The Mulberry Street Library is proud to host the art exhibition "Love, Masks, and Flowers" by Greenwich Village based artist Rossella BLUE Mocerino. A veteran exhibitor of NYPL Libraries, BLUE brings extraodinary color and verve to her work, on display through June 27th. 2015. I spoke with the artist about her work.

Tell us how you became interested in the masked figure as an artistic subject?

I have always been interested in the human figure. I find people very intriguing. I drew from live models for decades but I did not quite know how to turn this interest into a personal style. One day I saw a picture of a masked figure from the Venice Carnival. I mentioned to my partner that there was something about it that caught my fancy and since my partner has always been very supportive, she said to me: "Just go."

That was in 1993. It was the first Venice Carnival I attended and I knew I had found my subject—masked figures. I haven't missed a Venice Carnival since then. A critic once wrote: "For this artist, everyday is Carnival." Another critic wrote that: "One gets the impression that Mocerino's figures are never out of costume; that they live in a perpetual white-face persona."

What sort of emotions does you work evoke, or do you try and elicit from the viewer?

What a viewer sees in my work is a very personal experience. They might not see what I see in it but they might find other ideas that they can relate to. And that's okay too. What I put into a painting is mystery, magic, passion, love, intensity of feeling, individualism, a quest to connect, a desire to soar above everyday's realities. Although my work is often labeled realism, I believe artists never do realism. As I see it, art should elevate us and teach us to search beyond the ordinary.

Your name BLUE indicates a love of color, which is very evident in your work and style. Can you describe your relationship to color? What attracts you to color? Why BLUE?

I can't imagine a world without color. It would be a very dull place indeed. I find that each color comes with its own characteristics. When I work with red, I feel the intensity and passion inherent in it. On the other hand, when I work with gold, I feel the heaviness of it and so on. I like strong, bold colors. I have a strong dislike of pastel colors. They will never find their way into my paintings.

In recent years, earthy tones have been added to my palette. Although I paint with different colors, blue is the only color I wear. In the art world, you will find that the color artists wear at openings is black so I started to wear blue as sort of a rebellion against that rule. Soon enough though I found I lived very well in blue and that it started to shape who I am. I am very well at home in my blue life. Recently, I have adopted BLUE as my professional name.

What are some of your biggest artistic influences (could be art, writing, music, etc.)?

Italy has been my biggest artistic influence. As a matter of fact, Italy is at the core of my being an artist. I was twelve when my family and I emigrated to New York from Tuscany. At eighteen, I went back to Italy for a visit. I was on a train looking out at the countryside when this thought popped up from nowhere: "I want to be an artist." And that was that. I have never looked back. My favorite author is E.M. Forster. I have always needed a room with a view to survive. I have a great affinity to the operatic works of Giuseppe Verdi—perhaps it's due to the fact that we share the same birthday.

How does travel inspire you?

Travel, like a good book, opens unexpected and unimaginable vistas. I can't help but think about what Grace Coddington of Vogue magazine said in the documentary, The September Issue: "I worked with Norman Parkinson, who was a really big photographer. He taught me to always keep your eyes open; never go to sleep in the car; keep watching; whatever you see out the window or wherever, it can inspire you." Each city has its own unique palette—the color of the stones, the architecture of the buildings, the light as it hits the landscape through the day and at different seasons, the reflections in the water. I know that when I visit my favorite inspirational city, Venice, I often wonder if I will go blind from seeing so much beauty.

How do you see NYC neighborhoods changing?

I have always loved to walk through the city. New York is a very dynamic city and neighborhoods change constantly. As artists find one neighborhood pricey, they move to another and there starts the beginning of the new Lower East Side, Williamsburg, Chelsea. And those artists who have made it big move to other areas like the West Village and the Meatpacking District. Then follow the restaurants, the bars, the boutiques and what we get is the Movida. The Spaniards use this word to describe neighborhoods with a lot of movement and a strong night life. I love it all!

You have shown work in many libraries at NYPL—why are you drawn to showing your work in Libraries?

I jokingly refer to this year as My Library Tour. I had a show in January at the Tompkins Square Library, I am currently exhibiting at Mulberry Street Library until June 27th and I will complete this "tour" with a show at the Hudson Park Library in September. I wanted to take a break from the rigidity of a gallery setting and these libraries opened their doors to me. Three libraries, three different spaces, three different shows. What a fabulous opportunity to plan each show from beginning to end and to have the rare opportunity to hang one's own work. What a great chance to be part of what's happening in New York City by displaying my work in local libraries and making it accessible to all. Libraries are the dynamic center of a neighborhood; it's a perfect fit to have art and literature together with other local events. A heartfelt thanks to the staff of the libraries who have made The Library Tour possible.