/eastvillage_and_beyond/)