Vimala Gade

“I was born in India and came to the United States in 1988.  As a child I was always drawn to the fine arts.  I taught myself how to paint and developed my own technique in many media – watercolor, acrylic, oil, pencil, and paint on silk fabric.  I enjoy doing landscapes, still life, and portraits.  Eventually I earned an M.A. in Fine Arts in 1994.  I have exhibited my work locally in New Jersey.  With my limited mobility, painting is the best therapy for me.  It keeps my mind alive and active.”

Gabriella Gonzalez

“I can practically throw a rock into the ocean from my front porch.  My favorite saying is: ‘Whatever doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger.’  I look at the world in a way no one else does.  I love singing and dancing. I like making people smile.  I LOVE making people laugh. Music keeps me sane.  I paint my heart out.”

Melinda Hall

Laurie Homan

Laurie Homan was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1994 and became permanently disabled in 1998.  In 2000 Laurie began painting as a way to meditate and reduce stress - a major factor in the progressive nature of M.S.  In January 2001 Laurie had her first solo show at the Long Branch Public Library resulting in her first sale.  Since that time she has become a member of the Art Alliance in Red Bank; Monmouth County Arts Council; VSA arts of NJ; and the Guild of Creative Art in Shrewsbury, where she was a board member.

Laurie had her second solo show in 2004 at the West Long Branch Library.  Her work has been accepted in many different juried shows locally, and she recently sold work in international shows.   Although she first started working with oils, she has moved into acrylics, inks and mixed media. Laurie has sold work in each medium and gained Associate status for her work in both ink and mixed media at the Guild of Creative Art. 

Belle Hsu

Belle Hsu enjoys creating art and graphic design using such media as computers, photographs, and paint.  She has traveled around the United States, the Far East and Europe, where she loves taking exciting photographs and expressing her feelings using texture, color, and natural beauty.

She studied Chinese painting at Cheng’s Studio in Taipei, Taiwan.  She graduated from Mount Aloysius Junior College with an A.F.A. in Commercial Art and cum laude from Towson State University with a B.S. in Visual Art.

Deaf since birth, Belle mixes multiples influences into her work, hoping to create an indelible impression in the viewer’s mind.  Her skills include oil, pastel, watercolor and color pencil as well as digital media.

She has exhibited her artwork in New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Lois Monaghan

“When I was born, five newborn babies were infected with the pneumococcal germ while in the hospital nursery.  Four babies were blinded, and I was left with only partial sight.  My doctors took me out of school when I was fourteen years old.  Then I was home-schooled by my mother, who was also my mentor.

I don’t know if my disability affects my work.  Monet painted his water lily series when legally blind.  Degas, Pissarro, Cassatt, Matisse, Bonnard, Renoir, Rembrandt, Marisot, and Sargent all had vision problems.  In class students are taught to see color and form, not details which can distract.  I feel having a vision problem is an advantage in painting.

I work mostly in oils.  I do not have a  certain technique as each painting is approached differently.  In the last five years, I have experimented more, using brushes, knives, sponges, sand and glitter.  I have tried abstracts and painting entirely from my imagination.

Living with a disability is a challenge but also a blessing.  I believe I am a better person because of it.  I had a very close relationship with my mother and father.  My disability has taught me to use all of my other senses to cherish each day; to appreciate all the beauty around me; to have patience, compassion and faith; to treat each obstacle as a challnge to overcome; and to find the strength I never knew I had.

I believe a transformation takes place every time I pick up a brush and stand before a canvas.  I enter the world of my imagination, time stands still, and I am surrounded by the emotions of painting.  The disability is left behind - the pain pushed into the background.  I am free, and I can be anywhere I want to be through artistry, beauty, and imagination.”

Barbara Snyder

Barbara Snyder was born in New York and has been painting for over 40 years.  Her work is in private collections in the United States and Europe.

Barbara paints in watercolor, oils, and mixed media and designs greeting cards as an area of special focus.  She attended the Art Students League, Rhode Island School of Design and studied privately with numerous artists/teachers.

Her paintings have been exhibited in New England and the Metropolitan area and in 1995 she painted with the En Plein Air painters in France, and her paintings were shown at the Galerie Chabin in Paris.