My True North
Legacy, Creativity, & New Journeys
Welcome
Today—on what would have been his 95th birthday—I put my pen to page, officially set the the compass, move out on this new trail, and document my creative journey.
Happy Heavenly Birthday, D’Ad. This one is for you.
Hello my creative friends, and welcome to the very first edition of my online newsletter!
Journal Entries This Monty: I’ve entered a personal love note to my father; I talk about the meaning behind the “Artist’s Waymarkers” section, and I introduce you to the first look at where the creative paths will lead those who want to come along with me on this journey.
My father always said I was a great travel companion and we kept each other highly entertained on the many road trips he and I took to and from LI to Binghamton when I was an undergrad, so I hope you find this monthly access to my field notes and journal equally enjoyable.
🗺️ From My Studio
Ok, so the pictures here are not of my studio (that is currently under construction – big reveal next month!), but this studio was Anthony D’Adamo’s. His friends and family called him Tony, and I called him D’Addy.
If you look at these three photos, you see that vibrant red door with the simple, bold sign: STUDIO. You see D’Addy opening it, welcoming you into a world built on ink, paper, and imagination. And finally, you see him exactly where he was most whole—standing at his drafting table, bathed in task light, surrounded by the framed echoes of a brilliant, lifelong career as an illustrator. He was a proud Korean War veteran who went to the School of Visual Arts on the GI Bill, an active member of Long Island’s Berndt Toast Gang, and the first person to encourage my artistic endeavors and to place my first camera in my hands.
I’ve been reflecting deeply on the “whys” as I prepare to launch this exciting, vulnerable new journey today.
Why am I doing this? Why was I inspired to step so far out of my comfort zone? Why do I see the potential for art in absolutely everything I look at? Why am I staying up late every night working on this site? Why do I want to share art and art-making with everyone?
The big why—the only why that truly matters—is my D’Ad.
A Shared Sanctuary
I grew up spending hours on the floor of that very studio. I can still vividly picture it: listening to the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts, Old Time Radio recordings, or the whimsical stories of Let’s Pretend records spinning on his turntable. I would sit down there on the floor, completely content, drawing my pictures while he drew his. For as long as I can remember, art was never just a job or a hobby for him or me; it was our shared language. It was an intimate, deeply personal connection with my father and the true compass guiding my life – whether I knew it or not.
For decades, that was our rhythm—but my perspective on that shared space shifted radically during the two months of home hospice care we shared last summer. In those quiet, heavy weeks, amid the absolute chaos and impending loss, art stripped away all the noise and revealed its truest, rawest power to me: it is a sacred way to connect, to celebrate the stubborn joy of creativity, and to find peace when words and time left together simply aren’t enough.
What will always comfort me is the memory of watching him draw and talk about his art and creative mind even from his hospital bed. His hands and voice, which had guided my hands and heart since childhood, still held that familiar magic. In his final days, we reached a threshold I will carry with me for the rest of my life. For the first and only time, he and I collaborated directly on the same pieces. I had the profound honor of providing my own hand-painted watercolor cards for him, and I watched as he used his brilliant imagination to create intricate pen-and-ink images right over them. Our work literally blended into one another, becoming a single, unbreakable conversation on paper.
Navigating the Ocean of Grief
Since his passing on September 15th of last year, the grief has been an immense, heavy ocean in which I am trying not to drown. To be entirely honest with you, I am holding back the waves of grief every single day by trying desperately to create, to build, and to desperately connect with his spirit. Every time I pick up a brush, every time I knit or felt something, every time I stay up too late adjusting a digital layout or coming up with a new way to upcycle old fabric or incorporate botanicals into a 3D piece, I am looking for him. I am reaching out to the artist who made me believe in who I am.
There is a beautiful catharsis in launching Canvas, Crafts, & Compass today.
This isn’t just a newsletter and it isn’t just a business project. This is me keeping his light burning. This is me sharing the profound peace he and I found at the beginning and at the end.
Happy Birthday, D’Addy. I feel you with me always.
With all my love and endless respect,
Lisa
PS – I am always watching out for the pipe. Ti amo, D’Addy
🎨 Artistic Waymarkers
What is a Waymarker? Historically, a waymark was a physical object—a stone cairn or a carved mark on a tree—left deliberately by a guide to ensure travelers wouldn’t lose their footing on complex terrain… Through my workshops, coaching, and community programs, my goal is to build those small tokens of encouragement for you.
Each month, I will talk about the waymarkers that are to come or those which happened since the last issue of this newsletter series. But, for this first one, in addition to the inspiration from my father, I wanted to talk to you a bit more about some of the waymarkers I have created/helped make happen through my commitment to public art and providing arts education in our communities. I have a permanent page here on this site that outlines the details from COVID to the present. I hope you will enjoy my artistic waymarker field notes on the arts, creativity, and arts education in my Empire State University and East Greenbush communities.
More waymarkers will be made in the coming weeks. I cannot wait to share them with you in the July issue. Big hint – there will be indoor and outdoor spaces to share.
🥾 Where Will We Journey This Month?
Now that Canvas, Crafts, & Compass is officially live, you can explore the exact paths we can take together right on the new website:
- Your Adventure Awaits: This is where you can learn about booking private, interactive art pARTies and hands-on workshops brought directly to your venue, group, or organization in the Capital Region.
- Come Craft With Me: My personal portfolio and marketplace. Head here to browse my fluid watercolors, botanical frame art, and macro photography prints.
- Charting Your Course: If you are looking to quiet your inner critic, reclaim your individual creativity, or map out your own creative development, you can check out my 1-on-1 artistic coaching and mentorship opportunities.
- The Field Journal: A monthly newsletter documenting with a note from me in my studio, ideas for creative art pathways and crafting inspiration, updates on upcoming events/workshops, and insights into mindful, nature inspired, hand-crafted living
☀️ Join the Launch pARTy Tonight!
The celebration doesn’t stop with this post. I am hosting a live Launch pARTy tonight, June 12th at 7:00 PM! Can’t join, I will post the recording.
Canvas, Crafts, & Compass – Launch pARTy!
Time: Jun 12, 2026 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89247072707
I’ll be showing some sneak peeks of the exact tools and raw materials we will be using in upcoming classes—from hand-dyed fibers to upcycled vintage papers—and I will be drawing the winner of our first giveaway – two Painting pARTies from my gardens.
📬 Stay Connected
Because this first issue of the journal is being shared publicly to celebrate D’Addy’s birthday and our launch, you can make sure you never miss a future entry by taking two quick steps:
- Subscribe to the Field Journal: Head over to www.lisadw.com and drop your email into the signup form. Future issues of The Field Journal will be delivered directly to your inbox once a month so you can grab a cup of coffee and read them as a peaceful, creative pause in your week.
- Follow the Studio: Follow my studio updates and upcoming class schedules on Facebook and Instagram.
Thank you for being here, for reading my love letter to my dad, and for supporting this milestone journey. Explore www.lisadw.com, look around, and keep on creating!
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