Through layered narrative paintings that blend cityscapes, botanical forms, and textured surfaces, I use acrylic paint, graphite, and paper on canvas to create landscapes that amplify the quiet language of florals and slow the rhythm of urban life.
Each stretched canvas is first covered with thin paper which establishes a textured ground. Though the paper is carefully smoothed, subtle wrinkles remain, introducing movement and variation within the surface. Lines and colors from the paper emerge through the paint—sometimes faintly, sometimes more prominently—depending on the composition.
Imagery is initially sketched onto the surface, then developed through layers of paint. Graphite drawings of botanicals are added atop the painted landscape, weaving natural forms into the built environment.
Through this process, I seek to capture a dialogue between two realms: the movement of light and shadow across surfaces, the way texture evokes memory and place, and how layers of paint and graphite can together conjure a moment’s atmosphere. Each piece invites the viewer into a tactile encounter with the contrasts and harmonies that quietly shape our world.
Upcoming Exhibitions:
2026
April 24 – 26, 2026. One of a Kind Show + Sale, 222 Merchandise Mart Plaza, 7th floor, Chicago, IL. Website
May 23, 24, & 25, 2026, Paradise City Arts Festivals- Northampton, Three County Fair Grounds, Northampton, MA.
June 5, 6, & 7, 2026, 98th Annual Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show, to be held in beautiful, historic Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, PA. Website
June 13 & 14, 2026, Old Town Art Fair – Chicago, Old Town Triangle Historic District, 1763 N. North Park Ave, Chicago, IL. Saturday: 10-7pm, Sunday: 10-6pm. Website
June 27 & 28, 2026, Arts At The Gardens, Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park, 250 Gibson St, Canandaigua, New York, 10-5 p.m. Website
July 11 & 12, 2026, Wickford Art Festival, Wilson Park, 211 W. Main Street, North Kingstown, RI, 9am-4pm. Website
July 16 – 18, 2026, The Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair, The Guild, Main, Liberty Street & State Street, adjacent to the campus of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Representation:
Viridian Artists Gallery, Inc., 548 W 28th St #632, New York, NY 10001
Exhibitions/Articles:
2026
February 14-16, 2026, Coconut Grove 62nd Art Festival, 2700 S. Bayshore Drive, Miami, FL 33133.
March 7- April 4, 2026. Winter Exhibition at ArtWorks Gallery, 69 Main St, Ware, MA, Saturdays & Sundays, 1 to 4 pm. Opening reception: Saturday, March 7, 3 to 5 pm.
March 10 – March 28, 2026. HERstory, Viridian Artists, 548 West 28th St, #632 NY, NY 10001. The opening reception will be Thursday March 12, 6-8PM and there will be a closing reception Saturday March 28th 4-6PM.
2025
November 25-December 13, 2025, Viridian Artists Group Show, The Shape of Now, 548 W 28th St, New York, NY, 10001
October 25, 2025, 10 am – 4 pm, Fall Art Fair at Gooseneck Vineyard, Wickford Art Association, 1340 Tower Hill Road, North Kingstown, R.I,
October 11, 12, & 13, 2025, Paradise City Arts Festivals- Northampton, Three County Fair Grounds, Northampton, MA, https://festivals.paradisecityarts.com/shows/northampton-october-show
September 27 & 28, 2025, Armonk Outdoor Art Show, 205 Business Park Drive, Armonk, NY, 10504. https://www.armonkoutdoorartshow.org
September 19-21, 2025. The 21st Annual September Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show to be held in beautiful, historic Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, PA. https://www.rittenhousesquareart.com/
September 6 & 7, 2025, Gracie Square Art Show, 10:00am to 5:00pm, Carl Schurz Park, East End Avenue & East 86th Street, NYC, https://www.graciesquareartshow.com/
September 6, 2025, 2-5 pm, Easthampton City Arts Presents, ART IN THE GARDEN, in conjunction with Art Walk, 4-7 pm, easthamptoncityarts.com
August 29 – August 31, 2025, Labor Day weekend, The Long’s Park Art Festival 2025, 1441 Harrisburg Pike, Lancaster, PA 17601, www.longspark.org/art-festival
August 2-3 & August 8-9, 2025, 52nd Annual Outdoor Fine Art and Fine Art Craft, Rehoboth, Delaware, https://www.rehobothartleague.org/events/2025-outdoor-show/
July 17, 18 & 19, 2025, The Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, The Original (AASAF), Ann Arbor, Michigan, http://www.artfair.org/
July 12 & 13, 2025, Wickford Art Festival, Wilson Park, 211 West Main St, North Kingston, RI, https://wickfordart.org/wickford-art-festival/
July 15-August 9, 2025, Viridian Artists Annual International Juried Exhibition, Juried by Jim Kempner, as well as the Director’s Choice virtual exhibit, 548 West 28th Street, New York, NY 10001, Opening July 17, 6-8 pm. https://www.viridianartists.com/
July 4, 5, & 6, 2025, Bridgehampton Art Affair, 2368 Montauk Hwy, Bridgehampton, NY, https://www.artfestival.com/festivals/bridgehampton-art-affair-4th-july-weekend
November 2024 to July 2025, Wedge Works Art & Home, 26 Cottage St, Easthampton, MA, 01027, Exhibiting seven available mixed media works, https://www.facebook.com/mattevaldjohnson/
