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Center applauds artistic gesture

WALL OF PORTRAITS — Larry Straney of Bloomingdale has made it a practice to sketch portraits of residents at Sienna Woods Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Wintersville, a gesture the facility applauded during a recent appreciation ceremony. -- Contributed

WINTERSVILLE — Residents and staff of Sienna Woods Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Wintersville are “drawn” to a special visitor who stops by on Saturdays.

And so, too, is local artist Larry Straney who has made it his practice in recent years to draw a portrait of a different resident with each visit.

After that, the 87-year-old Bloomingdale resident gives them to the employees to pass along to the families, and a photocopy of each portrait ends up as part of a display on a wall.

That gesture is something Sienna Woods applauded earlier this month, as Activity Director Tammy Sagun chose to honor and highlight the artist on Local Artist Day, according to Steubenville Art Association President Jeanne D’Anniballe, who attended the ceremony.

“Only a brief introduction was necessary for Larry because all the residents know him,” D’Anniballe noted. “Larry draws a different resident every Saturday morning, and many look forward to his visits. A few residents anxiously stated that they were on Larry’s waiting list, including Zeina Nelson.”

Tom Simmons, Sienna Woods assistant director, passed around photocopies of Straney’s portraits to each table to appreciate and discuss. “Larry visited at each table while they enjoyed punch, sandwiches and dessert,” D’Anniballe explained.

About three years ago, the art association presented Straney with the first and only Community Action Award, presented at its annual spring art show reception by D’Anniballe.

Of Straney’s artistic ability, D’Anniballe noted, “No one in the SAA (art association) has the talent that he has to draw great likenesses and so many various styles. Some can draw caricatures, but no one can draw artistic portraits with such ease.”

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