Art Is for Everyone

By Barbara A. Preston | Posted April 24, 2025

Barbara DiLorenzo of Rocky Hill says anyone who wants to learn how to draw or paint can learn the skills.

Barbara DiLorenzo in her home studio in Rocky Hill.

“It’s just a question of how quickly,” she said during an interview in her home studio. “But there is a belief, amongst many of us — and I was definitely in this camp as a kid — who think there is an art fairy who taps some people on the shoulder, and only those people have the special talent to make art. “And that’s just not true.”

DiLorenzo is an artist and a teacher. In fact, The Princeton University Art Museum and the Arts Council of Princeton partnered to provide free online drawing classes taught by artist-instructor DiLorenzo during the COVID pandemic. The program is still going strong. (Visit artmuseum.princeton.edu/learn/art-making/online-drawing-classes) Participants join live from their home computers, tablets, or phones. Techniques emphasize drawing with pen or pencil on paper. Each week’s lesson features works from the Museum’s collections.

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“During the pandemic, there was an emphasis on using art as a way to process stress,” she said. “Now, I’m seeing it again in these times. “I think everyone needs an outlet. The times are very challenging. People are seeing things from different perspectives and a lot of people I work with see this time as changing so quickly that it’s hurting people. “I don’t know how else to put that. A lot of people are worried. And, art is a safe space to be for all kinds of people—whatever background, whatever religion, whatever ability, LGBTQ+, everybody.”

DiLorenzo also teaches painting (oils, acrylics, gouache, and watercolor) online for a fee, offered through the Princeton Arts Council. Visit (barbaradilorenzo.com/classes). She earned a BFA in illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design and studied painting at the Art Students League of New York.

Learn more about her art at barbaradilorenzo.com.