R. J. Mendola
R. J. Mendola grew up in a traditional Italian home in Brooklyn, New York, where children, parents and grandparents treasure their close-knit family structure. He became interested in the arts after a move to Staten Island as a teenager, and signed up for art classes at the local college.
Additionally, Mendola gained experience as a playwright and also found that he had the ability to improvise on the piano. Gradually, as the artist/playwright/musician experimented with different art forms, his interests and passions morphed into the plastic arts.
In the mid 1980s, as part of a group show at the Ariel Gallery on Broome Street and a show in a Gallery on Staten Island, Mendola was gaining traction in the art world.
By the beginning of the 1990s, life intervened, and Mendola turned his attention to helping his partner with her bakery business. By the time he was able to return to his art, the new century was well underway.
Over the years, the artist has been busy in his studio, amassing a large collection of canvasses. In the nature of artists, he is passionate about the creative process, and not about marketing his work, which has largely gone unnoticed by the general public. However, shows and recognition are bringing about a change.
In recent years, Mendola has turned his passions to digital artography, blending art and photography in multiple themes, some of a geopolitical nature, some of an ethnocentric nature and some that are whimsical. A few series encompassing both canvasses and artography may be found on his website at rjmendola.com.
