Warren Senior Creates Art Show To Bring Joy Amid Pandemic

WARREN, NJ — When the coronavirus pandemic hit, many seniors were confined to their rooms for their safety. The loneliness brought sadness and depression as they lost contact with others.

Joe Rampulla, a resident at Brightview Warren Senior Living, found his way through the quarantine by painting and with that brought happiness to other residents.

Rampulla, who is paralyzed due to a spinal disc injury, spent hundreds of hours painting canvases to share his personal and spiritual stories, and also painted 100 rocks for other residents to enjoy.

He hosted an art show in the hallway outside of his room in August to share his work with the community. The show also served as a way to say thank you to residents and associates who helped him during my first year living at Brightview.

"I wanted to share my joy with other people, share my happiness," Rampulla said.

Before Rampulla was paralyzed he wrote a book, "The ABCs of a Happy Life" and in chapter K, which stands for kindness, it talks about doing random acts of kindness to bring happiness to someone else.

Through painting, Rampulla was able to share his personal and spiritual journey of being paralyzed and coming to Brightview.

One of his paintings, "Parting of the Red Sea", depicts Rampulla in a wheelchair with Jesus Christ leading him through to Brightview.

"It saved me too," Rampulla said of painting. "As a former mental health professional, I was concerned about people in their rooms. They needed to come out for half an hour to get sunshine. They were just afraid. That was sad, now I see more people coming out."

The show featured each of his canvases and the rocks. Many residents continue to make requests for Rampulla to paint for them. He happily agrees with no charge as his only wish is to share his joy.

Rampulla also shared a video of the art show for everyone to enjoy, see below:

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