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Finding peace in art By: David Pescatore , Staff Writer 09/26/2003 Hightstown Borough resident diagnosed with Parkinson's disease paints as therapy. EAST WINDSOR — For Hightstown's Jeff Belpanno, art therapy comes at 3 a.m. Six years since being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, Mr. Belpanno, 46, needs to take medication to ease the shaking of the hands so he can hold the pastel "crayons" he uses to create serene seascapes. "Art relaxes me, takes away my tension," Mr. Belpanno, from Stockton Street, said. "Because of the Parkinson's, I only sleep two or three hours a night, and not always at once. I work out all of my frustration through my art." Through October, 14 of Mr. Belpanno's works will be on display at the Hickory Corner Branch of the Mercer County Library System in his "Poetry of an Artist" collection. "Poetry has been a hobby of mine since I was young. I have a way with making words rhyme," said Mr. Belpanno, whose poems can be found on the Web at http://www.poetry.com . "I always had a knack for art, but I would never say that I had a talent. I didn't have the patience. Then, I got remarried two years ago and I picked up some pastels and I had the patience and took my time." Mr. Belpanno's Hickory Corner collection features 14 oil-pastel-on-paper works depicting boats, lighthouses, animals, and a whimsical look on the life of "Umbrella Person," a character he created. "If there is a theme to my work, it is serenity and living without fear," he said. Mr. Belpanno said he achieves the feeling of serenity in his work by keeping his strokes going in the same direction. "When you change directions, you create focal points and conflict," he said. "The boats are hereditary," said Mr. Belpanno. "They symbolize my love for the water and serenity. My father told me that his mother's maiden name was 'Odierno.' I found out that he was an artist in the 1400s who painted ocean scenes. I think I get it from there." Mr. Belpanno said that he has been told that his work is similar to that done by Odierno, although only once has he consciously tried to emulate his possible relative. Art runs throughout the family, according to Mr. Belpanno. "My father worked in interior design and my mother did some sketching. My grandfather was an orchestra leader in Italy. We have always been creative," he said. As for "Umbrella Person," Mr. Belpanno said he "stumbled across" the character one evening while drawing. "The face is always covered," he said. "It's funny, last Easter I did a spoof, using bunnies in place of Umbrella Person. Everyone loved it so much that I'd like to do a children's book with the character." Mr. Belpanno said that his daughter, 15-year-old Jordan, who lives with her mother in Dayton, has already signed on to write the text. "My daughter says that she can't draw," he said. "I just tell her that it just comes sometime." He said that his wife, Holly, 35, is his inspiration. "She pushed me to continue doing this," he said. Ms. Belpanno said that her husband's art helps her to understand him. "I can tell his mood as I watch him work," she said. "Sometimes I watch over his shoulder — which he hates — and I can tell what he is feeling by the tone of the picture," she said. Mr. Belpanno, who works with his wife at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, said his co-workers are his best critics. "They are not afraid to tell me when they don't like something," he said. He recently moved to customer service after 15 years in maintenance. "I couldn't do it anymore," he said. "I would get so fatigued, so they let me move over into customer service." Looking ahead, Mr. Belpanno said that he would like to look into selling some of his works. "From this point I would like to try selling some things. I'm not going to advertise or anything, but make me an offer and if it sounds like enough, I'll take it," he said, not seeming too interested in making a sale. "Art is my calling," he said. "Growing up, I had to struggle to do work, I had to study really hard. Art comes natural; I just do it. And I love doing it. I can make people smile and say, 'That's nice.' I would rather display my work than sell." Mr. Belpanno said he would continue to draw for the rest of his life, or for as long as his Parkinson's disease allows him. "If it weren't for the tremors, everything would be better. I could deal with the speech difficulties. I could deal with the stiffness in my joints and the difficulty walking. But I have to take medication or it is difficult to draw. It is frustrating when you want to draw, but your fingers won't pick up the crayons. So I take my medication to get started, then the art takes over. I relax as I go." SOURCE: The Windsor-Hights Herald, NJ / ZWire http://tinyurl.com/ougc * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn