GREENEVILLE – Another impressive turnout brought joy, fellowship and knowledge about Impressionist landscapes to participants in Valentine’s Painting Night at Tusculum University.
This couple shows off their completed painting.
Benjamin Conley guides attendees in the painting.
Tusculum’s Center for the Arts held the event, which attracted about 40 people to Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Center Thursday, Feb. 12, for a relaxing evening with a canvas, paint and brushes. Benjamin Conley, assistant professor of art and design, led the session, and Tusculum students provided valuable support by taking pictures of attendees at the photo booth, keeping attendees’ palettes filled with paint and completing other important tasks.
“The evening had great attendance, and all of the folks I spoke with seemed really satisfied with their painting,” Conley said. “Everyone was happy with how it turned out, which was my intention.”
Conley said there was a reason for choosing an Impressionist landscape as the subject matter.
“Impressionism is a movement that is friendly to beginners,” he said. “It’s a pretty standard landscape, but there is usually a lot of texture and interesting colors that you can use. If someone feels like they didn’t do something correctly, Impressionism says, ‘Whatever.’ It’s still going to look good because of how many colors are on the canvas.”
While Conley provided guidance and suggestions with the strokes he applied on his canvas, attendees were free to modify their paintings in whatever way they preferred.
Josh and Kim Fisher from Greeneville were two of the people who participated in Valentine’s Painting Night, which has now been held for four years. They saw photos from prior years and decided to come this year. He said it looked like a lot of fun.
Nathan Baker, left, and his wife, Meagan Stark, work on different parts of their painting.
Participants work on their paintings in the lobby of Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Center.
This woman works on her painting.
“We drive through the university a lot, and this was a way to interact and get to know some people at Tusculum as well,” Josh said. “It was a fun Valentine’s Day experience.”
He had not previously painted with acrylic a lot but liked the speed with which it dries and the ability to paint over it. He also enjoyed having Conley as the instructor, commending him for his stage presence and direction.
Kim attended because she wanted to do something with her husband. She also sought a creative activity in the community and the opportunity to learn a new skill. One of the aspects of the event she liked was seeing a blank canvas become a pretty painting. Another fun part was understanding Conley’s perspective and the way he makes decisions on constructing a painting.
“It was also fun to make decisions with my husband,” Kim said. “He’d make a decision, and then I would make a different decision. Then we would kind of play with that a little bit.”
Lisa Dyer of Greeneville learned about Valentine’s Painting Night from a website posting. She and her husband Jim needed a date night, and this event became their Valentine’s gift to each other.
“We’ve really enjoyed it,” Lisa said. “It was an awesome experience.”
Lisa Dyer works on the painting she and her husband Jim created.
Kim Fisher paints one of the trees in her Impressionist landscape.
Jim Dyer applies the finishing touches to his and his wife Lisa’s painting.
She also appreciated Conley’s instruction and the ease with which he conveyed what he wanted the participants to do. She also praised the students for their work to help Valentine’s Painting Night run smoothly. The experience has whetted her appetite to paint some more now that she is retired. Coming to Annie Hogan Byrd also brought back memories of bringing the couple’s daughter to the building for ballet recitals.
Jim was game to attend the event with his wife so they could have a good time. He said he likes to try new things and enjoyed himself tremendously. He also showered praise on Conley, saying the couple’s painting would not have turned out as well as it did without his guidance.
Valentine’s Painting Night served as a fundraiser for Tusculum’s art program.
More information about the academic program is available at https://site.tusculum.edu/art-and-design/. Additional details about the Center for the Arts can be accessed at https://site.tusculum.edu/center-for-the-arts/. To learn more about the university, please visit www.tusculum.edu.