About Jodi Richard

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

That instinct to repurpose and reinvent has stayed with me ever since. 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 wild mushrooms in the woods, I have always seen creative potential in what others consider waste.

For 35 years, I shared this passion for creativity as an art teacher—instructing at a correctional facility, shaping young minds at Remsen Central School, and teaching as an adjunct instructor at Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC). Today, I am a full-time artist, operating my studio and gallery out of a historic former hardware store at 9605 Main Street in Remsen, New York.

My current body of work stems directly from my lifelong obsession with transforming discarded materials. A decade ago, a friend named Bob Thomas brought me a handful of scrap high-density reflective tape (retroreflective sheeting) discarded by a local road sign shop, asking if I could make something with it. I held onto those pieces for two years before finally attempting my first piece. Since then, working with this material has been a continuous, thrilling experiment. Over the past ten years, the sign shop has generously kept me supplied with this unique material, and I am deeply grateful to the Hermosa Corporation; without their encouragement and generosity, this body of work simply wouldn’t exist.

When I first pioneered this medium, my pieces were strictly abstract, but over time I shifted toward intricate, representational work. In the beginning, the material was incredibly frustrating. It was difficult to cut and it is extremely sticky! Through endless trial, error, and stubborn persistence, I slowly uncovered its potential. Yet, even now, I feel I’ve only scratched the surface of what this medium can do.

Every single sliver of tape is meticulously cut by hand—backwards—and then carefully placed. It is a grueling, time-consuming process, but the payoff is magical. Because of this, the ultimate challenge of my art isn’t making it; it’s displaying it.

That is why I created Reflect Gallery—the only gallery of its kind in the world.

My art cannot be fully captured in photographs or reproduced on a screen; it must be lived. When viewers enter Reflect Gallery, they are handed a flashlight (or use the light on their phones) and instructed to hold it right up to their eyebrows as they move through the space. By changing the light source and taking photos with a flash, the viewer actively brings the artwork to life.

The artist who has inspired me is Jackson Pollock. Many look at his paint splatters and think, “I could 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 exactly what I strive for in my own studio.

Before people step into Reflect Gallery, I tell them with absolute confidence: “I promise you have never seen anything like this before.”

My art is meant to be experienced, not just viewed. So please—grab a flashlight, hold it up to your eyebrows, and come 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

Email:

jodi@reflexions.studio

Phone:

315-527-9712