TOM MAZZULLO

BIO

Born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania in 1968, Tom Mazzullo earned a BFA from Tyler School of Art in 1990, and an MFA from Syracuse University in 1993. A specialist in metalpoint drawing, he has exhibited his work in competitions, in curated museum shows, and in professional and experimental galleries all over the United States. His artworks are held in many public and private collections, and he is the co-author with Susan Schwalb of Silverpoint and Metalpoint Drawing: A Complete Guide to the Medium, published by Routledge/Focal Press in 2019. He has been a visiting artist and lecturer all over the country, and has taught at Cayuga County Community College, Hamilton College, The University of Denver, and at the Art Students League of Denver.

ARTIST'S STATEMENT

Each drawing I make is a record of the struggle to understand  the object in front of me, and I work in silverpoint because it demands patience. I take visual inspiration from the graphic work of the European Renaissance, and I hold the idea that the longer one looks, the more likely they are to find something unusual.

MORE ABOUT SILVERPOINT

Silverpoint, or more generally metalpoint, is a medieval drawing medium rarely practiced by artists today. Metalpoint drawing can be done with any soft metal – silver, gold, and copper are common, and exotic metals like platinum and bismuth can also be used. Metals are too hard to mark on plain paper, so a prepared surface, such as paper or board coated with paint, must be used. The choice of grounds is wide, and includes gesso, casein, homemade grounds, and products like Golden Silverpoint Drawing Ground. Metalpoint technique allows the artist to make very fine lines of pale-gray color, but metals have different lusters and also tarnish; while initially silver resembles graphite, a drawing in silver left open to the air will take on a warm, sepia hue.

My preferred materials and techniques have not changed much since I learned silverpoint from my drawing professor Chuck Schmidt at Tyler. I use a stylus made from sterling silver wire held in a mechanical lead holder, and hot press 140lb. watercolor paper coated with casein paint. Much of what I've learned over the past 35 years is included in the book, Silverpoint and Metalpoint Drawing: A Complete Guide to the Medium.