Art. Gay and Lesbian Studies. Autobiography. PAINTING MOMENTS tells the true-life story of Nick Palazzo, a brilliant and prolific young painter who died of AIDS before his thirtieth birthday. From a series of essays and interviews as well as extensive excerpts from the artist's diaries, the particulars of his all-too-brief life are revealed. Blind in one eye.... Breathing seems to take so much trouble. Life is doubled, tripled, quadrupled. Because of death. One out of a zillion chances of getting struck by lightning. Why did I get struck by lightning zillions and zillions of times? I wish I were stronger than lightning. PAINTING MOMENTS includes 16 color plates of the artist's work. Mary Melfi is a writer who lives and works in Montreal, Quebec.