Meet The Artists

After a long time career as a professional Graphic Designer including 20 years in his own business, Greg Murry had the desire to get out from behind the computer screen and back to his hands-on artistic roots. At this point he started his own decorative painting business doing faux finishes, trompe l’oeils and murals. It wasn’t until Covid hit his wife gave him an easel that he took up his fine art paintbrushes and acrylics. Greg enjoyed creating his art and found it to be very relaxing during the pandemic lockdown. Within a short time period he created many colorful,detailed paintings in a variety of subjects; such as, rusty trucks, airplanes, boats, birds, tropical beach scenes and among other subjects. In 2022 Greg became a member of the Lyme Art Association in Old Lyme, CT and has exhibited many of his paintings in their juried art shows. Greg has contributed a painted buoy to the Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce for the Stonington Lobster Trap Christmas Tree since its 2nd year. Greg’s artwork can be seen at Greg Murry Facebook.

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Elaine earned an undergraduate B.S. degree in Art Education at the University of New Hampshire and received a MAT degree in Watercolor from Rhode Island College.  She taught art for many years in The Smithfield RI school system with a concentration on the fine arts as well as portfolio development and currently teaches a variety of drawing and painting classes.  Elaine lives in Rhode Island.  Learn more about her amazing work at http://www.elainegauthierart.com/

April Roderick is a Rhode Island based acrylic artist known for bold, loose brushstrokes and expressive color. Her work ranging from portraits, animals, and landscapes to still life, is created as a daily practice of showing up, staying present, and trusting the process. Each piece is less about perfection and more about capturing a feeling and the joy found along the way.

April lives in Portsmouth with her husband and has spent more than 38 years in the beauty industry as a hairstylist and co-owner of a local salon, a career that continues to influence her approach to creativity, connection, and personal expression. 

INFO:

April Roderick Fine Art

401-741-7343

Aprilrart.com

Instagram

I am writing to introduce myself and my work as a meticulous artist with over 30 years of experience. My artistic approach is deeply influenced by traditional Greek and Russian Byzantine styles, and I pride myself on maintaining historical techniques and rich detail across all my pieces.

Throughout my career, I have completed numerous projects for churches across Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, California, and Arizona. My work has been featured in various newspapers and magazines over the years, reflecting my commitment to the craft. Additionally, I am dedicated to supporting the community and have donated pieces to many charities, including the Stonington Lobster Trap Buoy Tree.

Jillian Lauren is a Rhode Island–based artist specializing in immersive artwork for weddings, events, and elevated interior spaces. Known for blending fine art with live experiences, her work captures emotion, movement, and atmosphere in a way that feels both modern and deeply personal.

Drawing inspiration from fashion, storytelling, human connection, and coastal New England living, Jillian creates pieces that are layered, expressive, and intentionally imperfect. From live wedding paintings and experiential event art to murals and original fine art, each piece is designed to transform moments into lasting visual experiences.

Her artistic style balances bold femininity with organic texture — combining sophistication, emotion, and spontaneity to create work that feels timeless yet alive. Whether painting in front of a crowd or creating one-of-a-kind commissioned pieces, Jillian approaches each project with the belief that art should not only decorate a space, but create a feeling within it.

Through Jillian Lauren Art, she aims to create immersive, meaningful work that celebrates beauty, connection, and the stories people carry with them.

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ajgusettidesigns@gmail.com

Facebook:  Amy Jane

I have been creating art for as long as I can remember. My early years were filled with coloring books, sketch pads, sidewalk chalk, backyard creations and beach sculptures.

My high school years continued to be fill with art making which in turn lead me to Rhode Island College to pursue my Bachelor’s Degree in studio art with a focus in Graphic Design. My passion for working in a multitude of media and for sharing my love of art further lead me to pursue my Master’s Degree in Art Education, also at Rhode Island College.

