Dave Riccardo was born in Pennsylvania to an artistic and supportive family. With the encouragement of parents and grandparents, he pursued drawing and painting, earning a degree from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. After college, his travels took him across the country with an assortment of jobs and greater exposure to the arts.
It was through jewelry-making and silver-smithing that Dave was introduced to and fell in love with the art of fine hand engraving. He has been engraving for over ten years, improving his art in the United States and closely observing masters in Italy and Spain. Additionally, Dave has taught hand engraving in the Netherlands and Ireland, as well as teaching students in the United States.
Dave now lives in Northern Michigan with his wife, his son and his dog, continuing his exploration of and dedication to the sublime art of fine hand engraving.
A Note from Author & Engraver
C. Roger Bleile
When I was asked, in 2009 to write a book featuring America’s finest engravers, I was well aware of a dozen or so that quickly came to mind due to their high profile among collectors and engravers. Nevertheless, it was my hope to find some outstanding talents that were just burgeoning and present them to the world in American Engravers – The 21st Century.
One such emerging star is David Riccardo. Not exactly an “overnight success,” David has an extensive art background as well as considerable formal training in jewelry and hand engraving. David fits my definition of an engraving artist. More than a “master engraver,” David is an artist who uses the skills of a master engraver to execute his artistic visions on a variety of media, from guns and knives to jewelry and the copper plates he uses to produce fine art prints.
While skilled in all of the traditional forms of ornamental engraving, from acanthus leaf to English rose & scroll, sculpted relief and gold inlay, David has developed some very unique ornamental themes that can be immediately identified as his work. In fact, I am pleased to have resin castings and prints of some very exceptional Riccardo originals in my reference collection
In conclusion, David Riccardo is an American engraving artist who can stand proudly alongside the world’s elite engravers.
C. Roger Bleile
Author, engraver, and founder of the Firearms Engravers Guild of America