UP Home residents host art show

Pat Bagley wanted to be an artist most of her life but never had the chance until she became a resident at the United Presbyterian Home in Washington almost five years ago. She was just one of several residents who showed off their art skills at the UP Home's art show held Friday, March 29.

'I just started when I first came here. I'd always wanted to take art classes but never had the opportunity,” she said. 'So when I noticed in the Periscope they had an art class I thought, ‘Oh wow!' I was really excited,” she said.

Bagley draws inspiration for her pieces from both her imagination and places she's been. One of her favorite pieces is of a waterfall from Oregon that she took a picture of when she was on a trip but recreated with paint on a canvas in her art class.

Being creative and encouraging that creativity to flow is the job of Nancy Albert, art teacher at the UP Home. Albert has been in her role for about three years now and said her favorite part of the job is seeing people get creative and excited about the prospect of creating something completely from scratch.

'I am an artist and I thought this would be a perfect opportunity,” she said, of getting her start as the art teacher. 'I love opening up people's minds to new art.”

Albert describes herself as more of a leader than a teacher in the classroom and says she does not tell people how to create things but tries to encourage and guide them if they need it. She feels most people have a hidden art ability but do not know how to express it and she enjoys seeing that come out in the classroom.

'Most people know more than they think they do, so it's more of a guidance kind of thing,” she said. '(I enjoy) seeing people's realization of ‘oh my gosh, I didn't know I could do that.' It's a lovely thing.”

Resident's art will be on display all month.