Meet Mineola Artist Lisa Fazio Cotroneo

Sometimes the simplest of acts speak the loudest, like pinning your child's artwork on the refrigerator.

"I remember it like it was yesterday and now that I'm a published artist, teacher and designer - my mother's praise was the most profound," Lisa Fazio Cotroneo said. "She pinned it up and told me, 'you're an artist.'"

Now a mother herself, Cotroneo shares her talents in a multitude of ways. For the past 16 years, she has run a private studio in her Mineola home where she teaches an array of art class to children ages seven through high school. Classes include painting, sculpting, cartooning, fashion design and much more.  

She has received praise from parents and students who note the personalized experience the studio affords them.

"I enjoy being able to create art in an environment that is different and more comfortable than a classroom," a student of Lisa's said.

"I have been sending my 16-year-old daughter to the art studio since she was in second grade and I know that it is a nurturing environment," said parent Tricia Blach of Cotroneo's Garden Art Studio.

"My girls absolutely love Miss Lisa's art class," said parent Vicki Curtin, who said that Cotroneo is "an accomplished artist who really nurtures the talent, creativity, and individuality of her students." Cotroneo allows students to explore outside the stuido as they search for artistic inspiration and lets them paint on unusual mediums, such as their (once white) shoes, rather than the traditional square canvas.

Cotroneo studied at many renowned art schools including School of Visual Arts and Pratt Institute. She earned her degree from Parsons School of Design, and her award winning paintings are featured in many collections around the world.  

Cotroneo's own personal works appear to be as varied as her interests. Artworks appear in water color, graphite, pen and ink, acrylic, mixed media and photography all around her studio.

"Who says an apple can only be (represented) one way, it doesn't make sense," Cotroneo said.

Since she works so much with children, it became natural for Cotroneo to look out for their safety. For over six years she petitioned the village of Mineola to install a much-needed light on Herricks Road at Jackson Avenue. Finally, it was Cotroneo's photographs of students attempting to cross Herricks Road convinced Nassau County that a light was indeed necessary.

Cotroneo was awarded the key to the village of Mineola in 2006 for her efforts.

So what exactly keeps her up at night?  The future of creativity.  

"Testing and facts and figures are more important than thinking out of the box," said Cotroneo. "We need creative minds, it's those kinds of minds that landed us on the moon and will someday cure cancer."

For further information visit:  www.thegardenartstudio.com, call 516-742-7662 or email the studio at thegardenartstudio@gmail.com.