Community Mural for Warwick Farm Aid

On September 25th Warwick Valley Farm Aid 2011 raised over 50,000 to be distributed equally to Warwick farmers who applied for assistance. Farmers in Warwick were severely affected by Hurricane Irene and its subsequent flooding.

Less than two weeks prior to Farm Aid I met with local Warwick artists Ron Gee, Heidi Lanino Bilezikian, Dan Mack and myself to discuss with Jane Hamburger, former principal of Pine Island Elementary, on how we could incorporate the visual arts into Farm Aid. Jane had the idea of creating a mural with the community and then using that mural as a backdrop for the FarmAid Concert. Furthermore, the mural has now been broken down into smaller works of art, framed and will be presented and given as gifts to the municipalities that helped during the floods. The presentation will take place on Oct. 13th, 2011 at the Town Board Meeting.

Through our brainstorming process we developed the idea to focus on the beauty of water, using large plywood panels as our base, tempra paint and collage. Local businesses donated the material for mural. Prior to the event Ron Gee gathered materials, prepared and painted swirls of blues on the panels to set a template that impied the movement of water.

In the courtyard of the Warwick Valley High School event attendees flowed through the doors and began to create with material laid out on four long tables that were assembled with paints, brushes, water and paper. There were kids as young as two, parents, teenagers and seniors all painting side by side. There was a constant flow of people all day.

Local artists Karen Decher, Lisa Cullen, Tyler Cullen and Nicole Heller also volunteered to help carefully cut and assemble the painted paper into collage onto the boards with glue. A half hour before the concert the mural was carried onto the stage and hung on cables other volunteers/custodians had put in place.

The final piece was electric! With the spotlights on it, it worked perfectly with the music, evoking waves of sound.

What a fantastic collaboration. I am so proud to be a part of this community that cares about the food we grow and the people who grow it.

Senior Art: What’s In Your Heart?—A 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Tribute – through Wed., Sept. 28. This special exhibit is the collaborative creation of the senior residents of Greenwood Lake who attend the Greenwood Lake Senior Center, which is directed by Suzanne Joyce. The seniors created a mural as a tribute using the heart as a symbol. They were inspired by the artwork of abstract expressionist, Jim Dine. This project was led by Warwick artist, Janet Howard Fatta, who worked with the seniors to create small works each as a reflection of this tragic event, which were then bound together as one, signifying a nation united in the pursuit of freedom and liberty for all humanity.

Bard College Summer Camp Mural Project

The goal – aside from having a great time painting together – was to demonstrate how art can be experienced through chance, shape, color and line. Participants were encouraged to move around the mural, experimenting with their own designs, while reacting to, and influencing, the work of those around them. The final work demonstrates the distinctive marks of each participant, enclosed within the framework of the group’s final composition.

Crossroads Mural Project - Warwick Elementary Schools

These paintings were created by a student during the project and became the heart of the final piece.


The mural is a collage created by 5th grade students from 4 elementary schools and is installed in the Warwick Middle School. The intention of this piece is about the feelings involved crossing over into the Middle School.

Greenwood Lake Senior Center Mural

This collaborative mixed media mural "Greenwood Lake Past and Present" was created by the senior citizens of Greenwood Lake.

Community - Summer Arts Festival 2008

A scroll mural created with ink inspired by the landscape by with ages 1 to 90 years.

Summer Arts Festival Community Windows Mural 2008

This mural was created as a collaborative program with a group of Warwick High School Students. We made our own paper from recycled tissue paper found at the materials exchange. The students were inspired by music, light and nature. It was displayed in the window of Village Music, when the light shone through it, it looked great.