Conticelli has 15 years of experience working in construction – including project coordinator, estimator, and junior project manager – and he says, “I get inspiration for my artwork from my construction work.” He adds: “Even when I drive under or over a bridge, I look at the lines and angles, and I dissect every aspect of that structure and I see that as brush strokes.”
Conticelli’s work has been featured at some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including the Chelsea ArtWalk in Manhattan, the Brussels Cube Art Fair, “DREAMS a LA LAND” in Los Angeles, Miami Art Basel Scope Show – and it’s also been shown right here in our backyard. His rendition of Jesus Christ and the Stations of the Cross is a permanent installment at the Clarkstown Reformed Church in West Nyack. “Cross to Bear” is part of that series.
Conticelli, who divides his time between Stony Point and Manhattan, says there’s deep meaning in those works: “If Jesus died for mankind, he carried the cross for mankind, I wanted these pieces to represent all of mankind no matter the color of their skin, so everyone can all relate, even an atheist. … I am about inclusivity, that has always been my mission in life, and I have sought to do that artistically and creatively. … with this particular collection.” He adds, “If you are born, you are going to die, and you have a cross to bear that is personal to you and only you, and no one else will ever know your burden.”
Loss and trauma have also helped to shape his art. Conticelli’s piece “Brother” was inspired by the loss of his brother Matthew, who died in a motorcycle accident in Queens in 2002. He was only 17, and Paul was just 15 at the time. He says, “Matthew lived his life with no fear since he was a child, but I was scared of my own shadow. I didn’t trust people, but I trusted Matthew.” Conticelli says losing his brother “made me understand life and death in a different way. I think of Matt every time I paint. I challenge myself through the memory of my brother and that broke the glass shell that I had. With Matt passing, I started to create more abstract and less realism, and tap into my deeper emotions. … (it gave me) another layer of dimension and sensibilities.”
Then, when Conticelli was 19, he was critically injured after getting hit by a drunk driver in Mexico while out walking. He flatlined twice and was in a medically induced coma for three weeks. Then he had to do intensive therapy to relearn how to do even the most basic things – including walking and using a fork. But his art helped him heal. “In a moment of darkness and silence, a very unfamiliar and scary space, I was able to draw and not talk about it. I didn’t want to talk about it, but I wanted to express it anyway.” The accident also provided him with a whole new perspective “It gave me another opportunity to live my life, and I decided to live it fearlessly and abundantly.”
Conticelli says he’s also working to help others on their artistic path, “I’m in discussions with different artists to help represent them and their artwork and assist them and give them a platform for their creative expression. I am excited to bring that to the world soon.”
And wherever his journey takes him, Matt will always be a part of it. “I feel my brother’s spirit encouraging me and taking me to the next level.”