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.

I find my artistic inspiration in my surroundings: the local landscape, common objects, and the people I encounter. I strive to capture the subject matter simply, focusing on the color palette to express the feeling of the scene. My primary medium is watercolor, but I enjoy exploring new methods and techniques to continue to challenge myself and find more depth within my artworks.

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.

Izabella Gordon Casselman has always been a mark maker; from the time she drew in the dirt with a stick at the age of 6 to now at the age of ??????? Along the way she became a storyteller using all types of materials which made her more or less a mixed media artist. She believes that the end product, the images she produces, allow her to try to understand the world she inhabits both conscious and unconscious. Her myriad of thoughts lead her to believe that people are all unique and one can only try to understand the human condition. The hard part of storytelling is the realizations that there can be many, many endings and sometimes no endings.

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.

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.

I’m an interdisciplinary artist who loves to dream, create and inspire. My primary focus as an artist is figurative ceramic sculptures, and paintings in ink, watercolor, and acrylic. My artwork ranges in size from handheld sculptures to life-size figures that get their own seat belts to ride to galleries. My paintings range in size from their sketched starting point to large-scale murals. I’ve hosted paint nights, illustrated children’s books, performed paintings on stage to audiences of 300+, and I carry my sketchbook everywhere.

As the daughter of an artist, I was fortunate to have the encouragement to explore being creative in any way possible. After a 30 year break from the easel, I am rediscovering this creative outlet and getting lost in the luxury of the oil paint and color. My goal as an artist is to share what brings me joy and happiness. My pug Scarlet and flowers are my favorite muses.
Each time I step up to the easel and place my brush on the canvas is a learning experience. Feeling the sensuousness of the paint itself, the vibration of blending the colors, and the emotion that arises as I work. This exploration has increased my appreciation of all artists and their work. It has given me the gift of a new viewpoint. It has lessened my personal need for perfection and to let my flow be more natural.
I am looking forward to this ongoing artistic journey.

Originally from Newport, RI, I've been working in clay for over 50 years. My styles range from art deco, Japanese americanized raku, tableware and now architecturally inspired porcelain and lighting. In 2019 I began working in porcelain after 50 years concentrating in stoneware and raku clay. It's a totally different material for me and has led me in a completely new direction with my work. The architecture surrounding me in Newport, RI and Bucks County, PA are the inspiration highlighted in my new lighting work.

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.

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.

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.

I 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.

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.

MANJULA PADMANABHAN (b.1953) artist, illustrator, author. ARTIST: charcoal on paper, acrylic and oils on canvas; graphic art prints and commercial reproductions; small 3D heads in papier mâché and modeling clay. Favorite subjects: plants, birds, animals, people. Style: mildly surreal, with elements of humor. ILLUSTRATOR: 20+ published books for children, plus two collections of comic strips, with one on-going weekly comic strip. AUTHOR: novels, short stories, plays.

I am still at it - dreaming in clay. I am drawn to its forgiving, tactile qualities, the technical aspects of glazing and the alchemy of the fire. And while I sometimes dabble with other materials - bronze, glass, metals, textiles, encaustic paints and watercolors - I think that clay will always be my first medium of choice.

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.

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.

Inspired by his time in, on and around the water, local Newport artist Nick Williams created paintings in acrylic and epoxy depicting naturalist scenes. Each frame is custom made to complement each piece by Nick.