Clarissa is a synesthete and a figurative painter. Her training and education is in the academic tradition of working with the figure, as well in the decorative arts.
She studied in private studios around New York, and continued her education in some of the finest and oldest art schools in the country. She is an instructor and lecturer in drawing, painting, encaustic painting, gilding and decorative arts classes and workshops, as well as lectures in film-related art, art history and color theory seminars and has taught programs at various prestigious institutions.
Her work appears in both private and public collections. You may have seen Clarissa’s work before without even realizing it. She spent almost two decades as a scenic artist with over 40 credits in film and television, including creating Lee Krasner paintings in the film Pollock. Over the years, she created sets varying from burned out buildings to gilded ballrooms, reproductions of master paintings for films to original artwork for film characters.
Film is a primary influence in her work. As an avid film lover, and history buff, she brings her love of narrative imagery into her paintings, with a fusion of historical portraiture, film and pop culture influences.
Clarissa spends her time working with arts organizations, in her studio painting, at historic or music events, or at any of Philly’s museums or historic sites. Or at the movies!
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