Frank Leahy, always making art in T-burg

As far back as kindergarten, Frank Leahy, owner and founder of Frank Leahy Art in Trumansburg, remembers he loved making things.

“My earliest memory is a rainbow-colored finger painting I made on my first day in my neighborhood school,” he said. “I was fascinated by objects, colors, designs.”

With eight siblings, Frank was self-contained. He was well-behaved and didn’t need much attention, coloring for hours on end​, seated​ on the family couch. Frank’s teacher would tape his artwork to the four large classroom windows, and he could see his art from the schoolyard.

In first grade, Frank designed a 4-by-8-foot backdrop of a make-believe computer for his class play.

“It had blinking lights that ran on batteries and whirling tapes that spun around,” he said. “My brothers and sisters enjoyed sports and music lessons. I loved to create new things out of old things.”

Neighbors would hire Frank to make posters for parties and community events and would pay Frank for his artwork, which made making things even more fun.

Frank’s parents and his teachers gave him lots of space to create. His mother said, “Just keep Frank busy, and he’ll be happy.” After school, Frank would do art alongside a neighbor’s daughter. Fifty years later, Frank’s neighbor looks back fondly on the time Frank spent with her silent child. The children were happy silently making art together.

At Intermediate School 51 on Staten Island, Frank was in his element making linoleum prints, copper etchings and silk screening. During PTA meetings, Frank sold his portfolios of art for $10 or $20 to adult art connoisseurs. When his many aunts and uncles visited, they would bring all sorts of odd pieces of plastic or carpeting or pieces of broken pottery treasures.

“We thought Frank might like to use this stuff,” they said.

And he did. He was an early recycler for his art creations.

At Monsignor Farrell High Scho​o​l, also on Staten Island, Frank volunteered for special projects — a mosaic banner he designed for the Mass to Celebrate the Eucharist, sewing pieces of fabric together on the school sewing machine. A mobile he created out of wooden dowels, wire, fittings and cardboard hung in the school lobby to promote contributions to a food pantry.

Throughout his school and college years, Frank and his art friends were enthralled by the galleries and museums throughout New York City.

“I relied on my art friends to arrange our excursions,” he said. “We explored every big museum in NYC and took in all kinds of special events in odd locales — an exhibit of Asian art in an 80th Street walk-up and other “boutique” museums and destinations. We also collected twofer one coupons and attended all kinds of music and dance concerts, all the Broadway and off-Broadway shows.”

In college, Frank loved his art history and classic art classes — sculpture, drawing and photography. Even when he was not busy creating something, what he was hoping to create was always there, in the back of his mind.

“It would start with something I wanted to see that did not yet exist,” he said. “I had a need to create things. It was an innate desire, a strong urge I couldn’t ignore.”

Frank loves photography, capturing what does exist, imbued by the spirit of the object in the photo. In 2017, Frank, whose beloved wife, Rose, had died in 2016 after a long illness, volunteered to do photography for Women Swimmin’ for Hospicare to honor and support Hospicare & Palliative Care Services, which had been an essential resource of comfort, expertise and compassion for Rose and Frank.

“We were so grateful to the staff and volunteers who help people at a time of great need,” he said. “I took hundreds of photos in 2017, 2018, 2019 of the many people who work together to bring each year’s Women Swimmin’ to life. This is Hospicare’s main fundraiser, and I wanted the photos to reflect the special grace of those who reach out to help others.”

Sara Worden, Hospicare assistant director of community engagement, spoke to the importance of the annual event.

“Many of our participants have personal stories and are raising funds for Hospicare in memory of a loved one,” she said. “Participating in the event may bring up grief or hard feelings, but it can also bring healing and provide an opportunity to connect with your loved one. And it connects you to Hospicare and others in the community who are going the distance or swimming for Hospicare.”

Hospicare & Palliative Care Services provides a wide array of services for patients and their loved ones at any stage of a life-limiting illness and/or following a death.