Meet The Staff

ROBERT LECOMTE SR

With his wife Maddie by his side, it was his leadership and guidance that set the framework for the old-fashioned customer care and service we strive for every day. By Bob's standards, anyone who walked into our store walked out our friend. His quick wit, warm laugh, and bright smile helped to guide artists for over 30 years. Sadly, we lost him in August 2018, but will always remember how he entertained us, our families, and our customers, with his charm.

ROBERT LECOMTE JR

Continuing in his father's footsteps, Bob has been at Riverside Art since 1975. He is just as comfortable designing custom framing, offering artists technical advice or trouble shooting the printers and computers. Bob Jr.'s amiable grace and leadership have helped create the reputation Riverside Art has earned with customers from all over New England.

Bob extends his support of the arts community beyond the doors of Riverside Art by sitting on the board of directors for the non-profit Narrows Center for the Arts which houses two art galleries, a music performance theater, and visual artist studios. He is also a past board member of the Fall River Chamber of Commerce.

Bob can be reached at ceo@riversideart.com

MARIAN LECOMTE

As The wife of our CEO, Marian has worked at Riverside Art on and off for years. She currently assists with many of the behind the scenes clerical duties as well as assisting visitors in the Art Supplies Department. Marian is a customer favorite, striving to ensure that everyone finds a warm and friendly welcome when they step up to our iconic orange counter.

Formally a licensed Massage Therapist, Marian has, for many years been involved in the healing arts and continues to work with Reiki and sound healing through the using of tuning forks.

FRAMING WORKSHOP MANAGER

PAUL LECOMTE

Paul began his career at Riverside Art. as a boy doing odd jobs for his father. He has worked full time for his father, then his brother, since 1980. As well as being a highly qualified custom framer, he is accomplished in restoring paintings and frames. We have seen some dramatic transformations at his skilled hands. Paul's exceptional craftsmanship and training is witnessed in every piece of framed work that leaves the building with our label attached to it. If we can dream it, he can build it.

In his spare time, Paul is an active member Tew's Company, 2nd Rhode Island Regiment, a company of Revolutionary War reenactors where he serves as a non-commissioned officer.

Paul can be reached at PLecomte@riversideart.com

LOUISE LECOMTE CHILDS

Louise has held a variety of job titles at Riverside Art over the years. In 2015, she returned from retirement to help in the framing workshop during the busy holiday season as temporary help... but we decided that we wouldn't let her go! She has stayed on as part time help and provides depth to the workshop staff, freeing up Lisa and Paul to do the more specialized work. If you have ever been on the receiving end of a cheerful message letting you know your framing is ready, that's Louise!

Louise holds the great honor of being Riverside Art's raison d'etre. While she was studying art at what was then Southeastern Massachusetts Technical Institute (now UMass Dartmouth), Bob Sr. realized that there was a real need for a source for art supplies closer to the University than Providence, RI. What started with an initial purchase of a single box art supplies, has grown into the Riverside Art of today.

GALLERY ASSOCIATE

ANNE MARIE LECOMTE

Annie has been a fixture at Riverside Art since 1993. Her wit and sense of customer care follows that tradition of excellence her father started. Annie has offered many customers, and fellow staffers, a share of her sharp humor and inspiration over the years. If you want to make her day, stop in and ask her about meeting her all-time favorite Bruin, Bobby Orr... twice!

DAVID AGUIAR

During his tenure at Riverside Art, Dave has worked in every department and helped developed our Reprographics Department into the multifaceted service center that we have today. He is equally comfortable with simple laser copies, engineering bond copies, scanning, digital photo restoration, and fine art reproductions. He and his staff are meticulous and understanding of the needs for precision and deadlines.

Dave graduated from Swain School of Design in 1987 with a Bachelor of Fine Art in Painting. He is currently producing a line of fan art screen printed shirts and fine art prints. His favorite subjects are the monsters and comic book characters of his childhood executed in his bold and graphic style that is reminiscent of the Pop Art Movement in the fifties. David's line of prints and clothing is available in the Marriette Gallery here at Riverside Art.

