Meet Westwood Artist Cindy Senerchia: A Creative Who Enjoys Helping Others

When Westwood Artist Cindy Senerchia sold her first painting, that was the moment that she considered herself to be an artist.

“I was so flustered when the person said they wanted to buy my work, I nearly dropped everything!” she says.

Acrylic painting was added to Ms. Senerchia’s portfolio during lockdown during the pandemic. She had previously painted with watercolors, but found she enjoys the ability to add layers and texture with acrylic paints. Now, she almost exclusively paints in acrylic. Her subjects are inspired by nature. They center on landscapes, waterscapes, and flowers. She paints them with vibrant colors in an impressionistic style.

Photo courtesy of Cindy Senerchia. In this untitled acrylic painting, the focus is a Rhode Island lake in the fall.

But the nurse practitioner was making jewelry before she was painting. She says she took up jewelry-making as a hobby in 2006, while caring for her mother who was in the end stages of breast cancer. At the time, her intention was to make her own jewelry to match her own personal outfits or to give away as gifts. However, when friends persuaded her to try selling her creations, she decided to join Westwood Artists. The local artists group organizes several events throughout the year at which member artists offer their wares for sale. Ms. Senerchia’s offerings at those events include jewelry made with semi-precious stones, freshwater pearls, and crystals, along with acrylic paintings.

“I like to throw a bunch of beads together on a board and see where they take me,” she says. “Every piece I make is a one-of-a-kind necklace. I love working with beautiful natural stones, agates, geodes, and different shaped freshwater pearls. I let them guide me on how they should be combined when I see them side by side.”

Photo courtesy of Cindy Senerchia. Wire wrapping semi-precious stones and setting them off as pendants on simple chains is a popular style, according to Cindy Senerchia.

When not engaged in her artistic endeavors, Ms. Senerchia is an active person who tries to stay positive and enjoys helping others. Along with her job as a nurse practitioner for Optum, she also volunteers with the St. Katharine Drexel society to help those in need.

Ms. Senerchia also sings in the St. Margaret Mary choir. She enjoys ballroom dancing and being creative every day. She has been married to her husband, Jay, for 37 years and they have two adult children who live in Massachusetts.

Thanks to Cindy Senerchia for sharing her story with Westwood Minute.

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