Artist Profiles

Berlian Arts is pleased to feature some of Maine's most active and celebrated contemporary artists and artisans. Many have received acclaim in their respective fields and are widely exhibited and collected locally, nationally and internationally.

Ceramics and Decoupage

Paul Heroux

Heroux's illustrious career includes exhibitions at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, The Portland Museum of Art, Charleston Museum of Fine Arts and the prestigious Currier Museum of Art in New Hampshire. His work has been seen in galleries in Boston (Yezerski) New York City (Margolis, Greenwich House Pottery) Portland, ME (June Fitzpatrick) and Baltimore (Clayworks) to name just a few. His work has been seen at college and university galleries throughout the US (Colby, Bates, Bowdoin, Southwest School of Arts and Crafts). Collections include the Currier Museum, Bates College, Boston Museum of Fine Art, Bowdoin College, DeCordova Museum, Fidelity Investments, Harcourt Corp. and the Portland Museum of Art. And of course, Mr. Heroux is renowned in Maine where he has been widely collected and exhibited. He has taught at Bates college for more than twenty years. 

“I have been working with the ceramic vessel as a painting surface for over twenty years now. Patterning on the surface is foremost a response to the form. The imagery often comes from the natural world: plant life, erotics, and references to the landscape. References to science are strong elements in my work. It is also important to me that my work is visibly strong and durable, so that it invites touch and use. I am a craft artist; tactile experience and the potential for use are crucial to my definition of a craft object.”

Scott Potter

Internationally known artist Scott Potter established his studio and gallery in Portland, Maine in 1992. He is distinguished by and is most recognizable for his many elegant, classical, and richly colored decoupage collections. His exceptional serving ware and decorative accessories are widely collected by a clientele appreciative of intricate detail and dramatic design: celebrities, art collectors, interior designers, and royal families. Scott designs and hand signs all of his artwork, each piece created with finely hand cut prints, many layers of gilding, and handmade papers from around the world. He is represented at select fine stores across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Special commissions and custom collections are available in early European botanicals, 18th century nauticals, and classical Renaissance myths as well as one of a kind designs at a client’s request. 

Sharon Townshend

Ceramic artist Sharon Townshend is a co-owner of Sawyer Street Studios in South Portland, where she has been making raku veggies and large outdoor terra cotta sculpture for the past 30 years.  Her work has been shown at the Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, NH, the Yaoware Museum in Tongchuang, China, Colby College Gallery of Art, Wesleyan University Gallery of Art, and the Boston Athenaeum. Her fanciful hubbard squash container was included in an exhibition of contemporary chamber pots,“Huzhi!”at Caroline Cheng’s The Pottery Workshop in Hong Kong. A green/bronze glazed raku hubbard squash was featured in “Design Discoveries” in the 9&10/07 issue of New England Home. Ms. Towshend was a featured artists in “The Craft of Maine” in Maine HOME + DESIGN, 9/07. She is currently serving on the Board of Trustees of Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, and teaches at the University of Southern Maine. 

“Here in Maine, we have long winters; time to dream and fantasize about the perfect garden.  Under the frozen surface lie the tough roots, the hard seeds holding the potential for tender sprouts, fleshy stems, and riotous color. The seed catalogues arrive in January, and as the snow falls, we dream of the lush growth of summer, anticipate that first handful of warm fragrant earth that tells us it’s time to plant. Perhaps the reason I work in clay is the same reason I love to work the soil, to make it produce something wonderful.” 

Jewelry

Tracy Johnson

Elegant and handcrafted, Tracy Johnson fabricates works of wearable art using the traditional techniques of forming, hammering, chasing, soldering, fusing and reticulation. Ms. Johnson also carves designs in wax and utilizes the ancient technique of lost wax casting. Every heirloom piece is meant to last a lifetime. Having studied under such masters as Tommy Thompson and Hal Schremmer, Tracy has exhibited in museum gift shops (Getty Museum, LA) and galleries (Center for Maine Craft, Chellis Wislon, Kamofie and Co.) around the United States. Her works have been published in such prestigious art publications as: Lark Book’s 500 Rings; 500 Earrings; and Brynmorgen Press’s classic publication “The Metalsmith’s Book of Boxes and Locket’s” by Tim McCreight. Ms. Johnson’s studio sits on a bluff overlooking Maine’s Casco Bay, undoubtedly one of the most idyllic and romantic settings of any artist working in Maine.

“Wearability is a factor I am particularly conscious of when designing a piece of jewelry. A pin must be able to sit properly and not fall over, a necklace needs to be the correct length for the wearer so it is both comfortable and flattering to the body, a ring needs to be the right size to keep it from turning. All these concerns give a certain restriction or parameter exclusive to my chosen media. I do however enjoy pushing the envelope a bit by utilizing texture and color combinations that are unusual.”

Jennifer Nielsen

Jennifer Nielsen is a trained jeweler who studied with some of the most talented craftspeople in the medium. She transformed her love of rocks and minerals into a profession that elevates uncommon beach pebbles to a place that showcases their natural allure. Jennifer's work has caught the eye of arts, fashion, and cultural writers and editors around the country including: Coastal Living Magazine, Down East Magazine, Fore Front Fashion, Martha Stewart's Blog, Maine Home + Design, and in the New York Times Art Review section, “For the Bead, An Inner Beauty Shines Through,” by Phyllis Braff (Jan. 23, 2000).

“My work showcases the beauty of stones that have been tumbled and polished by the steady rhythm of waves along the shores of Maine. At low tide, I select each one for its distinctive color, size, and shape. Then I set it in sterling silver or 18 karat gold to become part of an entirely unique jewelry piece, because nature has a will of its own and no two of pieces could ever be exactly alike.”

