Students will have the chance to create their own works of art this evening at 7 p.m. through CAB’s “Painting with a Twist” event, hosted by art major Abby Taylor ‘19.
“Painting with a Twist is an event I introduced to campus (with CAB) for the first time last semester,” Taylor explained. “I noticed how popular the ‘paint and sip’ places were becoming, and decided that it was the perfect event to bring to campus—minus the alcohol, of course.”
While every student leaves with their own completed canvas, the event is designed to be accessible to students of varying skill levels. “The whole part of painting with a twist is to go through a painting step by step so that everyone involved can follow the steps and paint something amazing,” Taylor said. “During the event, I stand up in front of the painters and I paint with them, step by step, so that they can easily see what I’m doing and replicate it on their own canvas. After a while, everyone has painted a full canvas and they always look amazing.”
Theresa Taggart ‘18, who attended Painting with a Twist, said of her experience, “Abby Taylor did an incredible job of not only putting together the event, but also leading it. She provided encouragement for all the people who came, and everyone felt welcome and walked away having learned something new. It was so unique!”
Looking back at the success, Taylor commented, “Last semester when we had the event, there were over 30 people at the event, and it was a blast. Everyone painted so well and I loved seeing the interaction and socialization that took place.”
Taylor credited the hard work of her entire CAB team. She expressed her excitement for the great work they have been doing this year, especially with all of the new events they have been able to bring to campus. Painting with a Twist was one of those new events and it proved itself beyond CAB’s expectations. Taylor said, “Painting with a Twist wasn’t supposed to be an every semester event, but it was such a success last semester that we wanted to do it again this spring. It is also a limited participation event, so we want to give more students an opportunity to paint.” The event today will be limited to the first 20 students who responded to the campus wide email. Students who participated in the past will not be able to sign up, because CAB wants to extend the opportunity to as many students as possible.
“I wanted to bring a low-key, quiet event to campus, and also appeal to the artsy sides of people. I’m also an art major, so I love any chance to share my love of art with other people,” explained Taylor. For past participant Stephanie Feliz ‘19, the event accomplished both goals. She said, “Painting with a Twist was an amazing event. After a long day of classes I got to distract myself a little bit and enjoy an amazing evening of de-stressing by painting, eating and listening to great music provided by the amazing Abby Taylor. I will definitely participate in more events like this if they are provided in the near future.”