MAGIC HAS A FORMULA

Paul Raffelo

Born and raised in Brooklyn, artist Paul Raffelo cultivated his love for art including his love for street art and public murals while growing up in New York City during the 80’s and 90’s. He began creating art during his teenage years including murals for local businesses. Some of his earliest jobs were painting signage on delivery trucks and inside local businesses. Paul took notice to the graffiti flowing through the streets of New York which inspired his large-scale lettering work. Paul continues to engage in collaborative art projects with local businesses, corporations, and gaming companies like Ubisoft. 

When Paul was 18, he taught himself how to tattoo. This enabled him to gain more exposure and was given the opportunity to be a permanent cast member on the hit TV show LA Ink. Through that opportunity came many others like working with artists like Mister Cartoon, Nippsy Hustle and Snoop Dog. Throughout his travels Paul has been able to tattoo and create art in places such as New York, LA, Austin, Miami Montreal, Italy, and England. 

For Paul tattooing and graffiti go hand in hand. However, he has a love for all mediums. Sticking to one medium is not what cultivates his creativity. Tattoo art, graffiti, watercolor, acrylic and lettering are a few mediums he’s creates with.

Paul is a self-taught, self-made artist which perfectly illustrates his dedication to creating art. He has dedicated his life to creating and exploring different creative languages. Art is a powerful way to communicate emotions in people and that’s a main source of inspiration. He often says, “Art crosses all boundaries, gender, race, age even identity it’s for everybody, never exclusive only inclusive”. Art can create a far greater dialogue than spoken word. 

Paul has since expanded his areas of art to branding, interior designed art, residential and commercial installations, and is now being hired by Hotels, Restaurants, Hospitality Companies, and private art connoisseurs alike.

Samantha DeMaio

New Jersey based artist, Samantha DeMaio, has been creating since 2004 but her artistic interest and creativity sparked as a child.  She has continued to feed her passion both through personal exploration, formal education and giving back to her community through works of art.   

Formally educated in fine arts at Rutgers University.  Samantha has had the chance to explore all mediums.  “I don’t like to stick with just one medium.  Sometimes I want the time and patience of oil paint and sometimes I want the permanence of texture.  Depends on how I’m feeling and what I need emotionally.”  She has also assisted in designing urban sustainability projects in Camden, New Jersey.  Creating artwork for community and public spaces began to become more of a passion and focus in 2015.

Samantha started creating commissioned artworks for community groups, which organically evolved into a marriage of decorative painting and a passion for interior design.  She began creating sculptures and installations for restaurants and homes with her partner Paul.  Together they united their talents and began creating alongside designers and homeowners, offering a specialty service to their growing client base.  They begin with the client’s vision and merge their desired mediums together into a sensible design, whether that’s sculpture, gilded leaf, hand painted wallpaper, signage, or a wall carving.  The piece becomes a unique collaboration between art and design and transforms the space into a unique environment for many to enjoy.