Vince Contarino
My work is concerned with exploring the possibilities of abstraction through drawing, collage, and painting. I’m specifically interested in the development of a visual language through various gestures and informed decision-making. I develop ideas for my paintings through small graphite drawings, but this has more recently extended into making works on paper with acrylic and collage, cooling off the desire to make paintings composed of strictly brushwork and gesture. The small works on paper are more intimate and less precious, but with the intensity of discovering something for the first time. This leads me to create works that are a continual balancing act between embracing the intuitive nature of the painting process and making aesthetic choices through patient, considered moves.
Vince Contarino was born in Woodbury, NJ and lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. He received his BFA from the Ringling School of Art & Design in Sarasota, FL. Recent exhibitions include - 2010: Sweet Divide, (Solo) 532 Gallery Thomas Jaeckel, New York, NY; Paper Works, Janet Kurnatowski Gallery, Brooklyn, NY; 2009: ABCyz, Silvershed, New York, NY; +2, Sloan Fine Art, New York, NY; 2007: Here and Elsewhere, AIM 27, Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, NY. His work has been featured in EMPTY Magazine, HJKBlog, Collections from the last place, and Vellum Magazine.








