My name is Jodi Richard and I am an artist from Remsen, NY. I’m a retired art teacher, currently teaching art as an adjunct instructor at MVCC. This marks my 35th year teaching. I also own a gallery and studio at 9605 Main Street in Remsen, where I continue to explore and share my creative journey.

My earliest memories are of making art.  From a young age, my parents encouraged my creativity, giving me the freedom to experiment with whatever materials I could find. They let me make sculptures with firewood scraps, paint old furniture and even create murals on the walls of our home-including the inside of the chicken coop!

I was always drawn to transforming discarded materials into something new. Whether it was sketching on scrap paper from my grandparents’ print shop, The Letter Shop on Genesee Street in Utica, gluing acorns onto cardboard, or drawing on mushrooms in the woods, I saw creative potential in what others considered waste. That instinct to repurpose and reinvent has stayed with me throughout my creative journey.

The art I am focusing on now  stems from my ongoing passion for transforming discarded pieces into something new.  A friend of mine, Bob Thomas, worked at a local sign shop that produced road signs.  The shop regularly discarded scrap pieces of reflective tape used for NYS road signs, and Bob brought me a few scraps, asking if I could use them in my art.  

I held onto those pieces for two years before finally attempting my first piece.  Working with reflective tape has been a continuous experiment-each artwork has taught me something new. Over the past ten years, the sign shop has generously continued to provide me with this unique material. I am deeply grateful to Hermosa Corporation for their encouragement and support; without their generosity this body of work wouldn’t exist.

When I first started working with reflective tape, my pieces were mostly abstract.  Over time, I gradually shifted toward more figurative work.  In the beginning, the material was incredibly challenging to work with-I struggled to figure out how to cut it, and any attempt to mark on it would ruin it.  It was a frustrating process, requiring patience and persistence. 

Through trial and error, I slowly began to understand the material and uncover its potential. Even now, I feel I have only scratched the surface of the creative potential of reflective tape and I’m excited to continue exploring new possibilities with this unique medium.  

One of the biggest challenges with my art is how to display it.  I own the old hardware store in Remsen, which houses my studio and two separate galleries.  One gallery showcases my “normal” artwork, while the other-called the Reflect Gallery-exists in complete darkness. In the Reflect Gallery, viewers enter with a flashlight or use the flashlight on their phone, holding it near their eyebrows as they walk through and experience the art. This is one of my favorite aspects of working with reflective tape-it cannot be fully captured in photographs or reproduced; it must be experienced to be truly appreciated.  

Every piece of tape is meticulously cut by hand, backwards, and carefully placed. It’s a time-consuming process, but I love the end result.  I encourage viewers to interact with the art by holding a light near their eyebrows and taking photos with the flash on-allowing them to engage with the art in a way that brings it to life.

The artist who inspired me most in my creative journey is Jackson Pollock.  Many people look at his art and think, I can do that. But the truth is Pollock did it first. He pushed the boundaries of art in a way that had never been seen before, and that is something I have always strived for in my own work.  

Before people enter my Reflect Gallery, I tell them with confidence: I promise you’ve never seen anything like this before.  Reflective tape as a medium is unconventional, and the way I use it creates an experience that is entirely unique.  My art is meant to be experienced, not just seen-so please, grab a flashlight, hold it up to your eyebrows and have a dance with my art!

Social Media:

Facebook:

Jodi Anne Richard and

Reflexions Studio and Gallery at the Old Hardware Store

Instagram:

Jodi Anne Richard

TikTok:

@jodiannerichard

Website:

www.reflexions.studio

Email:

jodi@reflexions.studio

Phone:

315-527-9712