Laura Cenedella, owner of the Rainbow Palette Gallery, sets up her ‘Green Monster’ in the window of her gallery in anticipation of the Downtown Uxbridge Opening Day festivities, which will be held on Tuesday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. along South Main Street in Uxbridge. Cenedella is reopening her gallery in this new location after being burned out of her former location at the Bernat Mill complex, which was destroyed by fire last year. Call Photo/Ernest A. Brown

By KARI KLINE

UXBRIDGE -- Teacher. Artist. Businesswoman. Laura Osborne Cenedella is all of these things, plus more.
Owner of the recently-opened Rainbow Palette, Cenedella has a ready smile and warm laugh for everyone. That sunny disposition has helped her overcome many obstacles in life. As a result of a condition of multiple sclerosis that had been misdiagnosed — incredibly — for 20 years, Cenedella says she now suffers from some permanent physical damage.

In 1998, Cenedella says she had a titanium fusion on her spine and consequently spent years undergoing  medical treatment.
“I went in and out of hospitals, seeing doctors, endured physical and occupational therapy,” she said.
She attempted going back into the workforce in an insurance company, but found the commute and job duties too physically difficult. In 2003, she got the job of Arts Manager at Nina’s Gallery, but nine months later, the owner decided to close the gallery.
“It was an uphill battle with therapists, doctors and steroid treatment,” she said. “I went back to teaching on Canadian crutches and with knee, ankle and feet orthopedic braces.”
Cenedella’s obvious perseverance shows in every facet of her life including finding a place to house her art business. The Rainbow Palette, officially opened in January of 2008, is her fourth location in four years. She opened her own gallery in her then-home on Albee Road in Uxbridge from 2003-2005. In 2006 she moved her art business to Bernat Mills.
In 2006, Cenedella suffered a relapse while onstage at the Bernat Mill trying to raise money for an art project associated with the Blackstone Valley Art Association. This incident rendered her paralyzed on her left side. At that time, she was diagnosed with MS.
On July 21, 2007, Bernat Mills burnt to the ground, leaving many business owners with nothing. Cenedella says she heard about the fire at 7 a.m., while at home in her second-floor apartment.
“I was devastated,” she says softly.
Since then, she’s started a series of paintings called “Bernat Mills Memories,” of which three are completed.
In true non-defeatist fashion, Cenedella began looking for another place to house her art after the fire. She says she looked at over 150 places before settling in to her present location at 6 South Main St. in Uxbridge.
She says she remembers always walking by the building and saying to her self how much she loved the windows.
Her current location is 2,500 square feet and is part art gallery, café, and studio. The café offers coffee, tea and light refreshments. The gallery in the main room houses many paintings of all media including resin, watercolor, acrylic and watercolor with prices ranging from $5 to $5,000. The back room doubles as storage and classroom.

When teaching, Cenedella likes to start students off with an 11-by-14-inch canvas.  “It’s more difficult to paint small,” she says, “and the first class either makes them or breaks them.” 
Cenedella lets students make their own choice as to subject matter and material.
“I treat every student as an individual,” she says. She currently has 40 students and her Rainbow Palette TLC Program specializes in art instruction to people with tdisabilities.
Besides teaching and managing her gallery, Cenedella runs between 24 and 36 art shows per year.  Neither medical or financial setbacks seem to detain her. She just keeps moving ahead.
Asked how she’s able to do this, and she replies simply, “Art is my oxygen. It’s not what I do, but who I am.”
“I want my own business so I can continue working in any condition,” she says with a smile.
Rainbow Pallette Gallery will be open for the Downtown Uxbridge Opening Day festivities Tuesday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. along South Main Street in Uxbridge. The event will feature food vendors, performers and raffles, and coincides with the home opener of the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park the very same day. It is a way for local businesses to come together and celebrate the opening of the spring season in Uxbridge.
The community art center, gallery and cafe is located at 6 South Main St., Uxbridge.  For more information, call therainbowpalette.com or call (508) 278-3900.