040601 Art and volunteerism make for a satisfying mix 

The front door of Phyllis Cohen's house was wide open and welcoming, a literal indicator, it would seem, of its owner's friendly personality. Set on a quiet side street at a high point in Bedford Hills, the Cohen family's Victorian house, obviously loved by its five occupants and their pets, is comfortably decorated. 

Cohen, an artist, proclaims she's not part of a "Donna Reed household." "This house will be a work in progress forever ‑ there will always be work to do ‑ but we love it. It's like a dream come true," Cohen says. 

Bedford Hills is ‑ a good place to raise children, she says. 

"This is a neighborhood where kids can ride their bicycles and really get to know their neighbors, no matter what the age." 

Cohen's family, which includes her husband, Allan, and three offspring ‑ one each at Bedford Hills Elementary School, Fox Lane Middle School and Fox Lane High School ‑ moved to the hamlet when the first child was ready for kindergarten. That marked the beginning of Cohen's involvement as a volunteer in the community. 

"The first thing I did was to go to a PTA meeting" at the elementary school, she says. "I wanted to get to know people. We didn't even have a car when we moved here, so to have a support system of women and friends was important." 

And like many women in Bedford and Pound Ridge, volunteering eventually led to a paying job, or as in Cohen's case, a return to her existing career, graphic design. "I view my I 0‑year 'training' through volunteer efforts as the dress rehearsal for my present professional journey," she says, adding, "I figured out how to balance a home life with a home office." Keys to surviving on superbusy days include purchasing take‑out food and stashing away extra packages of underwear and socks for inevitable laundry‑related emergencies. 

It's possible that Cohen is living a life similar to those of many, if not most, northern Westchester women in that she is able to multi‑task, a fancy word some new‑millennium types use to describe an old‑time concept all too familiar to most females ‑accomplishing many jobs at the same time. "I have a lot of energy," she says. "But I don't know if I'm unique or typical of women in Bedford." 

Cohen, who grew up in southern Westchester, always enjoyed drawing and realized in high school that she didn't want to attend a conventional college. "I loved watching television; I was a child of the ?60s," she says. Moving on to a career in the world of advertising seemed natural.  

"In high school I took commercial art and learned how to do paste‑ups and mechanicals. I then went on to the School of Visual Arts on 23rd Street in Manhattan," Cohen says. "It was so much fun. Everything was creative." After earning her bachelor's degree in advertising, she worked first for a small agency, then moved on to a large one, Darcy Masius Benton and Bowles, where she was an art director. It was there, she says, that she learned how to run a business.

 

"My former professional life and current activities are linked because my experience at both large and small ad agencies trained me to appreciate and respect a client's point of view" as well as handle budgets and deadlines, Cohen says. "This carries over to my volunteer work because I bring a sense of professionalism to what I do."

 

Past volunteer activities have included helping to build a rainforest out of recycled materials and creating a beach party in the middle of winter‑complete with sand gathered from around the world. Other areas of involvement, now that her children are older, include Storyfest, Bedford Central's annual arts and literature festival; Community Education Foundation; and New Youth Performing Theater (NYPT) projects. "While my visibility is low in any one school, having one child at each level challenges me to participate in a 'global' way, which is why I love working on Storyfest during the school year and NYP`T, the summer theater program," she says. 

Somewhere Cohen finds the additional time to run her graphic design firm, Pacificohen Ink, from her home. "I work for myself, which is great. Most days I'm in my pajamas," she says, laughing. "The balance is crazy, but I get to do my job. I still have my skills, my portfolio is there, but I can also volunteer."' The firm's name merges her maiden name, Pacifico, and her married name. 

"My portfolio is hanging out in town, Cohen says, referring mainly to Katonah, where a number of business owners have used her services for sign and logo design. "If you drive through Katonah you see lots of my work; I started with a friend who owns Sticky Fingers ‑ my little one had sticky fingers, so [the name] made sense. Try and Buy needed a sign, and then I designed the logo for Toney Toni and the Gang," she says. even though Cohen is modest about her work, she does confess to a certain level of professional pride. "When the first [sign] want up I thought it was pretty cool," she says. "My work ranges from very low budget to more extravagant four‑color. I do everything ‑ I come up with the idea  

BY MARY LEGRAND

 

Phyllis Cohen