​Where are you from, and what do you make?

I lived most of my life in wonderful South County. My family owned a beach house in Point Judith. On the last day of school, we packed our bags and headed to the beach! My husband and I have lived in Narragansett and Charlestown for the past 50 years. Upon retirement in 2014, we now split our time between Punta Gorda, Florida and Charlestown, RI. 

In 5th grade, many moons ago, I won a local art contest that enabled me to take Saturday art classes at RISD. I can still smell the turpentine that permeated the air as I sat on very high stools at the drawing table. 

Well, the rest is history. My high school art teacher encouraged me to pursue my interest in art and helped me with my portfolio to apply to the Art Education program at RIC. I spent 30 years as a public school visual art teacher for the Chariho School District. I loved teaching and planning engaging and fun lessons for my students. But it really left no time for my own art. It wasn’t until my retirement that I actively started thinking about what kind of art I wanted to make. I took an abstract painting class at the Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda, and I was hooked.
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I love to say that I am a happy “student” now, learning new art approaches and techniques every day.

​Tell us a joke.

Q. How does Salvador Dali start his mornings?
A. With a bowl of “Surreal”.

​Which artist outside of your chosen medium has had the most impact on your art? What do they do and in what way do they influence you?

Well, I can’t possibly pick one! There are many artists, for as many different reasons. So …
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… My high school art teacher who encouraged me to go to art school. Dan Welden, a master printmaker I met after grad school. Working alongside him on and off for several years gave me an opportunity to experience what a professional studio practice could look like. In terms of art itself, early on I was I blown away by figurative artists Lucien Freud and Jenny Saville for their observation and use of medium. Their paintings have such seductive surfaces. I’d also have to include Gerhard Richter and Anslem Keefer for the same reasons. In terms of printmaking Kathe Kollwitz is someone who can capture such raw human emotion without sentimentality, and the British artist Norman Ackroyd, creates such poetic and dramatic landscape etchings. Oh, and I have to include Richard Serra. Seeing his sculptures in person for the first time was incredibly powerful.

​How long have you been seriously pursuing art?

I have always had a camera since I was a kid, but I became serious about it when planning my first trip out of the country to Ireland. I wanted to make good pictures, so I took a series of film photography and darkroom printmaking classes at CCRI. I became so obsessed with the darkroom printing process that I became the lab monitor by default! Fast forward a few years to 2003 and a trip to New Zealand inspired me to pursue the latest digital photography technology and a Continuing Education certificate from RISD in 2017. For me, being a photographer artist is not just about using the camera as a tool to create a beautiful picture, it feels like I have developed a unique connection to the world through the camera that allows me to experience emotions that can hopefully be conveyed from my mind’s eye to the viewer's eye. ​

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​How long have you been seriously pursuing art?

As my children went off to college (about 2005), it was me time. I discovered the clay classes at the Newport Art Museum and with the excellent guidance of the instructor, Charlene Carpezano , my clay journey began…is it a journey, obsession, or addiction? After 5 years in Tuesday night pottery, I got my own kiln and supplies –a couple hours of studio time a week was not enough; I needed to be immediately available at every stage of the clay.

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​Is there a work of art that has changed your life or how you view the world in some way?
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I’m amazed by all art work, now that I am aware of the thinking involved, let alone the actual process and the work involved. I have great respect for every artist no matter what they create.

Which artist outside of your chosen medium has had the most impact on your art? What do they do and in what way do they influence you?

While not a particular artist, I’d say that learning about classical musicians and how to appreciate their art has had an impact on how I perceive, understand, and create art. While in college I took a music appreciation course that exposed me to classical music for the first time. And even to this day, it has stayed with me that there are stories in music…even with no lyrics, I can hear the stories. I learned that art is often more than what “meets the eye” or comes through the senses; it is what you perceive and make of it yourself (whether as a viewer, reader, or listener). So when I paint a land-/seascape, I am painting the scene as I experienced it in real life, and hope that viewers will get a glimpse into a moment in time I thought was beautiful. ​

​Assemblage artist Paula Imbergamo has been involved with SCAA in many ways since 2014. She has been a teacher, board member, student, and exhibiting artist, including participating in a Members Invitational Exhibit in 2016. Her enthusiasm about assemblage and her love of art is inspiring to all she meets.

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​Is there a work of art that has changed your life or how you view the world in some way?

Experiencing works of art being created by the Tlingit tribal group in Ketchikan, Alaska was an amazing experience. Watching historical creation methods of Native American Totems in their natural environments made me feel that time had stood still. I witnessed a wonderful sense of community, pride for artmaking, and respect for culture through generations. Extremely enlightening.

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​What inspires you to create?

I am inspired by the world around me. I have found that since I began creating artistic photographs, I see the world in a different light. I now notice the aspects of the world that create a favorable ambiance and moodiness. 

​Learn More about Jack Heller
Instagram @jheller48.

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​Where are you from, and what do you make?
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I am originally from Houston, Texas. My husband, son, and I moved to Rhode Island in 1993. I paint in oils, acrylics, and watercolors. I mostly paint in oils.

​Which artist outside of your chosen medium has had the most impact on your art? What do they do and in what way do they influence you?

The artist outside of my chosen medium that has had the most impact on my art is sculptor Isamu Noguchi. He created bold, simple organic sculptures inspired by nature. He believed that nature was of fundamental importance to the human condition. I have always loved his work. I used to visit the Noguchi Sculpture Garden in Houston. It was a beautiful place of serenity and peace. I hope I can have that serenity and peace and connection with nature in my life and in my art.