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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Denise Tomasura turned a freak fall, a rare diagnosis and a lot of fear into an expressive art career that features her creativity and eases her pain.</p><p>Denise, who will turn 51 in December, told me her story and I listened in amazement.</p><p>She fell on ice in front of her Sweet Valley home in 2011. Soon after, her &#8220;hands weren&#8217;t working right&#8221; and she had limited mobility.</p><p>Something was wrong.</p><p>&#8220;It was freaky,&#8221; she told me.</p><p>Denise aought help. She was told she had spinal stenosis &#8212; a flattening of the spine. She said doctors told her she had Arnold-Chiari malformation, a condition that affects the brain where the cerebellar tonsils are blocking the opening at the base of the skull.</p><p>When she learned of her diagnosis, Denise went into &#8220;complete depression.&#8221; Her husband suggested she think of something she loves to do.</p><p>That&#8217;s when she turned to art.</p><p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t do it for the money,&#8221; Denise said. &#8220;Sometimes, I&#8217;m up all night painting.&#8221;</p><p>She has a studio in the basement 0f her Sweet Valley home.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s good to see something beautiful come out of something so bad,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Denise uses painting as therapy. It helps relieve the sometimes intense pressure in her head.</p><p>&#8220;I need to do something to relieve it,&#8221; she said of the pain.</p><p>Painting takes her mind off the pain and gives her great pleasure.</p><p>Denise&#8217;s art &#8212; a free public exhibition titled &#8220;Open Doors&#8221; &#8212; will be on display at the King&#8217;s College Widmann Art Gallery through Dec. 18. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment Saturday and Sunday.</p><p>Denise will discuss her artwork from 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 20, in the Widmann Gallery, Sheehy-Farmer Campus Center, located between North Franklin and North Main streets. The meet-the-artist reception will include a question and answer session.</p><p>Denise likes to paint trains, streams, waterfalls and &#8220;trees, trees, trees.&#8221; She loves trees. She also does water color drips of animals.</p><p>&#8220;I love to paint anything out in the country &#8212; in the outdoors,&#8221; she said.</p><p>You can hear the enthusiasm in her voice when she talks about her painting. You don&#8217;t hear her pain. The painting distracts her and gives her relief.</p><p>Denise always had an interest in art but never thought art would serve as therapy for her later in life.</p><p>She also wants to make people aware of her condition as she is a staunch advocate for research and awareness.</p><p>&#8220;It feels like you have a boulder on your shoulders,&#8221; she told me of her condition. &#8220;Sometimes, my head is spinning so bad that I can&#8217;t get out of bed.&#8221;</p><p>Denise and her husband, John, have a son, John, 18, a freshman accounting student at King&#8217;s College, and a daughter Nicole, 26, who lives in Florida.</p><p>Denise grew up in on Pulaski Street in Kingston, a daughter of Eleanor and Donald Bolinski. She is proud to be a member of the Wyoming Valley Art League and the North Mountain Art League in Bloomsburg.</p><p>&#8220;I never thought I was good enough to have my art on display,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Denise left a job at Society Security when she was 30 years old to raise her children. She has worked other jobs, including being a home health aide.</p><p>Now, Denise will be known for who she has become &#8212; who she has always been. Information provided by King&#8217;s College describes her as &#8220;an imaginative artist, photographer, painter and illustrator who is driven by an incredible passion for self-expression through art. Her works are often noted for their unique style, vibrant colors and technique.&#8221;</p><p>Denise advises everyone to never give up on what they like most even if it takes 30 years to get back to it.</p><p>&#8220;I want my viewers to see perseverance in my work,&#8221; she said. &#8220;When one door closes, another opens. Don&#8217;t let anything limit your passions.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Denise Tomasura decides where to place a painting for the opening of her exhibition, titled &#8216;Open Doors,&#8217; at the Widmann Art Gallery on King&#8217;s College campus </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL111015InFocusTomasura1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Denise Tomasura decides where to place a painting for the opening of her exhibition, titled &#8216;Open Doors,&#8217; at the Widmann Art Gallery on King&#8217;s College campus </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL111015InFocusTomasura2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Widmann Gallery Coordinator Michelle Leonard, right, helps Denise Tomasura prepare for her art opening at Widmann Gallery. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL111015InFocusTomasura2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Widmann Gallery Coordinator Michelle Leonard, right, helps Denise Tomasura prepare for her art opening at Widmann Gallery. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL111015InFocusTomasura3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Denise Tomasura puts a description on a painting in preparation for her exhibition at the Widmann Gallery. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL111015InFocusTomasura3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Denise Tomasura puts a description on a painting in preparation for her exhibition at the Widmann Gallery. </caption2><photoCredit2>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL111015InFocusTomasura4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Michelle Leonard, left, and Denise Tomasura step back and think about where to hang the paintings for Tomasura&#8217;s exhibition at the Widmann Gallery. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL111015InFocusTomasura4.jpg</photo3><caption3>Michelle Leonard, left, and Denise Tomasura step back and think about where to hang the paintings for Tomasura&#8217;s exhibition at the Widmann Gallery. </caption3><photoCredit3>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_Oboyle_Bill-2-4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Bill O&#8217;Boyle </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_Oboyle_Bill-2-4.jpg</photo4><caption4>Bill O&#8217;Boyle </caption4><photoCredit4>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Artist Denise Tomasura finds painting relieves her pain