David Curcio merges traditional printmaking methods with rudimentary embroidery and simple, direct drawing to create imagery at once universal and deeply personal. While a great admirer of folk art, Curcio’s background in printmaking is extremely formal, and the introduction of self-taught fiber arts techniques (stitching, embroidering) is a direct means by which to strive for the purity, simplicity and (sometimes) unassured techniques often achieved by folk artists.

“In creating the current body of work, I inevitably become more comfortable with the humble, direct techniques that were at first so alien to me. In response to this growing confidence, I force myself deeper into the subject matter, as evinced in imagery of suffering animals, tormented writers; and raw, emotive, histrionic text whispered or scrawled in a moment of melodrama or morbid sentimentality.” In this way, Curcio remains outside a comfort zone, though all the while paying careful attention to the decorative aspects of each piece in an attempt to maintain the seductive surface appeal strove for by countless anonymous craft people throughout history.