Colts Neck Teachers & Staff

Heather Cadalzo is the owner & Artistic Director of Inspired Minds Colts Neck (formerly Lincroft). She graduated from the School of Visual Arts, NYC, with a BFA in Illustration in 2002. She has since been working as a freelance portrait artist; her paintings have been commissioned for numerous private collections. In 2002, she found her calling as an instructor when she returned to Riverview Art School, Islands Heights, where she had studied as a teen under master painter Elaine Sgambati. She served as the head children’s oil painting instructor there for five years.
In 2006, Rose and Heather joined up to form Inspired Minds- an art school modeled after Riverview, where she could pass down her artistic knowledge & skills to others and promote creativity on a daily basis. She feels blessed to be someone who truly loves her job!  Her work has been shown in many galleries locally and has won numerous awards and recognitions. 

Also a licensed Occupational Therapist, she has developed additional programs for seniors and special needs individuals at the studio. She teaches classes for artists of all ages and abilities.

To view her artwork visit www.heatherspaintings.com

and her Instagram 

https://www.instagram.com/heatherbrowncadalzo/

Brittany James has taught various classes at inspired minds for the past 10 years. She recently received the Monmouth Arts outstanding educator in visual arts award. Brittany is a jersey shore native who graduated from Montclair State University with a BFA degree concentrated in painting in 2009. She strongly believes in the healing therapy of art-making and self-expression and enjoys helping others create. She currently paints out of her home studio in Asbury Park. Her oil paintings are of surreal images, depicting the relationships between women in nature and society.

In addition to teaching at Inspired Minds, Brittany also runs a life drawing workshop and is the curator and manager of art629 Gallery. She has painted live on stage at the State Theater in New Brunswick and the Paramount Theater in Asbury Park, and was part of a performance art piece during the Summer of Love concert at Count Basie Theater in Red Bank. She has been a muralist and featured artist for the Asbury Underground Art & Music Crawl and the Asbury Park City Mural Project, and has shown her work in several galleries in the New York tri-state area.

You can see her art at http://www.brittanyjamesart.com.

Rachel Lee is our Systems Manager as she is probably one of the most organized and strategic artists we know! 

She graduated from SUNY Purchase College with a BFA in 2016. She currently works as a freelance illustrator. She is passionate about sharing her love of learning and creating with other artists while in the studio. Rachel has always loved stories and adventure. As a child, she drew characters constantly. As an adult, she hasn’t lost her love of stories or creating characters, but instead, has learned to hone her artistic skills to match the scope of her imagination.

 Rachel has been commissioned to create illustrations for an online webcomic, a board game, and coloring book pages for Nj state parks. She recently has been focused on learning the ins and outs of video game design and production. View her current portfolio at

https://www.behance.net/rachelleeart

Raised by two artist parents, Willow grew up around creativity. This artistic background has led her deep passion for all art forms. From the birth of the art school at age 4, Willow, has been growing her skills and is now using that knowledge to help others.  

WIllow is currently a second grade teacher in Metuchen.

Willow especially loves mixed media and exploring various mediums including oil paint, watercolor, sewing and fabric art, 

She strives to make the art school a welcoming and fun place and believes everyone can be an artist. 

Willow is our Creative Liaison at the Colts Neck Studio, and you can join her class this summer for various camps & Art Parties.

 Hi my name is Darryl. I am an art teacher that has always had a special place in my heart for painting. I love oils, but have also grown a large fondness for watercolor, acrylics and using pastels of all densities and properties.  I have a vast skill set that allows me to highly differentiate my teaching style for almost any artist and their possible needs. I love what I do and am honored to share it with all my students in the studio! 

Mr. Darryl is our Mixed media 2 teacher, provides special needs instruction and and also leads a Small Private Group weekly.

 @dp_art_stuff on instagram 

 Hi, I’m Alex! I’m a writer and creative and one of the studio managers here at Inspired Minds. You can find me up front greeting students and families, and helping out around the studio as needed.
I graduated with a BA in History from Monmouth University and art has always been a part of my life. Animation has been one of my favorite artistic mediums ever since I was a kid and my love for it has only grown in my adulthood. My roots in art started with reading books and falling in love with storytelling when I was very young. I’ve always thrived in environments where I could express myself creatively whether it was through dance, art, or writing. I started drawing again during the pandemic and I’ve been frequently practicing in my free time. I’m looking forward to strengthening those skills while I’m here and learning from our fantastic teachers!
When I’m not at Inspired Minds, you can find me cozied up in a local coffee shop writing or in a yoga studio! 

Hi, I’m Lindsay, cat mom, artist, designer, yogi and lover of cooking! On Wednesdays, you’ll find me in the support office helping keep things running smoothly — from greeting families and handling Sawyer admin tasks to lending a hand with social media updates, website tweaks, and a bit of marketing magic here and there.

My love for art started back in first grade and never stopped — it led me to earn my BFA in Graphic Design from Rutgers University. Since then, I’ve worked with businesses big and small, bringing creative visions to life. At Inspired Minds, I get the best of both worlds: using my creative skills while watching young artists grow and thrive, just like I once did.

I’m also a 200-hour certified yoga instructor with a passion for blending art and movement — so don’t be surprised if you see the occasional Inspired Minds workshop or party that combines the two!

https://www.lindsaygelber.com/

 Lexi graduated from Rowan University in May of 2022 with a degree in Art Education. She now works full time as a high school art teacher in Monmouth County. On school breaks and during the summer time she returns to inspired minds to teach more art! Lexi is a mixed media artist who enjoys working in all mediums and trying new things often. When teaching, she makes it her goal to bring out the inner artists in all of her students and encourage them to try new things, step outside of their comfort zone, and to always be confident in their skills.

We are so excited Lexi will be teaching Mixed Media camps in Colts Neck for break camps & summer camps!

Bo Eisenberg (they/them) is a recent graduate from Ringling College of Art and Design with a BFA in illustration. They are well versed in all mediums, including oil, acrylic, watercolor and digital arts. They have been teaching a mix of ages for 2 years. Other than teaching, Bo is a freelance illustrator, creating comics, graphic art, and painting commissions. They are currently creating a graphic novel of their own in the hopes of getting it published.

https://boeisenberg.wixsite.com/portfolio

Nichole graduated from Montclair State University in 2025 with a Master’s degree in Art and Special Education (P-12). She now is an elementary school art teacher. It has always been her dream to become an art teacher, so it is a surreal experience to be living it. Over the summer, she works as a ceramics specialist in Monmouth County. She is mainly an acrylic painter, but has been trained in all types of mediums. She loves to teach art and is very excited to be the Mixed Media 1 teacher. 

Jocelynn Hunter Dow is an Honors College scholar and Summa Cum Laude graduate of Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts, where she studied Visual Arts alongside Africana Studies and Creative Writing. A native of Monmouth County, New Jersey, she is the Founder and President of JHD Studios, a platform dedicated to artistic storytelling and community-centered cultural engagement.

She is excited to be the new Comics & Illustration Instructor, as she is passionate about character design and this genre!

Tara Gurney is an art teacher in the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District with approximately 20 years of experience in arts education. She has worked with students across grades K–12, fostering creativity, critical thinking, and self-expression through a wide range of artistic media. In addition to her classroom teaching, she has contributed to the development of enriching opportunities for students through grant-supported initiatives and cross-curricular programs.

Tara will be our Little Artists instructor as well as running Art Parties and some private lessons.