Holiday cheer through window art

By Laurie Gordon
SPARTA — Kim Lonsky doesn't just paint windows, she makes people smile. “That's really what it's all about,” the Stockholm resident said. Lonsky's window painting business is based in Sparta, but she's done windows all over the county, adding whimsical holiday charm to area businesses.
“The owner of The Curiosity Shop, in Sussex, came out to see her window when I was done and she had tears in her eyes. Moments like that make me so happy because I love bringing joy to others with what I do,” Lonsky said.
From whimsical snowmen and Santa Clauses to store logos and even characters from movies, Lonsky has been illuminating the facades of area businesses with the strokes of her paint brush adding to the magic of the season with her artistic window wonderland creations.
Lonsky has always loved art. Indeed, not only did she study as an art major at Sussex County Community College, she went on to take classes at The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Her love of art led her to the beauty business and now she is a highly sought-after nail expert at Bella Boutique in Sparta, where she works. Over the years, Lonsky has also freelanced doing water color and mixed media. This led her to starting a side business called Potterflies, creating colorful custom indoor/outdoor hand painted pots and then, several years ago, she began painting windows.
Window painting started at the prompting of her boss at Bella Boutique, Laura Rinoalo, who is a big believer in standing behind her employees' passions. Rinoalo asked Lonsky to paint the window of her business in Sparta. That was the beginning. As customers and shop owners noticed the window, Lonsky started getting business, and before she knew it, she'd painted many of the windows in Upper Lake Plaza for the holidays as well as a number of other windows around Sparta, Franklin and Sussex.
The underlying driving force behind Lonsky's business is, simply, “I love what I do,” she said. Once she gets a call, she visits the business and assesses the size and lay out of the window. She then asks the business owner what he or she wants and comes up with a sketch. Once the sketch is approved, she goes to work on the window. Lonsky said that since some businesses opt for seasonal murals while others choose logos or advertising options, “the paints I use are acrylic latex paints so this means they can be removed whenever the business wants yet are super reliable to last a long time too.”
Lonsky already has jobs lined up for Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day and Easter and is still accepting jobs for the holiday season on a first-come-first-served basis. Lonsky lives in Stockholm with her husband, 16-year-old son, Jake, and four-year-old daughter, Paige. Look for her on Facebook under Window Art by Kim where lots of her window artwork is displayed as well as other specialty items such as wine glasses, flower pots, galvanized buckets, etc. To schedule Lonsky to do window art, call or text 973-270-1985 or contact her via facebook.