Meet Luciana Pampalone | artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Luciana Pampalone and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Luciana, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Without risk there is no gain. That goes for both pro & personal life. It’s always uncomfortable to take risks or chance, because of failure, But only through failure do we learn life and business lessons.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
It’s been a long journey, ever since I was a very young child, I always created art and was encouraged by my parents, especially my mother who nurtured my creativity. The “Aha Moment” was like a lightning bolt to my brain, when I was 16 yrs. old I was riding a yellow school bus on a class trip to NYC and saw a female photographer photographing a beautiful model on the steps on The Metropolitan Museum of Art, that instant was when I said, “I want to do that !” back in 1980 you didn’t see many female photographers, mostly an all-male dominated industry.

In 1981, I attended The School of Visual Arts In New York City. I graduated with Honors in 1985 with a photography major and psychology minor. During school I was shooting professionally, with models from modeling agencies to develop their portfolios, and some fashion for various clients, but I had no clue on how hard it was going to be to get a job as a photo assistant. That’s what you did to hone your craft as well as hustling for your own photo gigs. I had an appointment with the recognized photographer Bill Stettner, he had a huge photo studio in New York, and I was super excited to meet and possibly be one of his many assistants. I arrived and was greeted by his studio manager, then ushered to Stettner’s office that was a cigar smoked filled room. I could barely see him through all the smoke and introduced myself as he looked at me and puffed on his big cigar while blowing smoke at me, he’s eyes squinted and he spoke these words that have been imbedded in my brain forever,

“I Would Never Hire A Woman” so I turned around and left not saying a word, remember I was 21 years old and hadn’t found my bad ass b*tch voice yet…
This experience like so many life gut punches made me so determined and driven towards becoming a successful global photographer and creative entrepreneur.

The lessons I’ve learned is become laser focused on what you want to do. Nothing will be handed to you, even if your super talented it still takes hard work.

Remember success is the best revenge, and where you are now even if it’s a rough patch, you will be in a different place a year from now.

My real industry big break in the 1990’s, was shooting for Hearst publishing,” Victoria” a women’s lifestyle magazine. I had my portfolio with a very small amount of published work, but I was so persistent calling that magazine, I finally got an appointment with the photo editor. The photo editor Chazz (I can’t remember his last name) was so nice to me and told me I was talented and to stay in touch. I did stay in contact with him and sent him postcards with my fashion photography images. One day he called and gave me a fashion, beauty and still life assignment, all had to be shot in one day! I never shot products in an environment, but confidently said I could do it.

The rest is history, I was a contributor to Victoria magazine for the next 15 years, until they were sold. The editor in chief was a woman, named Nancy Lindemeyer, and served in the military, she was like a “Magazine General” and ran a tight ship and would spend time mentoring me and looking at photo edits, she encouraged me to shoot still life as well as beauty and fashion. Through the years I got to work with some amazing talent on photoshoots in the US and throughout Europe, where I was based for over a month shooting for Victoria magazine in Paris. All my editorial photography experiences really developed my sensibility of fashion and home design.

I feel it’s so important as a commercial photographer or artist to take time to create for yourself, outside of the paid photo jobs.

In 2016 I decided that I needed to expand and develop my fine art photography and create a new mixed media art using 23 karat gold on canvas with my sensuous floral and some fashion erotica images.

In 2017, I did a one woman show at the Robin Rice Gallery in New York City. This body of black and white photography was all vintage style images photographed in the Hamptons. https://robinricegallery.com/luciana-pampalone/luciana-pampalone-2017

After years of traveling and shooting commercially, during these many years I always created my own photoshoots of black and white fashion erotica photography and put together a photo book sold on Amazon called, Erotic Experiences, 2017.

I think what sets me apart is that I’ve had a global photography career, as well as creating fine art and home design products, plus branding myself.

In 2017, I did a “branding” on myself, I’ve always have done brand elevation and have been an image specialist for various clients,

And was always a behind the scenes person not the one in the public eye. With the help of my then boyfriend, Dave Warren, an event photographer we worked on my brand creation.

I knew I had to meet as many people as I could in the fashion, art, and music industry. Dave, now my husband and I embarked on a journey of a lifetime 5 years ago.

I came up with my over-the-top brand look.

A unique fashion style, I knew what red carpet event photographers would want to shoot being a photographer myself, an original look that no one else had.
I’m 5’9 in heels, with Blonde hair extensions, I paint my arms, hands & chest with gold body paint, wear a super creative wardrobe, body reveling but still elegant and I would only be photographed in any outfit 1 time only. I create my signature handmade floral Crowns. The story behind my crowns, is that sometimes in life we lose our self-confidence and respect along the way, and the crown signifies, that we remember we are All “Queens & Kings” it’s about self-empowerment.

