Luna Parc is an artist's dream home wonderland in middle of NJ woods

SANDYSTON, N.J. (WPVI) -- Every square inch of Ricky Boscarino's house, Luna Parc, tells a story.

"It's been said that if a house speaks for a person, my house can't shut up," says Boscarino while sitting in his newly remodeled Zen room overlooking a sculpture garden.

But every masterpiece starts with inspiration, and this lifelong art project had a humble beginning.

When he was 28 years old in 1989, the New Jersey artist took one look at a rundown eyesore of a hunting cabin in the woods of northwestern New Jersey and knew it was his future dreamhouse.

"As soon as I laid eyes on this dilapidated cabin, I knew I'd spend the rest of my life here," said Boscarino.

Since finding the cabin in Sandyston, New Jersey, all those years ago, the artist, craftsman and self-described kooky thinker has been working non-stop to build it into something magical.

"I spent that first night here ripping out everything inside," he said.

His vision, ever-growing, is now a reality. Luna Parc is the mad-cap artist's culmination of decades of work, labor, art and passion that turned a shack into the most decorated, eclectic, kaleidoscopic and enchanting houses you may ever see. He started with 600 square feet and has built that up to about 4,500 square feet of art, history, world travels and the stories that make up a lifetime of world travel and fanciful inspiration.

"I travel all over the world. I've been to about 40 different countries. I bring things home. I ship things home and assemble them into my artwork. It has limited public access, but it's a great place for school trips and students and interns, and we do a lot of coaching and career assistance for young aspiring artists."

Boscarino calculates how much work he's put into the surreal art project/home rebuilding project of his. He estimates that over the past 36 years, he has put in eight hours a day while he's present; always moving, always working. The rest of the time, he attends art galleries or travels abroad. He says he's worked on the house for 56,000 hours since his first night in the hunting shack. Inside are art projects, sculptures, mosaic tiles and collectibles from the world and his own imagination.

He comes from a long line of artists and laborers. Many men and women in his family were artisans, carpenters, fine woodworkers, seamstresses, masons and avant-garde thinkers. He tries to honor their legacy.

"So for me, growing up in a family of people who did all kinds of media, I've always had an interest in everything. Now, I made my living for years making jewelry. And my jewelry business is actually what allowed me to build and continue to build. But I also taught myself how to do mosaic and concrete sculpting and stained glass work and all of those."

Outside, the house looks like a surreal, psychedelic fairy tale of color, installations, stained glass windows and wind chimes. The 8-acre property is surrounded by a sculpture garden, more workshops, tents for seminars and an outhouse!

Inside the house, there are 11 levels, 15 rooms, including a ballroom, and one of the most talked-about rooms in the house: his beautiful tile, stone and mosaic walk-in shower and bathroom.

He says he sponsors interns, young artists and students who are interested in the evolution of what creativity and a life-long passion can do with the right kind of motivation.

Boscarino's project is never-ending, and he's set up a non-profit to maintain the house as a tribute to his life's work after he's gone.

"I've had a lot of great mentors and influences in my life. And really, that's what you see here. It's all these different ideas and concepts that somehow they roll around in my head, I ruminate, and here they are!" he said.

Luna Parc is open to visitors by appointment only! He'll host tours a few days out of any given month. Contact Boscarino on his website for more information at https://www.lunaparc.com