Painting is a way for me to quench an insatiable desire to create. I have always been captivated by the beauty of nature and the world around me. I feel so fortunate to live in the Adirondack Mountains where the beauty constantly astounds me. I find an endless number of subjects to paint in the ever changing colors of the landscape. The paintings displayed here were created with oil pastels. I fell in love with oil pastels over a decade ago when I stumbled upon them and was immediately drawn to their versatility. I could both draw and paint with them, as their rich texture allowed me to create the mood and atmosphere I desired to convey in my work. By using my fingers to build up layers of pastel, I often feel like I am sculpting as much as I am painting. This process of being in direct contact with the pastels excites me and allows me to engage in a continual dialogue with the painting as I respond to its unfolding and it eventually comes to life. My painting process is very intuitive…. I let the painting take me where it wants to go, rather than sticking to a preconceived notion of what I think the end result should be. When I truly open my eyes I find beauty in most everything. My hope is to invite you into an intimate look of my view of the world and to feel the joy I feel when I paint. Art is not just something I do, but a deeply felt part of myself. For me to live life fully is to paint my way through it. Selected List of Exhibitions and Representation: Represented by The Laffer Gallery, April, 2020-present. TheLaffer Gallery, “Unity” April 2020. Eden Compton Studio and Gallery, Saratoga Springs NY, 2018 - present. ""The Luminists"" Mark Gruber Gallery, New Paltz NY, July 2018. ""Landscapes for Landsake"" Coila NY, 2017. ""Hudson River School Revisited"" Mark Gruber Gallery, New Paltz NY, August 2017. David Hill Gallery, Saratoga Springs NY, 2018. “Quiet” solo show, Sorelle Gallery, Albany NY, April 2014. “Quintessential” Sorelle Gallery, Albany NY, October 2014. “Reveal Fall” Sorelle Gallery, September 2012. “The Rita DiCaprio Collection at the Batcheller Mansion”, The Batcheller Mansion, Saratoga Springs NY, March 2011 – 2018. “Transfixion”, solo show, FEAST Gallery, Saratoga Springs NY, February 2010. “Art from the Heart”, Mimosa Gallery, Saratoga Springs NY, February 2010. “The Governors Island Art Show”, New York NY, June 2011. The Jumel Mansion Museum, New York NY, January 2012. “Rita DiCaprio: Art of Upstate New York”, The Saratoga Springs History Museum, Saratoga Springs NY, February 2015. ""The Rita DiCaprio Collection at the Merrill Magee House"", The Merrill Magee House, Warrensburg NY, March 2015 - present. ""Landscape for Landsake"" Coila NY, October 2016. The Saratoga Springs History Museum, 2015 - present. Rita DiCaprio is a Signature Member of the Oil Pastel Society. Education​: B.A., University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, 1982 M.S., Southern Connecticut State University, 1983 You can visit Rita's website to view more of her work here.