Students had the chance to relax and play with paints over the weekend.
On Saturday, Feb. 22, senior Joanna Dell and junior Caroline Hennekes hosted their second watercolor event of the year, “Water Color with Jo and Caro.”
Their first watercolor event hosted in the fall semester had a large turnout, and many students said they were excited for a second round of painting.
Paint palettes were set up around Penny’s coffee shop with numerous brushes and sheets of watercolor paper, alongside different lattes and teas, creating the ambiance of a relaxing and soothing painting session. Hennekes recognized the calm environment that the afternoon of painting invoked, encouraging both her and Dell to continue the sessions.
“We just left so happy that other people had a good time at our first session,” Hennekes said. “It was noticeable, like everyone was relaxed. It’s Hillsdale, so when that happens you’re like, ‘Oh, something happened!’”
Dell and Hennekes are pursuing art majors and have taken many classes together.
“We’re actually doing a watercolor independent study together,” Hennekes said. “Every Monday is a watercolor day together which is fun. It’s only halfway through the semester and I feel like it’s changed how I paint with watercolor.”
Dell only started working with watercolors her junior year, and has found a new passion for it every since.
“I didn’t really touch watercolor until I took a class last spring,” Dell said. “Ever since then I just fell in love with watercolor and I got my own supplies. Whenever I travel, I paint and I really loved doing it over the summer.”
Many students at Saturdays watercolor event came back for the second one, but there were also many new faces. Sophomore Reagan Linde was unable to attend the first watercolor event but made sure she attended the second one.
“I set an alarm so I would remember,” Linde said. “I had set a reminder to go off at noon because I was like ‘I have to go.’”
Sophomore Gladys Oster was also unable to attend the first event, but she opened the door back into her childhood as she painted during the afternoon of the second event.
“I forgot how much I love painting,” Oster said. “It had been a long time, so I was just so excited when the signups came out, like ‘oh my gosh I can do this again.’”
“Jo and Caro’s” watercolor sessions were received well across campus, as they shed light on the calming atmosphere that accompanies art. Even if you haven’t painted in years, events like “Water color with Jo and Caro” provide an outlet for many students to step back into their artistic roots and take a break from the busy college schedule, allowing them to truly create.