Jayne Redman

Jayne Redman earned her B.F.A. in Jewelry and Silversmithing from Maine College of Art and began her career in New York as a design and production assistant in the fashion jewelry industry. She started her own company, Jayne Redman Jewelry, in 1982 and began developing the Floraforms™ Collection in 1995. In 1998, Jayne's Tulip Earrings won the NICHE Award for Silver Jewelry. That year the American Craft Council selected a piece from her collection as "representative of the quality of work found at all ACC events" to use in advertising their wholesale markets. Jayne's Calla Lily Necklace was awarded first place in the Pendants-Necklaces category of Lapidary Journal's Jewelry Arts Awards for 2004. Her Palm Leaf Pin was a finalist in the 2005 NICHE Awards. Her Dahlia Necklace was a finalist in the 2009 Saul Bell Awards. Jayne has been featured in articles for Crafts Report, AJM, Lapidary Journal, Professional Jeweler, Niche, and Ornament magazines. Ms. Redman’s jewelry was featured Art Jewelry Today by Donna Z. Meilach, Making Metal Beads by Pauline Warg, and 500 Earrings, published by Lark Books. She was a contributor to the book, Profiting by Design by Marlene Richey. Jayne is a former faculty member of the Maine College of Art Department of Jewelry and Metals and teaches workshops nationally. She maintains a studio in southern Maine.

“Nature provides an endless reference for imagination and invention. The linear quality of stems and the fullness of flower buds inspire my jewelry. I enjoy integrating mechanics with design, allowing each piece to function in a visually intriguing way. I work with multiples of the same shape, engineering them to fit precisely, giving an abstract interpretation of their botanical source. Many years of metalsmithing have taught me the power of simplicity. My forms begin as flat metal shapes and arrive as small sculptures. Their complexity is in their conception as curving planes of origami.”

Graham R. Spearman

With a degree in anthropology from University of Colorado at Boulder and an upbringing that spanned the globe, it is not surprising that Graham finds inspiration in nature and ancient cultures. But he credits his 10 years on Mount Desert Island off the coast of Maine as having the greatest impact on his organic aesthetic. “It is the place that I always go back to to find new sources of inspiration.” Mr. Spearman’s education in jewelry has been largely informal. His grandfather, an accomplished silversmith and lapidary, began teaching Graham lapidary at the age of 10. This focus on lapidary is visible in the work; the stones he cuts are incorporated into his pieces. Graham’s studio is currently in New York City, and he travels extensively continuing to learn new jewelry techniques and looking for inspiration in the natural world.  

Paintings and Prints

Robert Diamante

Robert Diamante studied at Pratt Institute before moving to Maine to complete his BFA at the Maine College of Art. Mr. Diamante has been photographing the artwork of our nation’s most talented artisans and designers for over fifteen years. His corporate clients have included Stonewall Kitchen, Lindt Chocolates and John Hardy Jewelry, whose Fall 2007 and Spring 2008 collections he photographed for editorial and billboards. Diamante served as Media Director for John Hardy from 2007-2008 at their facility in Bali. Mr. Diamante’s photographs have appeared in American Style, American Vogue, The Crafts Report, Esquire, International Jeweler, JCK, Niche, Ornament, Town & Country and Vanity Fair. His work has been published in books produced by arts publishers Brynmorgen, Interweave and Lark. His works are in the archives of Brown University and University of Southern Maine. Diamante is a valued resource for jewelers on the topic of photography. He has been interviewed for books, magazines, and podcasts, including a 2011 three-part series of articles in the MJSA Journal. He has conducted a workshop at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and has been a guest lecturer at the 92nd Street Y in N.Y.C., Maine College of Art, Northeast University, and the University of Maine. His Still Life photographs have been featured in the Thos. Moser catalog and exhibited at the 5th Avenue Armory in NYC, the Brickbottom Arts Building in Boston and The Center for Maine Contemporary Art in Rockport, Maine. His works were featured at William Switzer Galleries in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City. Mr. Diamante is currently developing Berlian Arts.

Lisa Dombek

Portland-based Lisa Dombek is renowned for her passion for texture and mark making. Originally from Blue Hill, Ms. Dombek traveled extensively exploring dance, music and performance in such places as Boston, Los Angeles and New York. In the late 1980’s she moved back to her home state and established herself among the burgeoning art scene in Maine’s largest city, Portland. Since then her work has been exhibited regularly in Portland galleries, as well as national juried shows.  In 2008 her series “What Emerges” was shown at the Thomas Moser Gallery in Los Angeles. Her paintings were featured at Art Basel Miami in 2008.  Her work has been selected for publication in the 2002, 2004, 2007 and 2011 editions of the national literary and visual art publication Words & Images.  Her paintings and photographs were chosen in March of 2003 as part of The Musik Show in Austin, TX, during the legendary South by Southwest Festival.  She also received Special Recognition for her piece “Wings Over Water” in an internationally juried show in Omaha, NE in the Spring of 2001. She is a listed American Artist with the ARS/NY. 

Shoshannah White

Fine Artist Shoshannah White received her BFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design, interned under renowned documentary photographer Mary Ellen Mark and has taught classes at the prestigious Maine Media Workshops. She has exhibited her work throughout the United States and is represented in major collections throughout Maine. In addition, Ms. White has exhibited in Italy. She has been awarded numerous public art commissions for the state of Maine including large-scale installation sculptures for the University of Southern Maine and the University of Maine at Orono. Her photographs have been seen in publications such as Details Decorative Homes, GQ Spain, National Geographic and the Wall Street Journal.