About The Artist
Rick Schettino has lived a life defined by his passion for music and the lure of the road. As a solo singer/songwriter and professional free spirit, Rick spent the past 25 years traversing North America spreading joy through music while working remotely as a freelance art director. Now settled in on the Florida Gulf Coast, Schettino leverages several decades of creative experience to venture into the world of fine art for luxury interiors.
Infusing his passion for guitars with his deep-rooted understanding of design, Schettino meticulously transforms new and rescued stringed instruments into "wall jewelry" — elaborate sculptures, melding "found objects" with intensely deliberate design. Each piece is a chronicle of the destruction of high function and complete re-imagination into pure form. Rick Schettino creates one-of-a-kind statement sculptures, simultaneously elegant and opulent, that produce a visual crescendo in any room they inhabit.
Artist’s Statement
From an early age, I made the conscious decision that music would be my vehicle for bringing joy to the world. Now, since retiring from the road, and settling in Tampa Bay, it's the vibrant visions of my guitars that are bringing the joy. I have found that these fantastical multi-medium assemblages have a high “wow factor” that stops people in their tracks. I believe that's what a statement piece should be about — eliciting an emotional response upon first sight. Why do people have such visceral reactions to my guitars? I believe it's because the guitar is far more than just another gratuitous piece of decor. For many of us, it's the lead instrument in life's soundtrack—an iconic and emblematic archetype of popular culture, epitomizing sensual pleasure, masterful expression, and communal joy.
My process involves as much time silently staring, pondering, and imagining as it does meticulously hand-setting hundreds of curated artifacts. Each piece begins with its own serendipitous discovery of hidden treasures and evolves through several iterations into a refined, thematic assemblage, ensuring each work is utterly unique. I'm on a mission to create high quality fine art that transforms luxury spaces, elevates moods, and sparks conversations.