David can be reached at services@riversideart.com

STEPHANIE STROUD

Stephanie joined our team in 1993 as a clerk in our Art Supplies Department and in 2001 she took over the responsibilities of Custom Framing Designer & Sales Manager where she has created an impressive following of customers who are drawn to her creative approach, her eye for color and her dedication to the satisfaction of each and every client. She often works on both sides of the wall, helping customers in the Art Supplies Department and serving as the buyer for Art Supplies, Framing, and the Gallery.

She graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in 1991 with a Bachelor of Fine Art in Illustration. Stephanie is a landscape artist currently working in the fiber mediums of felted wool and paper collage. The results are impressionistic, textural, traditional landscapes that always invite a second look. She has work available in the Marriette Gallery here at Riverside Art and exhibits at regional shows and on the South Coast Artists Open Studio Tour. She serves on the board of directors of South Coast Artists, as the Membership Chair.

View her work at: www.stephaniestroud.net or follow her Facebook at www.facebook.com/stephaniestroudstudio and Instagram at @stephanie.stroud.artist

Stephanie can be reached at sstroud@riversideart.com

KIM GATESMAN

Kim joined the staff at Riverside Art in 2005 and quickly became an asset, capable of assisting in all four departments. In 2011, she settled in Reprographics where she specializes in scanning and producing Giclee prints for artists who are selling reproductions of their work. Her careful eye for color accuracy has resulted in Kim earning a reputation for producing extraordinarily accurate fine art reproductions.

She received her Bachelor of Fine Art from UMass Dartmouth where she studied printmaking and received her Master's in Arts Administration from Boston University in 2009. She spends much of her time outside of Riverside Art in her New Bedford studio. She has become known for her series of oil paintings of the rocky shores of South Eastern New England and her experiments with alternate printmaking processes while exploring a variety of subjects. Her most recent works explore scientific visualization and physics, with a specific interest in static electricity and magnetism.

View her work at kimgatesman.com and thirdswitchpress.com

Kim can be reached at kimg@riversideart.com

LISA BARATA

A member of our workshop staff since 1990. Lisa is proficient in mounting, matting, stretching needlework, stitching shadow boxes, fitting and finishing. If you have had framing done at Riverside Art, chances are that Lisa has worked on it. Her attention to detail and all-around versatility make her a critical asset to our framing team. She is an avid crafter, enjoys sewing, making hemp and bead jewelry, and is the reigning queen of gingerbread house construction and decorating.

LYNN LITCHFIELD

Lynn joined her father, Conrad Rousseau, as a salesclerk in our art supplies department in 1994. In 1998 she transferred to the Custom Framing Department, working as a designer until she took a hiatus to be home with her young family, returning to us full time in 2014. Lynn is equally comfortable finding the best solution for your custom framing project with quality design and answering questions about art materials, dividing her time between designing custom framing and assisting with sales and purchasing in the Art Supplies Department.

In the early 1990s she graduated from what was then Southeastern Massachusetts University (now UMass Dartmouth) with Bachelors of Fine Arts in both Illustration and Art Education. She is a multi-faceted artist who incorporates the love of lettering and calligraphy, which she learned as a child by her father's side, and decorative eggs in honor of her Grandmother. The results are classical, evocative and unexpected.

You can see some of her work here at Riverside Art in the Marriette Gallery and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lynn.ink

Lynn can be reached at Lynn@riversideart.com

GARRISON BORTHWICK

Garrison joined our team in 2016 and has embraced the role of all-around support staff in our Reprographics Department. On any given day, you might find him running engineering bond, restoring a beloved photo in photoshop, or varnishing and stretching a fine art print on canvas. Follow Riverside Art on Instagram and Facebook and you can see the creatively informative videos that Garrison produces for us.

In 2015, he earned an Associates in Arts with a concentration in Animation and Motion Graphics from Bristol Community College. In his art practice Garrison works in multiple media. As a painter he explores themes of mental health and sub-conscious. With his photography he turns real places into imaginary ones and as a filmmaker and musician, much the same happens.

Garrison has some art and photography available in the Marriette Gallery here at Riverside Art or, view his work at www.colorbyblank.com.

Garrison can be reached at Garrison@riversideart.com