It’s taking a village to create this piece of public art

Greenwood Lake residents are known for taking the initiative when it comes to making or doing something valuable for the community, like the recent large scale mosaic project that is beginning to take shape in the Community Center on Waterstone Road.

The photo mosaic is the brainchild of four Greenwood Lake residents: artists Jill Lyons and Susan Baresel, with Village Trustee Nancy Clifford and her husband Jim Clifford. There is a twist to this project, however.

While residents young and old are encouraged to participate, they will not be told what the aggregate target image their individual pieces will produce.

The finished piece will measure approximately eight feet by eight feet and will be comprised of 576 individual paintings submitted by residents.

The target mosaic matching is done by comparing each of the grid sections superimposed on the target’s reference image. Participants will be given specific colors and designs to work on as their “homework assignment,” then each of the smaller 4” x 4” square pieces given to residents to create will be matched to a corresponding grid section in the target image. The rectangle in the target’s grid is then replaced with the individual rectangle that most closely resembles the grid section color. The resulting image will be placed on the side of the Community Center, next to the basketball court.

“Residents enjoy working on smaller projects,” explained Nancy Clifford, “because they are easier to complete and it’s a lot of fun.” Dozens of participants are expected to get involved in this project, the successor to the “school of fish” art project that adorns the chain link fence outside the Community Center.

On Aug. 19, Clifford will be selling individual squares at the Lakeside Farmers Market on Windermere Avenue, across from Chase Bank. The money raised in donations to the project will be used to offset the cost of materials; if there is a surplus, it will be donated to the Greenwood Lake Centennial Committee.

Massage therapy

This past Saturday at the Lakeside Farmers Market, licensed massage therapist Michelle Dillon was providing visitors with information about the benefits of medical massage therapy.

“I found that I had many clients walking through my door with a history of cancer and decided it was important to find out as much as possible in order to provide the best service,” Dillon said. “I have learned scar tissue treatments and will work directly on mastectomy scars helping to increase range of motion and reduce pain in the surrounding areas, massage for chemotherapy induced neuropathy which has been helpful to help bring the feeling back in the hands and feet of some clients.”

Visitors could receive relaxing back and neck massages while they decided which vendor to visit next.

Cooling center

Across the street on Windermere Avenue, residents were taking advantage of the Senior Center’s Cooling Center venue. When the temperatures soar into the 90s and above, the Village ensures that any of its at-risk residents have a place to cool down, especially during the peak hours from noon to 4 p.m.

Summer concerts

Greenwood Lake’s free summer concert series continues this month with a full line of exciting performers on Saturday evenings, beginning at 7 p.m.. To learn more, click on https://gwlny.org or https://gwlcentennial.org for info about upcoming events related to the Village’s 100th anniversary.