Barbara Alpert

PAINTER, AUTHOR, SCULPTOR

  • Painter exhibited nationally and internationally, prehistorian and teacher at Rhode Island School of Design, author of The Creative Ice Age Brain, author of articles cave art and rock art.

Lisa May

CAST PAPER
SCULPTOR

  • Papermaking captured my interest while I was studying painting and sculpture at the Art Students League in New York City. I was attracted to the manipulative aspects of the medium and its creative and functional possibilities combining color and shape as well as texture.
    My process starts by mixing two different fibers in order to make my sheets of paper. I combine cotton linter, which is soft and flexible with a fiber called abaca, which is strong and durable. I introduce dye and other materials into the mix to add color and texture. I then use the sheets of paper to cover my form. A water proofing solution of acrylic, matte or gloss is then applied to protect the work.

Felicia Touhey

ENCAUSTICS,
PRINTMAKER

  • When I took my first printmaking class I fell in love with the materials and process. The rich black lines, textures and tactile responses it elicited in me was something I could not find in my undergraduate paintings. While completing my MFA program, I was encouraged to play and experiment with materials. Emphasis was placed on the creative responses to materials rather than the finished product. This complemented my feelings about printmaking. Most of my prints are monotypes or monoprints and I often work back into them with paint, drawing materials or collage.

    My discovery and ensuing passion for encaustic paints is a logical outgrowth of printmaking. Like printmaking, encaustics are very experimental in nature. In fact the process of painting with encaustics will often dictate the outcome of the image. The unpredictability of this medium is one of my strongest attractions to it. Encaustics also lend themselves to collage, so I often incorporate prints, found objects and paper into my paintings.

Ron Caplain

PHOTOGRAPHER,
RUG ARTIST

  • The Museum of Modern Art in New York City has always been a favorite - photographing there has added a dimension and giving me more reasons to spend time there. I began . . . by watching people observe art. Then I focused in on one painting - I stood next to this, photographing people and their reactions to it. It was actually a psychological study as well. I saw it as a destination piece of art for most foreigners and they all wanted to have their pictures taken with it - almost to give them confirmation that they were there. This led me to photographing people and superimposing their image on the piece that they were looking at. The concentration of the viewer on the art gave this a zen feeling and the person became part of the painting. It was an exciting experience to be able to see and do this.

Kathleen Morton

PAINTER,
ENCAUSTICS

  • My art is usually inspired by nature found at home or as seen in my travels. Experimenting with a variety of mediums and styles, including encaustic, printmaking, photography, painting and bookmaking I use color and texture to convey my interpretation of a point of interest.

Ewa Roselli

OIL, ACRYLIC, AND WATERCOLOR PAINTING

  • Ewa Rose arrived in New York City on December 22, 1989. She traveled from Poland to see the famous Christmas displays on Fifth Avenue and experience a city like no other. She ended up staying to pursue her dream of becoming a professional artist and enrolled in the School of Visual Arts, graduating in 1997 with a degree in Painting and a certification in Art Therapy. In 1999, she moved to Providence, Rhode Island, continuing the flow in her artistic evolution. Fast forward to 2019, Ewa began cultivating new artistic expressions by creating large-scale oil paintings, quickly evolving into series collections featuring themes influenced by the natural world beyond our world with transcendental and cosmic subjects. Ewa participated in an abundance of group and solo shows while living in NYC and then later in RI, even having her art featured in several books, including You Are Infinite by Chloe Moers. Today, Ewa serves on the Leadership Team for the Art in the Atrium First U Gallery in Providence. She is also an active member of the DeBlois Gallery.

Michael Day

PHOTOGRAPHER

  • I have appreciated the beauty of form in nature since I was a child wandering the tide pools off Ocean Drive. My daily ritual these days is to walk along the river through the fields and woods, watching and listening, trying to capture in light, color, and form in what I see. I have a special affection for wild creatures, especially birds, whose colors, shapes, and poses captivate me, and I have worked hard to identify the birds around me even through their songs. Through my work, I want to share the many faces of nature, the wildness of spirit, and the interplay of light and shadow woven into the tapestry of the natural world.

Michael O’Donnell

PAINTER

  • I’m a lifelong Rhode Islander except for a year in New Mexico and my time in Boston where I attended the Vesper George School of Art and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, graduating in 1971.

    My art journey has taken many twists and turns through representation and abstraction, often influenced by music, but whatever idiom I’m exploring, I think of each work as a portal capable of carrying the viewer away if only for a few seconds.

Veronica Bruno

PHOTOGRAPHER

  • Award-winning photographer and journalist Veronica Bruno blends visual storytelling with a journalistic eye for authentic moments. A nationally exhibited fine art and event photographer represented by Getty and Alamy, her work has appeared in galleries across the United States and received multiple honors. A local journalist for publications such as “The Boston Globe,” Veronica says about her work, “Photography, to me, is about preserving the moments that often pass unnoticed—the quiet glance, the genuine laugh, the fleeting expression that reveals something true. I want viewers to not only see a moment, but to feel it, by blending documentary observation with artistic composition to capture the emotion, energy and humanity that make every story unique.”

Valeria Debrule

PAINTER, SCULPTOR

  • Prang, Ticonderoga, Crayola were my materials the first several years, with paper, cardboard and no instruction or rules (exception: no tracing). A box of 110 Crayons held so much promise. Behold the Gold! (which rarely delivered what it promised). As a child I was scribbling storylines from songs, radio programs or my head; at a later time I expected I would illustrate books. The advertising world, however, seemed to pay the rent after college and creativity under pressure was the challenge. I am not sure artists like me ever stop learning, gathering, unlearning, learning. . . but the pleasure and frustration of the early years with Prang, Ticonderoga, and Crayola have become a touchstone.

Manjula Padmanabhan

ARTIST, ILLUSTRATOR

  • I'm in love with both abstract and representational painting. I feel a strong connection to prehistoric geometric abstraction and would like to investigate this area further. But I am a story teller at heart, using events and observations from my life and allowing them to grow akin to a novelist whose book seems to write itself with unforeseen twists and turns, and the author just along for the ride.

Karen Nash

SCULPTOR

  • juggle chainsaws, question authority, poke bears, abhor waste, step on sidewalk cracks, and play with fire. Anything that comes to hand is a potential art part, from tiny 15/0 beads to big blocks of styrofoam.  Just because.

JR Lynch

PHOTOGRAPHER

  • I make images using photography. For me, photography is capturing the moment, which through the lens is a totally different perspective than just being there. It is a look, an angle or just a special mix of shapes and shades. When I shoot, I like to spend time where I am to absorb the spirit of it all and then it just happens. I shoot with a Canon EOS 5D digital full frame single lens reflex camera. I utilize Adobe Light Room to make small adjustments to the image to produce just the right result…. that is, right for me, for that is why I do this.

Virginia Stone

PAINTER,
LIMNER

  • As I have changed, my work and focus has changed. I have moved from early abstract subjects to observed work including landscapes, interiors and people. I include humor and beauty in my work to make people think, wonder and laugh at an image or an assemblage of images. My art becomes an improvisation inspired by the experience of the world before me. The result is a work of art that ends up in an unforeseen place, richer than and very different from where it started.

Jillian Barber

CERAMIC SCULPTOR, PHOTOGRAPHER

  • Since graduation from the Rhode Island School of Design, my career has been in ceramic sculpture, mask making, costume design, and photography. My passion is portraiture in both sculpture and photography. I am interested in form, texture, light and fantasy. My work combines a deep reverence for nature with the realm of dreams, imagination, and archetype.