50 Plus: Lynchburg artist is adjusting to new scenery

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“It’s bizarre,” she said during an interview in her Riverviews loft.

Crespo lived most of her life in Manhattan, where the nights brought a steady din of horns, sirens and street chatter. After almost two years in Lynchburg, she’s still not used to the quiet.

Two years ago, Crespo retired from her job as a legal secretary. A bead maker and artist, she yearned for a change and a new outlet for her art.

The 68-year-old stumbled upon Lynchburg while scanning classifieds in an online magazine by the New York Foundation for the Arts. There was a listing for a loft in Riverviews. The rent was dirt cheap, especially by New York standards.

“It’s almost magic, melting glass over a flame, mixing colors, just creating something unusual."

~Judi Crespo

Intrigued, Crespo asked a sister who lives in Farmville to check it out. Her sister reported that Lynchburg was an art-friendly town with a historic downtown on the brink of revitalization.

So she took a chance and moved her life down South.

“Oh, I was very skeptical,” Crespo said, matter-of-factly. “I didn’t know anything about Lynchburg’s history or political or social climate.”

Crespo found her niche in the local arts community. She is a member of the Riverviews Artists’ Co-Op gallery, where her handmade jewelry is on display. She is also regular at First Fridays.

Now that she’s retired, art is at the center of her life. One corner of her loft is a makeshift glass studio. Using a gas torch, she melts down rods of glass over an open flame. After the bed cools, she bakes it in a small industrial oven at 960 degrees Fahrenheit.

“It’s almost magic, melting glass over a flame, mixing colors, just creating something unusual,” she said.

Morning is her most creative time. That’s when she makes beads. In the afternoon, she usually weaves small patterns for her necklaces.

Crespo has work on display at the Riverview Co-Op Gallery, the Academy of Fine Arts, the Faery Godmother Store on Main Street and the Cultural Arts Center in Glen Allen.

Crespo has found a market for her crafts, but sales have slowed in recent months. Crespo suspects the recession is mostly to blame.

“I think people are still interested in art, but they’re not spending money on it,” she said.

Aside from waning art sales, Crespo has little to gripe about Lynchburg. There are a few things on her wish list: a more frequent bus service, a grocery store within walking distance of Riverviews and a vibrant downtown, the last being the most elusive.

“There’s no real sense of neighborhood. I can’t put my finger on what’s missing.”

There are other things she loves: the Old City Cemetery, Saturday mornings at the Community Market, the Blackwater Creek Trails.

Crespo sees potential in the downtown, even if the nighttime stillness is disconcerting. She keeps tabs on the construction of the park across the street. She is encouraged to see more people walking their dogs down, a possible sign of new neighbors.

Will she stay for the long haul? She flashed a sly smile.

“Yeah,” she said. “I think so.”