For 26 years I focused most of my creative energies into developing and implementing a multifaceted and diverse art program for elementary students in the Barrington public schools. In my role as elementary department chair I helped create a curriculum to meet the needs of all of my students. Our art program exposed our students to art experiences beyond the visual arts. We incorporated music, dance, and theatre performances  into the program. Our students also enjoyed creating art in a variety of media that was inspired from cultures across the globe.

Since retiring from teaching I have had the time and opportunity to reinvest in my own art making. Presently, I have been working in a variety of mediums including acrylics, mixed-media, and fluid art. Themes that often can found in my art vary from the whimsical and imaginative to representing the ever changing rhythms found in nature.

This is one of my favorite quotes from Albert Einstein “Creativity is intelligence having fun”

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Instagram: https://Instagram.com/barbonepaints

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Welcome! I am Beverly Townsend, a nature and landscape artist with a style that celebrates rich, vibrant color, texture and movement with layers of acrylic paint using palette knives. Through my paintings, I try to capture nature in how I see it and how it makes me feel. As a child, most of my time was spent outdoors in nature which awakened a creativity in me. The trees, flowers and flowing waters seemed to be telling me stories, and I found that nature is not perfect, it is beautiful just as it is. My parents were also artists and I would watch them as they would make the canvas come to life with every brush stroke. 

Art has always been and will be a part of my life. I Use different sizes of palette knifes which help create dimension and gives me freedom to apply layer after layer of acrylic paint and colors to tell my story within each painting.  

Each painting takes me on a journey, finding peace and joy that is such a blessing.  My desire is that every painting people see, it will also take them on their own journey of peace and joy!

web: https://www.facebook.com/BeverlyTownsend.PeacefulJourneys

email: peaceful_journeys@outlook.com

Colleen O’Connor grew up in Mystic. Her first professional art job was at 14. She would collect white smooth stones at Watch Hill and with pen & ink would draw ships on them. She sold them at the Mystic Outdoor Art Festival and The Mystic Seaport. She achieved a BFA at UCONN in painting and sculpture. She moved to Boston after college. While in Boston she designed, created and installed glass panels in public buildings and private residences. She returned to Mystic to raise a family. She continued to pursue art in painting, glass and wood. She began to fuse glass creating jewelry and sculptures. She also has a passion for nature, photographing many of the beautiful preserves and birds in the area.

       She is currently an elected member at The Mystic Museum of Art. She also exhibits at The Norwich Arts Council and The Clinton Arts Society.

Spencer Reese is a CT-based artist, both visual and performing!  He is on music faculty at UConn and paints for projects all over the state.  His work has been seen in Stonington in the last three lobster trap trees as well as the nutcracker trail.  He has also contributed to the Festival of Trees and Traditions at the Wadsworth Atheneum as well as Enfield's Tree-mendous to benefit the food shelf.  He is known for his signature touch of whimsy in all his work, which you can see in "Nautical Neighbors"!  Everyone loves a seaside quilt... you may just be surprised who put this one together!

A graduate of Three Rivers Community College and the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts Martha uses primarily watercolors and color pencils for her illustrations on paper. This style and bold colors define her larger body of work, quite literally. 

Martha has done several public art projects in addition to the Stonington Lobster Trap Tree buoys, including Bees across New Britain as well as the Submarine Century. Her painted submarine sculpture is featured in front of the Connecticut children's museum in Niantic. 

Her website is marthartstudio.com where she can be reached for commission work. 

Joan is a former General Motors Designer/stylist. In 1965, she was chosen for the GM Summer program. In 1966, after graduating from college, she became the first female hired into GM exterior design. She spent 3.5 years at GM in Production Cadillac Studio, Advanced Buick and Oldsmobile Production Interior studios. Joan left GM for General Electric, where she performed design work on major appliances, consumer electronics and wiring devices. Eventually, Joan started her own design business in 1987. She has Designed for many companies including the Tabletop industry for Waterford, Lenox, Mikasa, Tupperware to name a few. Joan still designs cars “just for fun” through The League of Retired Automotive Designers. For more on her design work, visit www.creamerdesign.com & www.RetroAutoPrints.com

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