About Me
I was born in Monmouth New Jersey, 1990. I attended the School of Visual Arts undergrad in 2008 and went on to obtain my Master's Degree in 2012 under the program "Illustration as a Visual Essay." After receiving my MFA I worked as Jeff Koons’ painting assistant for four years. I currently work in the A&D industry while pursing my painting ambitions in my studio in Oceanport New Jersey.
I grew up as an only child in a house isolated between the woods and the ocean. With both parents as working illustrators, I was encouraged to rely on my imagination, nature, and the companionship of our many pets which included rats, frogs, birds, along with the typical cat and dog. My childhood pets and our fairytale house play a big role in the characters and stories I create in my artwork. My painting influencers have been Thomas Woodruff, Mark Ryden, Walton Ford, Caspar David Friedrich, and Martin Wittfooth (who mentored me in grad school); yet being a fanatic for dramatic narratives, my greatest influences have come from the poetically doomed characters in literature and film. I am seduced by the tragically beautiful, as stated in Oscar Wild’s Portrait of Dorian Gray, I believe that “Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic".
Past exhibitions venues and awards include the International Exhibition of Contemporary Works on Paper at the NYCoo Gallery, 2011. "Something Ancient" was published in the October issue of Playboy Magazine 2014. Group Exhibitions Guild of Creative Art in New Jersey in 2015. "Anna" was published in the first edition of Steadfast Magazine 2015. Several paintings were published in Outofstepbooks’ s Enchanted and Slithers and Scales issue. "Our Tracks will be Concealed" was published as the announcement for Monmouth County Museum's 2016 Winter Wonderland exhibition. "Veda Darling" was exhibited in the Museum's National Juried Exhibition. Exhibitions at The Raven Gallery, Jersey City in 2016 and 2017. In the fall of 2017, Monmouth College's Rotary Ice House Gallery held a solo exhibition for Claudia and her mother, Cheryl Griesbach, as a retrospective. “Make Haste but Slowly" was shown at Creatura House Gallery (now Roc La Rue) July 2018 for Aquamarine. Most recent past exhibiting galleries include: Haven Gallery in North Port New York, Abend Gallery in Denver Colorado, and Gristle Gallery in Brooklyn, New York.
Upcoming shows include: Miniature Shows at Haven Gallery and Abend Gallery December 2023
contact email: claudiagmartucci@gmail.com
