Students are unaware of a hidden artist who has been working on campus for the past 20 years.
Students often see David Randazza on campus touching up walls in dorm hallways or painting door frames. Randazza, nicknamed “Razz,” has been painting murals, signs, lettering, and restoration and maintaining upkeep around campus for nearly two decades.
Randazza said that he is “not just the school painter.”
First year students Amy Bunavage and Kayleigh Morein said they were unaware of Randazza’s hidden talent. They were genuinely surprised when they realized that one man created these works – untraced and by hand.
“I did not know that it was hand-painted by someone,” Bunavage said.
Randazza’s works include quotations on the walls of the tutoring center, which he painted freehand, the restoration of the crucifix by the chapel in Mercy Hall, and the painted Misericordia logo and cougar on the newly redone softball dugouts.
Bunavage said she finds it more interesting that someone painted many of the designs by hand as opposed to traced or stenciled artwork.
“Someone is a really good artist,” Bunavage said.
Many students had no idea that just a man and a paintbrush created these beautiful forms of artwork.
First-year students Lexi Giannone and Morgan Reed have noticed the bright Misericordia logos and other hand-painted signs and letters around campus. They said they never wondered who painted them or how they got there.
Morein reacted with shock when she realized Randazza had intricately hand-painted the letters on signs and the walls of the tutoring center. but she was intrigued.
Randazza not only keeps up with the painting on campus. He also hand-paints signs for businesses and creates wood-burning projects.
He also enjoys restoration because he can turn something old and fading into something new and eye-catching.
Morein described Randazza’s artwork as impressive, and she mentioned that she appreciates his ability to paint with precision.
“It’s good that they brought in someone to hand-paint because now people can appreciate the work that some people can do,” said Morein.
Randazza continues to work at MU, even with all of his artsy projects keeping him busy, because he said he enjoys the community. He enjoys the friendliness of the people, and l he gets along with everybody, he said.
“You can learn a lot by talking to somebody,” Randazza said. “Don’t be afraid to talk to people. Find out who they are and what they do, whatever it may be.”
Randazza said he finds endless opportunities to practice his art on campus.
“People see me as just a painter,” Randazza said. “Well, I’m a painter, yeah, but I’m also an artist. I’m an artist first, a painter second.”
Randazza hopes that students will notice his work more often.
Randazza earned his associate’s degree in commercial art from Luzerne County Community College, and he has worked on many art projects, including volunteer work with the McCauly Sisters, personal artwork, and he even customized living spaces for people with special needs. His work appears throughout the U.S., including Iowa, New Jersey, New York, and California.
Randazza does his own scheduling, and he ensures he meets project deadlines, which can be a challenge because the campus, which has seven buildings when he started work now consists of twenty-four.
“The hardest part of my job would be the sheer amount of work,” Randazza said.
But he said the appreciation of the campus community makes it worth it.
That’s one thing that keeps me going,” Randazza said.
Randazza said his work is a challenge because many things need restoration and refreshing at his artistic hand, but he enjoys providing his special touch.