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WITH NATURE A BRUSH By Catherine Wysoczanski Critters of Tusciwilla at the Museum of Arts and Sciences


life with his paintings. Rick’s “Prehistoric Florida Trek,” is showcased at the Central Florida Zoo, where he is the resident artist. Dabbling with sketching and painting throughout the years allowed him to create vibrant canvases from portraits of civic leaders in Jacksonville to paintings focusing on wildlife ranging from the beaches to forests. Rick teaches a painting class to children at the zoo. He also does an


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Art Safari Tour once a month where zoo-goers can walk with Rick through the Florida Trek and Butterfly Garden where his art is displayed. During this program children can learn about art and animals through a game. “Animals are very interesting and it stirs the imagination of children, especially when I use a lot of color in my paintings. Tis is what gets them interested in the animals and in art.” Some of his original pieces of art from this exhibit are on display at the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach. His paintings have also been displayed along the First Coast in galleries such as the First Street Gallery in Jacksonville Beach and the Dow Museum in St. Augustine. Rick has lived in the Jacksonville area for more than 30 years. After


working in facilities management at Florida State College at Jacksonville for many years he retired and began to focus strictly on painting. Rick has had a passion for art ever since he was a young boy. To hone his craft he began to read books about painting. Tese books helped expand his knowledge and unearthed his love for oil pastels. All of the scribbles and sketches he had started earlier in his life began to turn into beautiful creations after years of hard work. After refining his art for about four years, he submitted some of his work to the respected Oil Pastel Association in New York City. Te First Coast has been a big influence on his work. Some of his first oil pastel paintings included portraits of First Coast civic leaders. Te series titled, “Leadership on Display,” included portraits of Chief Clark of the Fire Department, congresswoman Tillie Fowler and Bill Gay from W.W. Gay Mechanical Contractors. Tese


36 | Family!


magine walking into an exhibit and feeling like you’ve traveled millions of years back in time—surrounded by birds as tall as houses and armadillos as big as cars. Rick Cannizzaro brings this feeling to


Llama at the Central Florida Zoo


“This uniqueness no one else can take away.”


portraits were unveiled at various elementary schools in the area. “It gave students a chance to meet people like the mayor, ask them questions and learn their history as to how they became a civic leader,” says Rick. Tough his artwork keeps him quite


busy, Rick still makes time for his two children and five grandchildren who live on the First Coast. “Tey really enjoy coming to visit me in my studio. I learn from them because I see what excites them and I can use that while teaching. My grandchildren are


such an inspiration to me,” says Rick. “Te core of my teaching is to have art present in children’s lives. What children create is something that is unique to each individual. Tis uniqueness no one else can take away. I try and inspire and enrich art in them because it is something they can always fall back on.” As Rick’s art began focusing more on nature, he became interested


in writing his own children’s books. He now has several, including Lugi the Loggerhead Turtle, which tells the story of a loggerhead turtle’s lifecycle through vivid paintings. Other books include Butterflies of Tusciwilla, and books about endangered species and prehistoric animals. His newest project will be working with Web TV and PBS. Rick’s future includes continuing to encourage his children and grandchildren to explore their artistic abilities. He hopes to inspire children to explore art with his help through public programming, technology and visiting his artwork. For more about Rick, visit rickcannizzaro.com or email rcannizzaro@att.net.


Rick with one of his paintings at the Central Florida Zoo HERITAGE PUBLISHING, INC. © 2014


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