A BIT OF BACKGROUND ABOUT OUR EXCITING NEW ARTIST
After first experimenting with her signature charcoal during her foundation year at the Rhode Island School of Design – under the tutelage of professor Victor Lara – Arricale explored advertising, fashion and interior design before rediscovering her passion for art.
In 2020, she not only returned to working with charcoal but founded Studio Arricale, a project management and furniture consultancy firm for high-end residential and hospitality projects, with her husband Edoardo. Together, they’ve sourced and designed the furniture for Langan’s Brasserie and Chucs restaurants.
SCULPTING WITH CHARCOAL
To create her iconic portraits, Eliza uses the tip and sides of the charcoal and both hands – it’s a very tactile process.
She says: “The whole process feels meditative for me. I usually begin my charcoal drawing based on the reflection of myself in the mirror. I barely look at the paper when I draw so at the end of each piece, I’m greeted by an abstract portrait of someone other than myself.
“I want to capture facial expressions that last a glimpse of a second and are now frozen in time.”
She compares it to like meeting a person for the first time.
“You feel a certain connection with some and perhaps not with others. I hope the viewer can find a portrait that they have an instant connection with.”
For more information on Arricale’s available works, email info@loughrangallery.co.uk.