Carolee Paonessa Clarke

Carolee P. Clarke (1936 – 2022)


Carolee Marie (Paonessa) Clarke died of Covid on January 16, 2022, at Elliot Hospital in Manchester, NH. She was born on June 17, 1936, to Louis and Elizabeth Paonessa of New Britain, CT. She leaves her husband of 66 years, Gordon Clarke of Amherst, NH, a sister, Darcie Peterson of Bloomfield, CT, three children, Adam (Kristyn) Clarke of Harper Woods, MI, Elissa Kahn of Amherst, NH and Louisa (Greg) Sokolowski of Shrewsbury, MA, six grandchildren, and great grandchildren. As she wished, she was cremated.

Carolee’s love of family was apparent every day and in numerous family gatherings. She was always there to listen, guide, support and love them. Always thinking of family, it seemed that every shopping trip or vacation was a treasure hunt for gifts for children and grandchildren—some put away for the appropriate occasion. After she died, we found a set of watches she had bought for her grandchildren and her great grandchildren. They were held until Christmas and as grandson Chris Clarke said, “she hit it out of the park again”.

Their love of music brought Carolee and Gordon together as freshmen at the Hartt College of Music in Hartford, CT. They were married one year later, and Carolee supported her new family as a legal secretary while Gordon got a Mathematics degree. They moved to Philadelphia for Gordon’s job. Carolee valued family and education, so after the children were born they moved back to the Hartford area where Carolee was able to spend the days with her children and go back to college at night. She earned her Psychology degree at the University of Hartford, then attended Southern Connecticut State University where she earned a Master of Science degree in education, measurement, testing and statistics. That led to a position at Post College in Hartford where people could take standardized tests to earn college credits without attending classes. Carolee worked with subject matter experts in creating these tests.

The next move was to Cleveland for several years and back to New England (New Hampshire) to be closer to family. There, in her sixties, she began taking art courses. In her own words (artist’s bio): “I began painting after my retirement and consider it to still be an evolving process. All this madness started with watercolors; expanded with acrylics, and eventually encompassed collage; although watercolors remain my first love. Through my art in all media, my aim is to have fun and to enhance my life with the joy that comes from the creative process. The exhibition of my work and teaching allow me the opportunities to, hopefully, spread this joy among others.” Carolee shared a gallery and workspace with her friend Marie in Riverview Mills Artist Studios in Wilton, NH. She was a member of Keyes Art Group, Craftworker’s Guild and the Manchester Art Association. She won many awards for her work at regular and juried art shows. In keeping with her love of family, much of her work was not sold, but was given to family members. Her artist statement below illustrates what art meant to her and what she hoped it would give to others.

Another passion of Carolee’s was helping people. This was evident in her work and giving back to society. Especially while further from family she volunteered tutoring with Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc., spending time with the kids at Health Hill Hospital for Children and again tutoring literacy with A Reading World at the local Library. She also supported Smile Train (where doctors fix cleft palates) and Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Donations in her memory may be made to these charities.


Carolee’s Artist’s Statement:

I have come to the practice of art later in life (after retirement), but art has always been a part of who I am. Visiting museums, attending art shows, doing arts and craft projects with my children, or a poster for the PTA are some examples of earlier associations with art. After I retired, I began taking watercolor lessons at the Institute of Art in Manchester, and the Sharon Art Center.

Art is as necessary to me as air is for breathing. I am intrigued with the fluidity and transparency of watercolors and the spontaneity this medium allows when working on a painting. I love to use clear and transparent colors, because they impart a bit of a mystery of “what may lie underneath”. To underscore this feeling, I have begun to work with watercolor combined with collage. Some of my work in this area has taken me into the use of acrylic paints and collage. Using these materials, I have begun to paint in an abstract form to express an idea or statement.

There is humor to be found in my work, because I feel it is healthy to laugh and to even laugh at oneself. This humor can be seen in my series “Ladies with Attitude” and the paintings “Postcard from Imagination”, and “Intersections of a Very Messy Mind”. Hopefully, these examples of my humor will give others a chance to identify with the paintings, to recognize similar attributes in themselves, and to view them with humor.

Expressing one’s inner being and feelings is what I feel art is about. In addition, it opens my eyes to things that are in my personality, upon which I may have never focused. So in that sense, I feel art teaches us about ourselves. When dealing with others in my teaching, I try to stress this concept.

On a very basic level, art is another means of communication. And, as such, is a valuable tool to use in the search for understanding among the diverse populations we have all over the world. This is an area where no one is “right” and no one is “wrong”. One of my goals is to encourage everyone to practice this method of communication. It can be especially useful with children and teenagers.

In my mind, art can be the catalyst for understanding and empathy among all peoples.