The public is invited to attend to a reception for “Into the Light” at The Bruce S. Kershner Gallery in the Fairfield Public Library on Thursday, November 13 at 5:30 to 7:30 pm. The paintings of Laura Barr, Jim Fiora and Suzanne Heilmann will be featured. They will talk about their work at 6 pm. The show can be seen from November 8, 2025 to January 3, 2026 during library hours.
JIM FIORA
Jim has been creating photographs for fine art and commercial clients for over 30 years. He is primarily self taught, with no formal education in the arts. He dropped out of college for engineering to pursue his passion for photography. He was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with several talented photographers and artists whom he retains as mentors to this day. He has augmented this experience with workshops, class work and private study, all of which has helped him solidify his vision and hone his technique.
Jim’s work has been exhibited in art centers throughout CT, and is included in many private collections. He states, “In my work I’m drawn to the constructs and quirks of the built environment. In my exploration of imagery I’m attracted most to scenes that are punctuated with strong color and bold graphic forms. I love creating colorful juxtapositions and balance through asymmetry. I’m a sucker for whimsy and have a soft spot for a kind of droll nostalgia. My goal is to create compositions that transcend their simple form and achieve a poetic balance. In all my work I endeavor to demonstrate a strong respect for craft and the process of printmaking.”
LAURA BARR
Laura earned her BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, a BA in Fine Arts from Tufts University and she studied at Tyler School of Art in Rome, Italy.
She has exhibited at galleries in Boston and in Connecticut; is affiliated with 3 Walls Gallery in Brooklyn, NY, is a member,of Lyme Art Association, New Haven Paint and Clay Club, and Connecticut Women Artists. Her work is in many collections at Yale, Wesleyan, and other sites. She currently lives and works as a fine artist in Branford, Connecticut.
Laura says, “My work explores color, transparency, reflection and light. I am interested in the theme of impermanence; I depict blissful, fleeting, transcendent moments where the ordinary becomes extraordinary. I am drawn to water and am concerned with its preservation and protection. It’s a common thread in my painting, whether in a glass, a pool, a river, quarry, or sea. I work at the intersection of representation and abstraction, simplifying form and creating compositions with strong underlying geometry. I enjoy the materiality of paint. I often use scale to illuminate my focus, and work in series.
Works in the Kershner Gallery exhibition include pieces from four different series. The oil pastel on archival paper works of the Ocean Elegy series are visual odes that celebrate the beauty of the underwater world. The Here and There series panels feature carefully curated and arranged collections of oil paintings on 4 x 6 inch canvases intended to be viewed as one work. The larger 20″ x 20″ paintings of the In the Moment series are distillations of a scene, and convey the experience of the dreamlike.The subject of liquids in glass vessels on tabletops has long been a fascination. These everyday objects contain worlds of color and light. The shadows, reflections and refractions are of equal importance. The abstract shapes of color unite to create form.”
SUZANNE HEILMANN
Suzanne grew up in a family that had to adapt and integrate into a number of different cultures and countries. Several languages were spoken at home and the family lived in South Africa, Denmark, England and Mexico before settling in the USA in 1968. As a young woman she attended high school in Ct., graduated early and began working in New York City for a leading design firm before attending college at Maryland Institute of Art, Baltimore, in their Fine Arts program. She transferred to American University, in Washington DC, before a permanent move to New York City. She finished her BFA in Design at the School of Visual Art in Manhattan, Summa cum laude. She now lives in Ridgefield.
In 1984, Suzanne started her own Packaging Design firm in NYC. In 1987 she entered her packaging and labeling design into the Clio Awards (International awards competition for creative business) and received a Clio nomination for her expertise in packaging and label design. She has exhibited in many galleries throughout Connecticut and other states.
Suzanne states, “Having come from a design and packaging background, I was able to transition into a broad spectrum of art styles which have included a wide range of mediums. The art created is a combination of different materials to produce interesting shadow treatments, colors and textures, ultimately changing the character of the art piece through light effects. The materials can include different medium from such as fabric, paint, paper, plaster, copper/metal and wood, to name a few. Fascinated with texture, 3-D layers, light, space and shadows is how “The Texturalist” was born. Considered a nonconformist, often integrating recycled material into my work to create unique fabrications full of texture and depth.”