Meet Connecticut-based Artist Alyssa Ferrucci
Alyssa Ferrucci is a painter, visual artist, and student at Franciscan University of Steubenville. You can find her work on Instagram and on her Etsy shop.
CATHOLIC ARTIST CONNECTION: Where are you from originally, and what brought you to your current city?
ALYSSA FERRUCCI: I am from Danbury, Connecticut. I have lived here my whole life. But I currently go to school at Franciscan University in Steubenville, so I'm there most of the year.
How do you understand your vocation as a Catholic artist?
I definitely consider my art a calling. I create artwork to comfort and give hope; specifically, my custom drawings. My custom drawings are typically of people who have passed away, specifically babies. My art helps people to know that their loved one is happy in heaven and that we will all be reunited one day. I believe that God touches people's hearts through beauty and I make art with the hope that it reflects the beauty of God.
Where have you found support in the Church for your vocation as an artist?
People on social media tend to support me the most. Instagram is how I sell most of my art. I would definitely say there isn't much opportunity for me to advertise my art in the parishes I attend.
How can the Church be more welcoming to artists?
I think the Church could have a greater emphasis on art and its role in the faith. Beauty can often reach people in ways that words and intellectual teachings can't. If local artists were featured in parish bulletins, or if art fairs were held at Churches more, I think both artists and parishioners would benefit from it.
How can the artistic world be more welcoming to artists of faith?
I think the emergence of modern art has turned people away from traditional art. Catholic art tends to be more traditional, and more objectively beautiful, than much of the art that is seen today. I think a renewed appreciation for traditional art is much needed.
Where in your city do you regularly find spiritual fulfillment?
I went to youth group at Saint Rose in Newtown as a high schooler so this is now my favorite church. The youth group program, led by Renzo and Monica Ortega is incredible and full of so many faithful adults and students. I always find myself going back to Saint Rose when I need spiritual nourishment.
What is your daily spiritual practice?
Every couple of years I will attend a retreat with the Sisters of Life, and these retreats always result in deep healing and fulfillment.
What is your daily artistic practice?
I would recommend that artists stay in the habit of creating, even if it's just sketches here and there. After going to college I stopped drawing because I was so busy, and now I find it difficult to create, even when I am inspired. I wish I had continued to draw frequently.
Describe a recent day in which you were most completely living out your vocation as an artist.
I just finished a painting commission for my cousin. It was a landscape painting with grassy hills and windy rivers, and in the river I painted my cousin and his son fishing. Relationships are what make us the most happy, so I was glad to include their sweet relationship in the painting. Seeing my cousin's reaction to the painting and how happy it made him was the best part for me. I always love making people happy with my art.