Artist Biography

Toni Ardizzone is a painter combining refined methods with a blue-collar skill set to create large-scale assemblages and tactile paintings. ... She received her BFA from Indiana University at Herron School of Art and Design in 2006. The driving idea behind her work is death within life, constructed through a humanist lens. Her prolific body of work has led to several solo exhibitions across the United States as well as international recognition. In 2019, Ms. Ardizzone was selected for two artist residencies including Ayatana in Quebec, Canada and the Palimpsest Project in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Artist Statement

I paint with ferocity. Defined by vigorous brushwork, loose paint-handling, and heavy application, my work dissolves complacency. ... Mixed media assemblages, paintings, and large-scale installations are the result of several years of experience as a housepainter and muralist, combined with an academically developed studio practice. Utilitarian, salvaged, and discarded materials inform my work, creating a personal narrative marked by self-sufficiency and survival. My most recent body of work, Vital Signs, developed from a nearly fatal medical event in 2018. These mixed media paintings channel dead hospital flowers, household textiles, photographs, human anatomy models, and hurricane debris to contextualize my own memento mori.