By alison granito
Staff Writer
MILLSTONE — Millstone artist Terry Lepore wants to make sure that Amanda’s Easel, the acclaimed art therapy program for children in Monmouth County, can continue to serve as an outlet for local victims of trauma.
In order to raise funds for the Hazlet-based charity, Lepore is selling prints of a watercolor she painted shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The painting depicts the facade of a Victorian house with an American flag blowing in the breeze that Lepore saw in the coastal community of Cape May.
"About 10 days after the attacks, I was scheduled to attend a watercolor work shop in Cape May. After I learned it wasn’t canceled, I decided to go down there anyway," Lepore said last week.
Upon arriving in Cape May, Lepore said that she was stuck by the strange atmosphere in the town.
"It was really eerie. The town was packed, but everything and everyone was totally quiet," she said. "That workshop was the point where I really began healing."
Lepore, who teaches a class on working with watercolors for the Millstone Township Community Education Program, also works in pen and ink and is currently designing a new township logo.
Lepore said that since the painting uses an artistic medium to express some of the feelings she had about 9/11, Amanda’s Easel represents a natural choice to benefit from the proceeds from its sale.
Although she is not directly connected to Amanda’s Easel or to 180, formerly the Women’s Center of Monmouth County, which runs the program, she has been impressed by what she has read about them in the newspaper and what she has learned about their mission.
"I was struck by how after 9/11, they really opened up their art therapy program to people traumatized by everything. I think the work they do is amazing," she added.
So far Lepore said that she has raised approximately $600, and expects to take more orders this week.
Those interested in purchasing a print can call Lepore at (732) 446-1548.