Naomi Berkery
About the artist
Naomi Berkery is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and certified art therapist whose work bridges fine art, portraiture, and expressive mark making. A graduate of Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, she holds an MFA in Art and Design Education with a concentration in Art Therapy. For more than two decades, she lived and worked in New York City, creating, exhibiting, and selling her artwork throughout the five boroughs and the greater Tri-State area.
Since 2003, Naomi has taught visual art to neurodivergent students with special needs, using creativity as a tool for healing, self-expression, and empowerment. In 2019, she returned to her hometown of Newburgh, New York, where she became an active part of the Hudson Valley arts community. Her work has been exhibited throughout the region and New York City, and she currently maintains a studio at Safe Harbors on the Hudson while participating in regional exhibitions, artist collectives, and community arts initiatives.
Artist Statement
My work exists in the space between opposites: urban grit and spiritual softness, expressive color and delicate line, the seen and the concealed. Through portraiture and figurative work, I explore themes of identity, resilience, vulnerability, memory, and personal transformation.
Drawing from lived experience, mythology, city life, the natural world, and the emotional landscapes we carry within us, I create layered works that honor both strength and sensitivity. Many of my subjects are women whose stories reflect the complexities of contemporary life, navigating autonomy, survival, healing, and self-discovery.
Each piece begins as a deeply personal conversation, whether inspired by a memory, a fleeting thought, an emotion, or a moment of reflection. Through texture, color, and gesture, I seek to give form to experiences that are often internalized, overlooked, or left unspoken.
My hope is that these works invite viewers into a shared space of recognition and introspection, where personal narratives become collective experiences and art becomes a catalyst for connection, healing, and understanding.
