Tinton Falls Senior Uses His Virtual Paintbrush To Take Home First Place in Art Competition

By Christopher Sheldon

Seabrook resident Lou Rivera has taken the step from acrylics and watercolors to technology to continue his love of painting.

Rivera, 73, used his iPad mini to paint a picture of a winter scene and chose to submit it to computer imagery category of the Monmouth County Office on Aging 2013 Monmouth County Senior Citizen Annual Art Show.

Rivera was pleased when he found out that he had taken first place in the category.

"It feels very good, at my age, to do something new and go into new territory," Rivera said.

His work will be on display through the end of July at the Monmouth County Library in Manalapan.

He said he thought he had a decent chance of winning the competition because his same piece had been submitted at the Monmouth County Festival of the Arts in Tinton Falls earlier this year.

To create his painting, "Winter's Day," Rivera used a program on his iPad Mini to draw the lines and add color to create a beautiful scene that features a tree and fence buried in the snow.

Rivera will now go on to compete in the 47th Annual New Jersey Senior Citizens Art Show in East Windsor this October.

Rivera said he draws inspiration from everywhere.

“I get many of  my ideas from all over,”Rivera said. “I’ll get ideas from reading, watching TV, talking to people, nature – from all over.”

In addition to his art, Rivera volunteers his time walking dogs at the Monmouth County SPCA and has served for six years  on the Board of Management for the Community YMCA in Red Bank.