{ QUEEN OF ARTS }
YOU ARE ENOUGH. LORRAINE STAUNCH BY NICOLE HEROUX WILLIAMS I PHOTOS BY NSP STUDIO BY CHRISTINE GREEN I PHOTOS BY MICHAEL RIVERA
Mark Ippolito, co-founder of Comedy @ the Carlson was enjoying an evening with his wife when something familiar caught his eye. On the wall hung a piece of art in the beautiful style of artist Lorraine Staunch. “I snapped a pic of it then I sent it to Lorraine. I was, ‘Look, we’re eating underneath one of your pieces!’ Ippolito knows Staunch’s art inside and out because every day he and partner Suresh Goel are surrounded by it. Comedy @ the Carlson is a m i c ro c o s m o f Staunch’s work from her faux finishes and set design to her portraiture. During her early childhood in Vermont Staunch was creating art, so when it was time for college she attended the Ringling School of Art and Design in Florida. She graduated with a degree in Fine Art then moved to North Carolina to work as an illustrator for a Christmas decorating company. She was adept at set and theater design and faux finishes. In the 1990s she moved to Rochester. Today, one only has to stop by Comedy @ the Carlson to get the full scope of just how talented she truly is.
126
ROCHESTER WOMAN ONLINE : AUGUST EDITION 2021
“I did open mic for several years and tried my hand at that,” says Staunch when asked how she developed a professional relationship with the Ippolito. “I realized I was a much better artist, than I was a comedian. I decided I better stick with what I can actually feed my family with!”
have to make it look like it’s been there forever, that it’s got cigarette smoke on it, that it was used, old, and grimy.’ So, bringing that all together on the wall, that wasn’t even a challenge, it’s what I love to do. I like to make things that are flat and make them look dimensional.”
Despite not becoming the next Lucille Ball, Staunch did become good friends with Ippolito. So, when Ippolito and
Ippolito was impressed. “That’s like the cool thing that people don’t know about Lorraine. She can do stuff like that. You know obviously make it not just cost friendly, but actually make it really cool. So now I have this cool story to talk about. And she did such a good job there that we had to do it again in the foyer.” She also helped select their color palette, distressed the new stools to match the industrial theme, and added special touches throughout to make it a welcoming space.
Goel opened Comedy @ the Carlson and revamped the interior they knew who to turn to. The first task was to deal with sixty years of paint over the brick wall at the back of the stage. Removing the paint was going to be time-consuming and expensive. But Staunch had a plan. “I looked at that wall and thought, ‘Oh, that’s easy. It’s just one great big 12-foot by 10-foot canvas, and I just
She painted caricature portraits honoring comedians that have passed away. Eleven of these striking paintings hang at Comedy @ The Carlson and include such greats as Joan Rivers and Rodney Dangerfield. “When I walk in there, I feel a sense of calm, but I also feel that it has given joy to people, even if they haven’t even noticed,” says Staunch.