I try to mentor and empower many women and men; I feel we must encourage and support each other.

In branding it’s about your own unique style and consistency, every time you’re at a red-carpet event you must maintain your “Signature Look”. My branding strategy paid off with so many opportunities, this was a real commitment and hard work going to all these events, I would do wardrobe changes in my car sometimes we would attend 3 to 4 events an evening.

2019 I was named on George Wayne’s of (Vanity Fair} Downtown 100 Most Creative Influencers List in NYC. This was huge!

More recent career highlights would be a billboard presence in Times Square New York featuring model Tracy Brank drew rave reviews. Brank, photographed in an outdoor silver claw bathtub that I spray painted at my waterfront home in the Hamptons,

This evokes the symbolism of female empowerment and, has become THE place to be photographed in my silver outdoor tub. Not to be outdone by Times Square, this image was scooped on billboards in Las Vegas and Miami, 2021.

Highlighting 2021, was creating my “Art to Tabletop” designs and the “Art to Totes” with the help of the PR Luxury branding powerhouse, Ivonne Camacho, she crafted the entire deal. https://absolutmoderne.com/

Coming up this Valentine’s Day 2022 is the release of my signature brand of tea, in collaboration with TSalon’s High Tea Guru, Miriam Novalle, featured in the Artea 2022 Collection, Royal Rouge Earl Grey, a classic Earl Grey combined with bergamot, and infused with rose oil and rose petals.

designed packaging features my image of brilliant burgundy calla lily petals seductively unfolding.

In conclusion I want to add my interior design company and home goods brand, Luciana’s Beach Chic Living, blossomed as the 2021 pandemic took hold.
I was hired as Project Manager and created the vision for a home and cottage, did the interior design and décor in a total gut renovation in the Hampton’s.
I think I’m a multi-faceted artist, every evolving and expanding my creativity and open to all artistic opportunities and my new life’s never been so amazing.

https://www.lucianapampalonestudios.com/
https://www.lucianasbeachchicliving.com/

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Say it’s summertime……I lived in Soho for many years, Here are some my favourite restaurants with a brick oven and authentic Italian is “Peasant” on Elizabeth Street, and I’ve always loved a New York old school classic, “The Odeon” on west broadway, it’s been the same since the 1990s. Balthazar on Spring St. for brunch or lunch.

No one really knows about this place to people watch in the best lounge ever is believe it or not is The Soho Grand Hotel, on Grand St. a great night scene with Dj, sexy people, great decor and food and cocktails.

If you wanted to go to nightclubs we could do as well, I know many club promoters, they could hook us up with any nightclub. But it’s summer and hot in the city, we would drive to the Hamptons where I currently live. My husband and I own a waterfront home on the South Fork on the Peconic Bay. We would have sunset cocktails on our deck before my husband cooks us an amazing seafood boil . He catches blue crabs and fresh clams and fish from the bay. We also have a large organic garden, with aireloom tomatoes, so we would have fresh tomatoes & vegetables daily. Last year my husband started farming oysters in the bay so we would have some fabulous champagne with our own oysters.
I would photograph you in my iconic silver claw bathtub thats perched waterside on my property.

Maybe suntan on our deck lounge chairs and then take a floaty with a cocktail jump into our canal (our property is surrounded by 2 sides of water the Bay & canal ) We would meet our neighbors directly across the canal and tie our floaties together and have some mixed cocktails in plastic cups, I call this “Canal Cocktails” our neighbors have a boat so maybe we go for a boat ride?

If you’re into other watersports….. we would jump down to the dock and launch our kayaks and explore the wildlife.

The next day we would go paddle boarding…..We attend many beautiful events in the city and in The Hamptons so we would drag you along, LOL

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mother, Lucy Ann Galioto, has always been a supporter and encourager of my art since childhood. She recognized my creativity and uniqueness. With her love and nurturing I was able to live and develop my own creative world. she was in incredible role model. she was the first female mayor of our town, and then became a single mother of three at 38 yrs old & went to law school. Went on to become a successful attorney and business woman.

Website: https://www.lucianapampalonestudios.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucianapampalone/

Linkedin: Luciana Pampalone

Twitter: @LucianaPampalo1

Facebook: Luciana Pampalone

Other: my home design site: https://www.lucianasbeachchicliving.com/