A few weeks ago, I peaked in the window of the newly relocated Cranbury Station Gallery on Palmer Square–now at 10 Hulfish Street next to Jazams–for a glimpse of artwork by my favorite Princeton landscape artist, Kathleen Maguire Morolda .
I left with an entirely different picture – a scene of a dozen disabled individuals with looks of sheer joy on their faces. I had to go into the gallery to find out how I could purchase some of what they were exhibiting.
Kathie Morolda, who also is the owner of the gallery, was the host to a paint party for residents of the Veterans Memorial Home, based in Edison.
Usually she goes to the memorial home to conduct her paint parties for the veterans. This time the veterans were treated to a field trip to Princeton, where they found artistic heaven in the gallery and a visual treasure in Palmer Square. Ninety-nine-year-old John– who in his ‘youth’ was a professional artist – rediscovered his artistic talents thanks to his muse, Kathie.
“‘Kathie, you have certainly made my day!’ ” says John to me after each class. I always tell him that, in fact, HE, has made my day,” said Kathie.
John was so excited about his new lease on life that he invited his children to Princeton to observe the paint party.
I quickly learned that the magical and transformative effects of Kathie’s paint parties are not limited to disabled veterans. Kathie convinced me (whose attempts at painting have been as pathetic as my attempts at cooking) to participate in a paint party on the evening of July 12.
I am surprised that no one has noticed that my wrinkles and bags under my eyes have diminished without the benefit of air brushing or a facelift. I am 20 years younger, in spirit at least, than I was PPP (Pre Paint Party). People of all ages, all socio-ethnic backgrounds, and all professions participated with me in Kathie’s mid-summer paint party.
The wannabe artists included: a 92 year old, downtown Princeton resident Mary Anne Haas, who has participated in about two dozen of Kathie’s paint parties; Millennials for whom the paint party was part of night out on Palmer Square; young Baby Boomers, who came out to celebrate a birthday and/or to get away from it all; and old Baby Boomers, like me, who came simply out of curiosity and coercion.
What sets Kathie’s paint parties apart from others that I have seen advertised is that Kathie, instead of focusing on eating and drinking, emphasizes camaraderie, painting, and learninghow to create a piece of art “that really makes the participant proud,” said Kathie.
The intoxication comes from the act of painting. In the no-stress, no-angst zone of the gallery, the party goers painters laughed a lot, made new friends, escaped all stressful electronic equipment and people at home/work, and came away with an arts “masterpiece” suitable for framing..
Kathie, who has been producing paint parties for groups and individuals in her gallery and in many other locations for about five years, handed me a brochure listing the benefits of painting: fosters creative growth; strengthens memory; nurtures emotional growth; builds problem solving and motor skills; offers stress relief; promotes an optimistic attitude. But I contend that all these benefits are due not only to the act of painting, but also to the painting instructor.
I have known Kathie since she opened her Princeton gallery in 1983 and have been a fan of her upbeat demeanor and smile-inducing artwork in which her use of color is the key. As a Jersey gal “through and through,” she sees the natural beauty of her New Jersey environment – both urban and rural. She loves the variety of New Jersey’s landscape, particularly its brilliant color changes throughout the year, has been the inspiration.
The Jersey native lives in Monroe, where she built her first gallery and framing business within a renovated blacksmith shop behind her residence. The fact that she has built a successful business, raised four children (who are responsible for her six grandchildren), remained married, and is the caregiver to her severely handicapped brother is a testament to her nature and how painting has helped her keep it all together.
Teaching has always been part of Kathie’s artistic picture. For years she has run a women’s watercolor workshop – two days at her Jersey Shore house in Lavallette with views of the ocean and bay. Even though the workshops cost a few hundred dollars, she donates a scholarship every year to a woman who is “going through a very tough time and could benefit mentally and perhaps even physically from the workshop. The selection process is run through the Princeton YWCA,” said Kathie.
Her commitment to her community and to helping others has been recognized formally by community groups; she is the recipient of the 2007 Mercer County Business Woman of the Year; the 2007 State of New Jersey Business Woman of the Year; and the 2010 Princeton YWCA Tribute Award.
“But my best reward, greatest satisfaction is seeing others find the same joy in painting that I find,” said Kathie, who convinced me to do a paint party with my six grandkids and their parents (if they are good) as a Christmas present. She would provide – and therefore wash- the full-body aprons (along with berets that the kids can keep), and she would be happy to host the party in her gallery, not in my house.
