Meet: Richard LaRovere
RICHARD LaROVERE is a NJ/NYC-based artist working in representational painting and pen & ink drawing.
(www.richardlarovere.com; special attachments available upon request at r.larovere52@gmail.com)
CATHOLIC ARTIST CONNECTION (CAC): What brought you to NYC, and where did you come from?
RICHARD LaROVERE (RR): I have lived in Jersey City, N.J. my whole life and have commuted to NYC all that time. Between 1989 and 1991 I had a painting studio at 129 East 36th Street and have done a number of architectural commissions there, including a drawing of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral for their gift shop.
CAC: What do you see as your personal mission as a Catholic working in the arts?
RR: In small letters, the word “catholic” means to unify and bring together as one. I like to feel that my work engages people as a whole to look at their (urban, architectural) environment and see it as special and not take it for granted. I see this as “Catholic” with a capital c because I believe that the intention of the Church Fathers was to form a cohesive unit of belief, and how special everything around us is, because it is from God.
CAC: Where have you found support in the Church for your vocation as an artist?
RR: Perhaps in the sense that the large number of architectural drawings of churches I have done, and continue to do, have been Catholic.
CAC: Where have you found support among your fellow artists for your Catholic faith?
RR: In my own parish, St. Nicholas Church in Jersey City N.J. I was allowed an exhibit and sale of my art prints of streets and landmarks of the region (N.J. and N.Y.C.) to be used as a fundraiser and have done this occasionally in other Catholic parishes as well.
CAC: How can the Church be more welcoming to artists?
RR: Adhering to its proud tradition of employing artists and artisans for centuries, the Church can continue its Renaissance spirit. We need more symbolism, detail, human scale and proportion in our world architecture which we have lost. This is the one thing Catholicism can provide like it always did - providing an alternative to the prevailing nihilism in so much art today.
CAC: How can the artistic world be more welcoming to artists of faith?
RR: Provide a forum for it and don’t be afraid to proclaim the faith message.
CAC: Where in NYC do you regularly find artistic fulfillment? Where do you go to get inspired?
RR: I love the museums and always visit a great church interior to soak in the atmosphere.
CAC: What is your daily artistic practice?
RR: I carry a small notebook and sometimes do small studies. I also use the phone on my digital camera to photograph some intriguing architectural element somewhere to add to my unofficial picture collection.I go through periods of time when I am producing art almost manically as if a force takes over, then I take a break. With any artist I think as well as myself the joy is in the doing, the creative process.
CAC: How do you find jobs in your artistic discipline?
RR: I am retired but still artistically active. With no one else’s help other than the Lord, I started my art commission business in 1995 by running around door to door cold calling with a flyer (taking trains and buses to get there), saying I do architectural renderings with my contact info to whoever would bother to listen and take my info, and never looked back. I find that I still need to do this old-fashioned style of networking in our impersonal digital/computer age and offer this as advice to any young person starting out to promote their art.
CAC: What advice do you have for Catholic artists moving to NYC?
RR: Network and meet people face to face. Do some volunteer work on local committees as a start. Get involved in local art festivals if they exist or, for that matter, suggest and organize a doable group exhibit as a fundraiser for your parish. Everything starts small and locally and builds from there.
People love a good story and can be inspired from one. That’s how Christianity began and prevails. The same thing applies to creating a work of art that has a narrative or art event that allows people to tell their story.That is how an artist is doing God’s work and not even realizing it.
