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Schools

Whiz Kid: Lily Jun Patierno Stafford

This New London student finds a lot to love about art, culture, and Fisher's Island

New London abounds with art and artists. At 18, Lily Jun Patierno Stafford is one of them. The centerpiece of her final project as a graduating senior at Fishers Island School--a large, intricate work made of cut paper—was so good that it led to her first commission as an artist.  

How long have you been an artist?

I’ve always loved doing arts and crafts since I was a little kid: origami, knitting, beading, anything hands-on.  For my artwork, I draw on black paper with pencil and I use an X-ACTO knife to cut it all out, then I paste it onto poster board.

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It’s a fairly unique style. What inspired you?

I went to a museum a few years ago with my mom in New York City and there was a paper exhibit. There were tons of amazing art, all made of paper, and one of the artists had poems and cut out paper and ivory flowers and it was gorgeous. I got inspired by that, but most if it was my creativity.

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What was the theme for your senior art project?

My topic was about love. I had to get two primary sources [for a research paper], do an art project, and present. “Hey there, Delilah,” by the Plain White T’s is my favorite love song. I feel like it’s the perfect love story, so I wanted to put that in my art project. [The piece] is three feet by 67 inches, on poster board.

Why did you choose love for your topic?

I felt like I could connect with love because I have a ton of ministers I know, so I could get the spiritual aspect of love with my primary sources, and I wanted to know how love affects your body and brain scientifically, so I thought it was an interesting topic.

And what did you learn?

What you feel in your heart actually gets reduced in the brain and there are a lot of neurons firing and chemical reactions. You get basically high off of love. You become blissful and can’t think of anything else, everything else fades away in the background. I thought it was accurate--I have a little experience.

I gather that someone who saw the work you did for your senior project liked it so much that she wanted to buy it.  

Somebody offered to buy it but I said I couldn’t sell it, because it’s really precious to me. I offered to do a commissioned piece for them, which I just finished yesterday.

Can you describe it?

She wanted a wolf and asked for evergreen trees. She loved water and the moon. I put all those things together and she gave me a poem to put in, and I put that in between a river, which is in the middle and the trees are going up on mountains on the side, the wolf is on a rock howling at the big full moon and it’s bordered with a Celtic border. We did a three-by-three on poster board, black paper with white pencil. I draw everything out and I start cutting away with my X-ACTO knife, so my floor is covered with black paper!

It sounds like something that takes a lot of precision and patience. How long did it take you to do it?

This one took me only five hours, because I got the hang of cutting stuff, so I got faster than the first time--but it’s also smaller.

What was it like going to school on Fishers Island?

You get a great education there and I was really grateful for that. I got a lot of one-on-one attention with the teachers. I learned that I loved running. I joined the cross country team in eighth grade and haven’t stopped running since then. I won the title for Most Valuable Player this year for cross country and basketball. I’ll definitely miss running out there. In the fall, it’s one of the locations where the monarch butterflies stop and rest and it’s amazing to run with them. It’s breathtaking. Fishers Island is definitely a great place to grow up.

You’ll be graduating from high school in three weeks. How are you feeling about that?

I’m ready! I have a wicked case of senioritis. My whole class has gotten a really bad case of it. And I’m taking physics, calculus, and Spanish 5, so I loaded myself up! But it’s not bad. I’ll definitely be prepared for college. I know how to study. I buy notecards by the 500!

What are your plans post-graduation? 

I’m going to Mount Holyoke College in the springtime but before that I’m going to be taking two or three classes at . I work at and I have an apprenticeship at a design shop in New London called , which sells a lot of items that local, mostly women, have made. There are a lot of jewelers, and a knitter, and card and candle makers. There’s a lot of really unique stuff.

What will you do as an apprentice at Pinc?

Kim is the owner and she makes all of the soft items, essentially pillows, window [treatments], she can reupholster small items like chairs. I would be cutting out fabric and she would be teaching me how to sew the pillows together. I’ll help her cutting and ironing and stuffing pillows.

Are you thinking of majoring in art or design?

I would like to major in graphic design, but I’ve never actually taken it so that could change. I would definitely want to minor in anthropology. It really interests me how people in their cultural environment are affected. [I’m interested in] helping people become aware of how different other cultures are and how they are affected by [the culture of the United States]. What I would really love to do is do that through art.  

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