Paula Gunther-Reilly is a multidisciplinary artist, illustrator, and arts educator working across painting, ceramics, sculpture, illustration, and design. She holds a B.A. in Fine Arts and Teacher Certification (Pre-K–12) from Kean University (Magna Cum Laude) and an A.A.S. in Illustration from the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Following graduation from FIT, she studied painting for book cover illustration under artist Joe DeVito (DeVito ArtWorks LLC), where she focused on developing traditional techniques for narrative and commercial illustration. She subsequently completed a professional apprenticeship with artist Scott Gladden, contributing to romance novel cover illustrations for Harlequin Romance and historical titles for Simon and Schuster.
Her career bridges fine art practice, design entrepreneurship, and education. She is the founder of Fine Art Tile (1985–2007), where she developed and executed custom ceramic, stone, and glass tile installations for residential and commercial clients throughout the Northeast, and was featured in publications including New York Newsday, Woman’s Day, and Kitchens and Baths.
In education, she has taught visual arts across a wide range of public school settings, specializing in differentiated instruction, interdisciplinary curriculum design, and adaptive art education for diverse learners. From 2010 to 2024, she taught Pre-K through Grade 4 art in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, where she also integrated mindfulness-based approaches and STEAM initiatives into the curriculum.
Her work extends beyond the classroom into community and cultural projects, including environmental and arts-based initiatives in Belize and collaborative arts programming. She has also contributed as a set and prop designer for the film Echoes of the Enslaved, expanding her practice into visual storytelling for film.
She currently leads workshops at Axum Art Café, focusing on creative exploration, traditional techniques, and mindful art practice.
