June 21, 2023 at 12:05 a.m.
GIFTED AND GUIDED
“God is guiding her brush and guiding my pen.”
That’s how Nancy Cupolo explains the three books she has published with her daughter since 2022. The mother-daughter duo, both graduates of Catholic Central High School, have put out three inspiring books in the past two years, written by Nancy and illustrated by her daughter, Lisa, 38.
“It is amazing,” Nancy told The Evangelist. “In less than three years we’ve published three books, so God is definitely guiding her brush and guiding my pen.”
In April 2022, the Cupolos released “A River’s Journey,” a tale about the beauty of nature from a river’s perspective. After that they were on a roll, releasing two more books in 2023: “Through the Child’s Eyes, Looking at Life through the Lens of a Child,” a book of parenting lessons and guidance for kids, and “Lessons of Hope & Resilience: A Parent/Teacher Guide to the Story ‘A River’s Journey,’ ” their first book for teachers or faith-formation leaders.
“ ‘A River’s Journey’ goes through what it sees on its way, and do we see beauty in the world or do we step back into the negativity?” Nancy said. “And so when we go to sea, because we will all go out to sea at some point, will we leave a legacy of beauty or negativity behind us?”
Nancy has long expressed wanting to write a children’s book given her long history with kids. She has over 39 years of experience teaching in early childhood, special education and elementary education, is professor emeritus at Hudson Valley Community College, where she served as department chair in Teacher Education, and previously owned and operated her own preschool.
But it was Lisa, now owner of her own art business, Intuitive Arts, and employee at Creative Materials in Albany, who inspired the process. She picked up painting for the first time in January 2022. In December 2021, Lisa had fallen and broke her ankle, leaving her chair bound while healing. Her father gifted her a set of acrylic paints for Christmas as something to do during her recovery.
Lisa got to painting, and her mother noticed her daughter’s natural talent. She asked her if she was looking up images online to copy, but Lisa said it was all intuitive. “She said, ‘I think God is guiding my brush,’ ” Nancy said.
Inspired by her daughter’s art, she prayed for God to guide her pen to write a story to go with Lisa’s paintings. One week later, she had written “A River’s Journey.”
Turning to faith was nothing new for the Cupolos. Nancy grew up with a strong Catholic faith, which she passed to Lisa as well. Nancy’s parents, also graduates of Catholic Central High School, were active volunteers at their parish, St. Bonaventure Church in Speigletown (now Transfiguration Parish). The author remembers her father reciting the rosary whenever they would drive in the car, a habit she now continues to this day.
The mother-daughter duo plan to continue writing and publishing books together, with the hope that they will be bringing “beauty into a troubled world.”
“We did a book signing at the YMCA in Saratoga, and this little girl who was 7 came to have me sign it,” Nancy said. “And I said ‘What is your favorite part?’ And she said ‘I like the back cover,’ and I said ‘Oh, you liked the sunrise.’ And she said ‘No, I like what you say.’ And it was the author’s note: It is the intent of the author and illustrator to bring beauty into a troubled world.”
Nancy asked the girl if this book was doing that. She said definitely.
“I turned to Lisa and said, ‘If we never make a penny on this book, we just made a million dollars with that,’ ” she said. “That is the purpose of it. It’s to bring beauty into a troubled world.”
“A River’s Journey” and other publications by Nancy and Lisa Cupolo are available for purchase at Amazon.com, Marketblockbooks.com, or in the Book House in Albany. For more information, contact the authors at intuitiveartsbyLisa.com or [email protected].
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