Lilly Barnett
Contributor
Pratibha Gautam
Staff Writer
For students experiencing stress, the University Activities Council will be hosting a canvas painting class on Feb. 27 in the Trojan Center Ballroom at 8 p.m.
Taylor Holt, a junior social science major from Huntsville and the activities coordinator for the UAC, is expecting at least 150 students to attend this free class.
“The outcome that we are looking for is a lot of students coming and enjoying the event and taking a break from studying,” Holt said.
The painting will be led by Justine Shuey, a professor and professional speaker from New Jersey.
Shuey has been doing canvas painting events all over the country for two years, with more than 80 events in total, but this is her first time coming to Troy University.
Shuey said she started painting for fun and relaxation, but after persuasion from friends, turned her hobby into a very successful career.
Shuey was awarded 2018 Campus Novelty Fiction of the Year by APCA (Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities) in Orlando, Florida.
“I wasn’t expecting it to blow up like this,” Shuey said. “I started doing it as a side hustle, but it turned into an award-winning business really quickly.”
With an education background, Shuey feels she is able to teach others what she knows how to do – paint.
“I don’t have any professional art background,” Shuey said. “I think that’s what makes my events a little more unique.”
At the canvas painting event, students will have the opportunity to paint whatever they want. Everything will be prepared including paint after choosing what will be painted.
Students can choose from different examples to paint, such as trees, landscapes and animals. Students who desire more independence on the topic of their painting are invited to come up with their own creative idea.
Peter Garrett, a sophomore nursing major from Eclectic, said he is interested in the upcoming canvas painting event and is thinking about attending.
“Like it is with any semester of college, you’re going to be stressed out for one reason or another between all the tests and different assignments,” Garrett said. “It’s nice to have some form of a creative outlet that you can go to and relax and do something productive.”
According to Holt, the class is guaranteed to be fun and relaxing, but seats will be filled on a first come, first served basis.
No experience is necessary and Shuey will take attendees through the process step-by-step.
For more information on “Painting with Justine,” visit her website at https://paintingwithjustine.com/.
