Portrait of an Artist: Dr. David D. Carrozzino, Classical Painter - and Podiatrist!

Dr. Carrozzino first became interested in art during his freshman year in college - in fact, it was due to a girlfriend of his at the time (and no, I don't mind him telling that story!) She had a book in her living room on Italian Renaissance art which captured David's interest, which soon blossomed from that first exposure to the subject of classical painting.

While in podiatry school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, David lived near the South Street Art store. One day he bought a simple oil painting starter kit to attempt to paint a Christmas gift for his parents. The experience got him hooked on painting - and that first work of art still hangs in the family room of his parents' house.

David sites Venetian painter Lorenzo Lotto as the artist who inspires him the most. Lotto, who trained with Giorgione and Titian in the studio of Giovanni Bellini, had a unique style somewhat apart from the traditional school of Venice. Yet his eye for detail and color was extraordinary, making his work worthy of far more critical attention than it regularly receives. David is also a tremendous admirer of Leonardo da Vinci, both for his artistry and his scientific work. If he ever had the chance to speak with Leonardo today, David says he would want to know, first, how he completed his underpaintings for famous works such as the "Mona Lisa" and "Ginevra de' Benci." Then, from a medical standpoint, he would love to ask Leonardo about how he found the time (and got around societal taboos and laws) to complete his highly detailed, groundbreaking anatomical drawings.

Of all the artwork in the world he has seen, however, David states none have had as much impact on him as Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel. He has been fortunate enough to visit the Chapel both before and after the impressive - and controversial - cleaning of the frescoes. As a supporter of The Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican he was even able to view it in a private session before general public admission, a truly inspiring event and opportunity.

(Above image: Section of the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo.)

Besides oil painting, David loves the technique of fresco painting, in which pigment is mixed with water and painted on a thin layer of wet, fresh, lime mortar or plaster. He has not only studied fresco techniques extensively through workshops and literature, but even co-taught a class on the subject at Camden Community College for a semester with artist Robert Waddington (of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts).

David finds the speed at which one must work in fresco to be an extreme challenge, as once the wet plaster dries you cannot rework your image at all without completely chipping it away from the wall. Fresco is not at all like oil painting, he says, but that is part of what makes it so unique and fun to explore. When in Italy, David is always on a quest to seek out great fresco artwork in churches, palaces and tiny streetside altars.

David has many of his paintings on display in his medical office - which as mentioned sometimes can cause quite a response from patients and other visitors. One comment he frequently hears from patients is, "I feel like I'm in a museum!" Many others ask him why he is still practicing when he is such an accomplished artist.

Of course, any one who attempts a career in art knows that it is an extreme challenge today and financially quite risky - the patronage system of the Renaissance is far behind us. And David says he likes medicine and interacting with his patients too much to give it up completely for art. He is happy to keep balancing his medical career and his hobby as an artist for now. That said, his one lifetime goal as an artist would be to have one of his paintings someday hanging in a museum - or even a church.

I can assure all readers of this article that there is rarely a day that David doesn't spend at least several hours painting away in our home studio. He typically will have at least a half dozen canvases and panels in various stages of completion at any one time, sometimes putting a piece aside for months before retuning to finish or fix the details. He will paint late into the night and even early in the morning, trying to get in a few brushstrokes before leaving for the office. Between his work and mine, there is never any shortage of artwork in our home - although we have a lot of wall space left to cover! We enjoy taking visitors on a tour of our painting workspace and the many works on display, and hope to one day work on a large scale fresco or mural to truly bring the feeling of the Italian Renaissance into our home.

If you're looking for a good podiatrist in Gloucester County, New Jersey, please visit Dr. Carrozzino's website The Fine Art of Footcare to find out more. Office location, hours, services provided and appointment contacts are all provided on the site, along with a gallery of David's artwork, of course! Dr. Carrozzino and his staff will be happy to help you with all manner of treatment including routine diabetic exams, warts and fungus, wound care, bunions and more. House call appointments are available for those with limited mobility as well. And of course, the doctor will be happy to talk art as well as medicine when you come in for a visit!