Painting with Passion

Shelly Colley, director of the Friends of CenterLight Foundation, sat down with Bronx CenterLight PACE Center participant Nancy Rivera for an interview. They discussed Nancy’s passion for painting and how she has had to adapt this passion to accommodate her near blindness caused by a myopic stigma, coupled with Glaucoma.  

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Shelly: Ms. Rivera, is it okay if I call you Nancy? I am so happy to meet with you today. When I saw your paintings, I told the CenterLight PACE recreation staff that I just had to meet the artist!

Nancy: Oh yes, it is fine if you call me Nancy. My mother named me after Frank Sinatra’s daughter Nancy because she felt it is a strong American name.

Shelly: I am really admiring your paintings. The brilliant colors of yellow, red, and green daisies pop out from the canvas like real flowers. The hues of smaller blue and pink flowers interwoven together seem so life-like to me. When did you start painting and what piqued your interest to paint?

Nancy: I started when I was a little girl. I couldn’t wait for the Sunday Daily News to arrive so I could color in the “color by number” picture that came with it. We spent a lot of family time in our home, so my brother and I had many creative outlets.  My biological father was also a professional artist, and I think my brother and I inherited his talent.

In the 1970’s, I graduated from the High School of Music & Arts, which is now known as the La Guardia High School of Music, Arts & Performing Arts. And yes, this is the school on which the movie Fame was based. The four years I spent at this school helped me to home in my artistic skills and fed my love for painting. I continued painting for the rest of my adult life. As a mom raising my son and daughter, I always had art supplies available at home for them. My son is an engineer and designer, and my daughter has always loved arts and crafts.

Shelly: I understand you are legally blind and have been dealing with vision loss for many years. Could you explain what it is like painting with impaired vision?  Also, what inspires you to create these beautiful paintings?

Nancy: The way that I see, well, I try to describe this to people -- it is as if I am looking through one-piece of Cheerio cereal, and the center hole is where I see into. What inspires me is nature in all its glory. It can be any type of natural setting too. From landscapes to flowers in a market, to walking outside to seeing photographs. My friends travel the world and I ask them to send me photos from wherever they are. Then I pull the photos up on my iPad and enlarge them. From there, I can see the most brilliant landscapes.

Shelly: Just one last question: how long have you been attending CenterLight PACE at the Wallerstein center in the Bronx?

Nancy: I have been coming to CenterLight PACE for the last 5 years. I love the painting classes that our Therapeutic Recreation (TR) Specialist Michelle Van Etten runs. The room that we paint in has very good light, which is so important for me. I have some wonderful friends here who also paint. We all find it so relaxing and soothing. 

About This Article

This blog post is part of CenterLight PACE’s series highlighting our participants’ stories.

Nancy Rivera has been a CenterLight PACE participant for 5 years.

Shelly Colley is the Director of the Friends of CenterLight Foundation.

"When Nancy saw the article, she got emotional as we spoke about how much this interview meant to her and how it made her feel. She thanked me for providing her with this opportunity and connecting her with Shelly. Each encounter I have with Nancy brings a whole new dimension and meaning to me for the work that I do, not only with Nancy, but with all of the participants in my painting group. They are my MUSE and continue to excite me to wake up and go to work each day. Thank you for helping me spotlight Nancy, and incredible woman and artist. My heart is full."

Michelle Van Etten, CenterLight PACE TR Specialist