ART Tank Winner Finds Its Home — in the President’s Office

Having taken only one art class in his life - at the encouragement of a high school teacher who sensed his talent - Raymond Lizzol '27 went on to paint a large mural of a tree growing from an open book that has graced the walls of Willam Floyd High School since 2023. "Every time I go back to the school, people remember me because of the hard work I put into that piece."

Lizzol is now thrilled to leave a similar mark at Stony Brook University "that I hope has meaning for the entire SBU community," he said. He's referring to the dazzlingly colorful 6.5 x 5 feet digital artwork recently installed in Stony Brook University President Andrea Goldsmith's outer office/welcome area that he created as part of the Campus Beautification Committee's (CBC) second annual ART Tank competition last November.

The piece is called 'The Eye of Stony Brook,' and Lizzol explained that it melds his view of Stony Brook excellence, seminal elements he saw in Michelangelo's statue of David during a study abroad in Florence, and his own artistic expression.

As a winning ART Tank entry, The Eye of Stony Brook is one of the latest examples of CBC's mission in action, serving as a lasting legacy of student art and creativity.

"When a student's vision becomes part of the landscape of our university, we see the true meaning of belonging," said Stony Brook Vice President for Equity and Inclusion Judi Brown Clarke, who also serves as the CBC's executive sponsor. "The Eye of Stony Brook reflects a dream realized through talent, perseverance and opportunity. By showcasing this work in a prominent campus space, Stony Brook affirms its commitment to excellence, student success, and empowering every Seawolf to leave a lasting legacy."

"I think my first reaction when I looked at it was like, 'Wow, this is bigger than I remember,' " Lizzol said, jokingly. "Getting the opportunity to be a part of ART Tank and to have my art in such a prominent and influential space made me so happy. And it empowered me to think that I could actually be successful at making art into a career and not just doing it on the side."

People's positive comments and reactions have further validated the political science/business management-focused student's feeling that he can create "real art, not just color on a wall, but something that really means something to the people who view it. I felt like this was not exactly a test run, but a really good opportunity to kind of flex my muscles a little bit, if that makes sense."

Exposure to a new creative process in the form of digital art is also helping pave the way for more artistic endeavors in the future.

"What I was so surprised about is how easy it was to make digital art," he said. "Not that the process of the art itself was easy, but the fact that I didn't have to spend months in front of a wall painting it."

This gave Lizzol the freedom to spend more time conceptualizing and bringing his messages to life, in addition to focusing on spatial integration of the piece.

The ART Tank experience, he said, also gave him a taste of what it's like to work on commissioned art pieces and, specifically, to design and modify his art to fit into a particular venue.

"We went back and forth a lot and I was continually making adjustments to make sure the piece best fit the space, and I really liked that part of the process, which was new for me," he said.

Lizzol also made sure the colors were right, for the Stony Brook brand and for the office where the work was going.

"I picked very specific colors and literally made sure the hues and digital hex color codes were the same as those we put out there as our marketing standards for Stony Brook University. I also played around with the lighting and filters to get the glossy finish I was looking for and used a lot of brush techniques to accomplish the smooth look I was seeking."

Lizzol is about to spend another semester abroad, this time at SUNY Korea, where he will take his first college-level art class, Introduction to Drawing. He's especially excited about the location, as South Korea's capital of Seoul is recognized as a global design capital and Lizzol said his goal, when he was younger, was to be a fashion designer.

"I've made clothes. I've made costumes and stuff. And I still sew." Lizzol said it runs in his family, with his great grandmother being a former seamstress for Saks Fifth Avenue and Broadway costume designer, his grandmother a clothing store owner, and his uncle having his own sportswear brand.

Whichever direction Lizzol's career takes him, art will be a part of his life and/or livelihood, he said, and the ART Tank experience and exposure is helping fuel that dream.

- Ellen Cooke

Gallery photos below by John Griffin