The art of painting can be a very calming and soothing hobby, not to mention a creative use of one’s time. For artist Lisa Argentieri, brushes, paints and pencils have been a part of her life for as long as she can remember.
“I have been interested in the arts since I was 5 or 6 years old,” said Argentieri, who is a graduate of the School of Visual Arts (SVA) and has called Levittown home for the past 12 years. “I took a lot of art workshops in watercolor, painting, drawing, sculpture and photography. I absolutely loved it.”
Argentieri’s passion for painting took a backseat for a long time, as she was working in graphic design. However, she considers being an artist a hobby and does not do it as a full-time career.
“It’s something I enjoy doing and other people enjoy looking at,” said Argentieri. “It transports me to another world, so to speak. Painting gets your mind off of troubles, like a vacation, and it’s therapeutic.”
When describing her creative process of putting a brush to canvas, Argentieri embodies her favorite medium and like water, lets her mind flow.
“My paintings are very spontaneous. I don’t know what I’m going to paint until I’m into the painting,” she said. “Working with watercolors, it’s very quick and you never really know what you’re going to get when the colors merge on the paper,” added Argentieri, who does not do any drawings or sketches beforehand.
While watercolor is her favorite medium to work with, Argentieri also enjoys painting with acrylics for the exact opposite reason she loves watercolors: time.
“You can really spend a lot of time on the painting, doing many layers and getting more physically and emotionally involved,” she said, adding that for visual inspiration, she utilizes all of the local parks on Long Island, including Eisenhower Park in East Meadow and Jones Beach.
Argentieri’s website, www.lawatercolor.com, serves as her artistic portfolio and showcases her talent and strengths. Although she does not sell her work from there, people can contact her through a form on the website. The site also details Argentieri’s impressive works that have received praise in the forms of awards and exhibitions across Long Island.
“It was very exciting to see my first painting in an exhibition,” said Argentieri on the selection of one of her watercolors.
“It’s very fulfilling to see your work in an art gallery.” The artist’s work has been on display in The Long Island Museum at Stony Brook and the International Wide Open 6 Exhibition at the Brooklyn Waterfront Arts Coalition in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
Argentieri also uses her talent to brighten the lives of others. She has donated paintings to raise money for nonprofit organizations and charities, including everyday people that touch her heart.
“I get a lot of fulfillment by doing that,” she said of donating her works. “Some charities I have donated paintings to include the Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard Horse Rescue, the Breast Cancer Society of New York, the Art League of L.I., Springs Union Free School District in East Hampton and the Bethpage Water Conservation District, where I won Best in
Show at their 2012 fundraiser art show.”
Argentieri also donates her works to families and people who admire her work on Facebook.
“Sometimes I send paintings to people without them even knowing it. I don’t contact them, I just paint them something and send it,” she said, adding that the farthest one of her paintings has traveled has been to an admirer in Australia.
Argentieri specializes in artistic series and is currently spending time working on a large acrylic seascape. While the art shows are big for her right now—she enters any art contest she can and very recently wrote an article for the art website www.danielsmith.com—she still gets satisfaction from every work she paints.
“Painting is the only thing that I really know,” she said. “The joy or peace that people feel when they see it stirs some emotion within, and that is such a wonderful feeling.”
To view more of Argentieri’s work, learn about her upcoming exhibitions or to have a painting commissioned visit her website at www.lawatercolor.com.
