Biography
Mary A. Rappazzo
She is a Los Angeles native, a Fine Arts Painter, Digital Illustrator, and Graphic Designer. Art has always been her important part of her life while growing up in Los Angeles. She began painting at age 10, with her grandmother’s encouragement and mentorship.
Mary discovered her recognizable, one-eyed signature style in her early twenties, which she expresses in bold statements using a broad palette of colors, figurative and representational images in idealized forms. She chooses provocative themes from everyday life: personal and emotional issues, social injustice, political policies, and people in the public eye. The figurative images that Mary created are often lacking a sensory organ or two, and yet they are completely engaged in the world around them.
Mary was a digital artist at Disney for 12 years. In 2012, she expanded her business, 1 Eye Art & Design. She currently serves a broad variety of clients including Disney, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, City of Los Angeles, and major publishing houses. She also works with small businesses and individuals with special projects.
Dyer Arts Center at NTID
Five of Mary’s paintings are in the permanent collection of the Dyer Arts Center at the Rochester Institute of Technology/National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) in Rochester, NY. A large exhibition of Mary’s work was shown in April, 2012 at the Williams Gallery of the Dyer Arts Center. The gallery featured 32 of Mary’s paintings borrowed from collectors across the country.
About the Center
The Joseph F. and Helen C. Dyer Arts Center at National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY, houses several state-of-the-art galleries that showcase artworks created by current students, alumni, and artists who are nationally and internationally renowned. All of these artists are deaf, hard of hearing, and/or allies of the Deaf community.
Mary’s two artworks have been featured in several episodes of the ABC Family‘s Switched at Birth – 2nd Season 2012 and 3rd Season 2014
Mary was selected as a Honorary Member (2010) of The Pearls Collection: 20 deaf women from across the U.S. whose work has transcended and shaped their fields.
Mary Anna Rappazzo | Digital Illustrator & Fine Art Painter
Shoutout LA | July 6, 2020
We had the good fortune of connecting with Mary Anna Rappazzo and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Mary Anna, can you tell us the story of how you started your business?
I was an in-house digital illustrator at Disney for 12 years when a slate of layoffs occurred. The old saying, “Necessity is the mother of invention” applied. I wanted to continue doing the kind of work I loved to do, so I started my freelance business, 1 Eye Art & Design. The work I do is obtained mostly by word of mouth. I got my job at Disney through the recommendation of a friend who knew my work, and I started my business understanding that I must reach out and do consistent networking to land some initial opportunities. I was very fortunate that former colleagues…
Meet Mary Anna Rappazzo
of 1 Eye Art & Design
Voyage LA | April 17, 2018
Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Anna Rappazzo.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Mary Anna. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’m a Los Angeles native. I was born deaf and grew up in a hearing family. I was raised completely “oral,” which means that I was immersed in the hearing world and learned to communicate only by lipreading; sign language and Deaf culture were not encouraged. My family, especially my mother, was a strong advocate for my well-being and pushed for a high-quality education. In those days, deaf people had to fight to attend regular school. My grandmother encouraged me to try out many creative skills such as art and even playing piano. I began painting at age 10…
© 2022 Mary A. Rappazzo.
Reproduction and use of artworks without the artist’s consent is prohibited.