June 6, 7, & 8, 2025, 98th Annual Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show, to be held in beautiful, historic Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, PA. https://www.rittenhousesquareart.com/
May 24, 25, & 26, 2025, Paradise City Arts Festivals- Northampton, Three County Fair Grounds, Northampton, MA. https://festivals.paradisecityarts.com/shows/northampton-may-show
March 28 & 29, 2025, Art Newport, Fine Art Show and Ball, Newport Harbor Island Resort, 1 Goat Island, Newport, RI, https://newportartistcollective.com/art-newport/
2024
October 12, 13, & 14, 2024, Paradise City Arts Festivals- Northampton, Three County Fair Grounds, Northampton, MA, https://festivals.paradisecityarts.com/shows/northampton-october-show
September 7 & 8, 2024, Gracie Square Art Show, 10:00am to 5:00pm [Rain or Shine], Carl Schurz Park, East End Avenue & East 86th Street, NYC, https://www.graciesquareartshow.com/
August 10 & 11, 2024, Mystic Outdoor Art Festival, Holmes Street, Downtown Mystic Connecticut, https://www.mysticchamber.org/
July 26, 27, & 28, 2024, Syracuse Arts & Crafts Festival, Downtown Syracuse, New York,https://www.downtownsyracuse.com/events/signature/syracuse-arts-crafts-festival
July 13 & 14, 2024, Wickford Art Festival, Wilson Park, 211 West Main St, North Kingston, RI, https://wickfordart.org/wickford-art-festival/
June 7, 8, & 9, 2024, 97th Annual Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show, Booth 114, to be held in beautiful, historic Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, PA. https://www.rittenhousesquareart.com/
November 2023 – May 2024, Wedge Works Art & Home, 26 Cottage Street, Easthampton, MA
May 25, 26, & 27, 2024, Paradise City Arts Festivals- Northampton, Three County Fair Grounds, Northampton, MA. https://festivals.paradisecityarts.com/shows/northampton-may-show
May 18 & 19, 2024, Litchfield Art Festival 2024, Lawrence Field, North Canaan, CT. https://www.thevoiceofart.org/litchfield-art-festival
March 22, 23, & 24, 2024, Paradise City Arts Festivals – Marlborough, Royal Plaza Trade Center, Marlborough, MA.
2023
November 17, 18, & 19, 2023, Paradise City Arts Festivals- Marlborough, Royal Plaza Trade Center, Marlborough, MA,
October 21- November 15, 2023, Art In Motion, Art League RI Gallery, 80 Fountain St., Pawtucket, RI, group show.
October 7, 8, & 9, 2023, Paradise City Arts Festivals- Northampton, Three County Fair Grounds, Northampton, MA,
September 9 & 10, 2023, Gracie Square Art Show, 10:00am to 5:00pm [Rain or Shine], Carl Schurz Park, East End Avenue & East 86th Street, NYC
August 12 & 13, 2023, Mystic Outdoor Art Festival, Downtown Mystic Connecticut.
May 27, 28, & 29, 2023, Paradise City Arts Festivals- Northampton, Three County Fair Grounds, Northampton, MA.
March 17, 18 & 19, 2023, Paradise City Arts Festivals – Marlborough, Royal Plaza Trade Center, Marlborough, MA.
2022
November 18, 19, & 20, 2022, Paradise City Arts Festivals- Marlborough, Royal Plaza Trade Center, Marlborough, MA
October 8, 9, & 10, 2022, Paradise City Arts Festivals- Northampton, Three County Fair Grounds, Northampton, MA,
August 26 – September 12, 2022, Becket Arts Center, 7 Booker Hill Rd, Becket, MA,
www.becketartscenter.org
March 18, 19 & 20, 2022, Paradise City Arts Festivals – Marlborough, Royal Plaza Trade Center, Marlborough, MA.
May 2022, Paradise City Arts Festivals, Three County Fair Grounds, Northampton, MA
2021
Wedge Works, December 2021 – January 2022, 26 Cottage Street, Easthampton, MA
November 2021, Paradise City Arts Festival- Marlborough, Royal Plaza Trade Center, Marlborough, MA, November 19, 20, 21, 2021.
October 2021, Paradise City Arts Festival, Three County Fair Grounds, Northampton, MA
October 8, 2021, Greenfield Recorder: Image of Artwork included in Article
October 7, 2021, Daily Hampshire Gazette: Image of Artwork included in Article: https://www.recorder.com/Paradise-City-Arts-Festival-returns-to-Northampton-after-two-year-absence-42906779
October 4, 2021, The Sunday Republican & MassLive: Article about Sue Fontaine artist included in the upcoming Paradise City Arts Festival with photos: https://www.masslive.com/entertainment/2021/10/paradise-city-arts-festival-returns-to-northampton-for-3-day-run.html
2020 to 1990’s
Windows Into Art, Amherst Arts Night Plus, Amherst MA, Amherst Arts Night Plus Brings Art to Downtown Windows, October 1-22, 2020.
Paradise City Marketplace and Paradise City Art Festivals, Virtual exhibitions, 2020
Virtual Hosmer Gallery, Virtual Exhibition, Northampton, MA, 2020
Burnett Gallery at Jones Library, Amherst, MA, 2019
Galleria Vivace, Stafford Springs, CT, 2009
Baystate Medical Center, Arts Alive Gallery, Springfield, MA, 2000, 2008
Augusta Savage Gallery, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 1998
Holyoke Community College, Holyoke, MA, 1994
Corporate Collections:
UMass Memorial Health, UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, Massachusetts
Education:
BFA, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Commonwealth Scholar, summa cum laude, 1998.
AA, Holyoke Community College, Holyoke, MA 1994
Awards:
Best of Mixed Media, Mystic Outdoor Art Festival, 2024
Artistic Excellence, Senior Exhibition, University of Massachusetts, 1998
Achievement in Art Award, Holyoke Community College, 1994