KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — You are invited to an art show next Thursday. It will feature free food, drinks, live piano music and artwork made by seniors.
They will display the personal masterpieces they make in a weekly art class at Atria Weston Place Senior Living in West Knoxville.
A half-dozen or so students attend the class, and for some it is their first time to paint.
Lack of experience has not stopped Clara Howe from embracing the class. She admits she's faced some challenges.
"Well, I have a vision problem for one thing. And it is very hard for me to get the paint on the canvas exactly where it should be," she said.
Bonnie Parton teaches a beginner and advanced class.
"Sometimes it's a self-confidence issue where they think that they cannot paint but the technique that I use, once they do one painting, they love it and they are hooked on it they continue to paint and see that they can paint," she said.
She sometimes turns it upside down, literally, to change the artist's perception.
"Sometimes for the effect we want we turn the painting upside down and it just comes out perfect," she explained as she flipped a canvas to put tree limbs on the bottom and water on the top.
They have been working on their latest painting for five weeks, one class per week.
"We usually paint for about an hour or an hour and a half and that's our limit. And then we break out and we start again the next week. We just do a little at a time," Bonnie said.
Those paintings won't be ready for an art show that was planned for Friday but has been moved to Thursday, March 14. Other oil-on-canvas paintings by residents will be on display along with some hand made crafts.
The art show is a way for the senior artists to share what they have experienced in the art class.
"It's peaceful and it's calming so it's good for the spirit and it promotes a sense of self-accomplishment," Bonnie said.
Clara said, "I would advise anybody to sign up for the art class. The ones that think they cannot paint? They will learn to paint."
The art show at Atria Weston Place is now scheduled for Thursday, March 14, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The formal event is free and open to the public with not only art but also wine, hors d'oeuvres and classical piano music.