The faint smell of paint and the sound of 1980s music filled a meeting room at Uniondale Public Library on April 30 as community members gathered for “Paint Night: Wild Asters on Canvas.”
The event was led by Lisa Colon, a circulation desk clerk of nearly nine years at [Glen Cove Public Library], who founded Create Programs By Lisa around 2020. Colon now offers more than 100 programs for different age groups and hosts classes at libraries across Nassau and Suffolk counties.
“I’ve always been the artsy-creafty type, and I truly believe everyone has a creative spark inside them,” Colon says on her website.
Fifteen people attended the paint night, Colon’s first adult-focused class at the Uniondale library. The $45 raised helped cover the cost of supplies.
“We are living in a very difficult time and we’re all dealing with a lot of stress,” said Hunter Gadsden, a Queens resident who attended with a friend. “If you can find activities that bring you a little bit of joy, that helps not just your psyche, but helps you in your community not feel so in a corner.”
At the front of the room, Colon guided participants step by step in creating a painting of wild asters beneath a cloudy blue sky. Each person was given an easel, three paint brushes, a canvas and white, blue, green, black and yellow paint.
While Colon instructs the class, she does not run the programs entirely on her own. Her husband, Alex Colon, whom she has been married to for nearly 28 years, helps set up and clean up the events and selects the music that helps shape the atmosphere.
“Sometimes everyone gets quiet when they’re concentrating and then you hear people start singing along,” Alex said.
The combination of music and creativity created a calming environment for attendees to unwind and connect artistically.
Library staff said the event also helped foster conversation and connection among attendees.
“We’re always in a rush and I think it’s good to sit down and get to talk to somebody you didn’t know before,” Mariana Erikson, a circulation desk clerk at the library, said.
By the end of the evening, attendees left with their own paintings of wild asters and a new memory made at the library.
