For some people, drawing or painting may seem like a never-ending task, but for freshman Claire Winklhofer, it brings her into another world. She enjoys the satisfactory feel of a clean white piece of paper with a freshly sharpened utensil. 

Almost every week, Winklhofer begins a new work of art after completing a previous project.

 “Starting a new drawing or painting is almost like a weight lifted off of my shoulders,” Winklhofer said. “It feels as if all of my stress throughout the week has disappeared.”  

Her drawing medium includes graphite, colored pencil, pastel and occasionally marker. Yet, after all these different forms of drawing, she will often experiment with watercolor and acrylic paint. 

“Having a variety of drawing and painting mediums can help me to become more open minded and let creativity flow,”  Winklhofer said. “I often find myself stuck if I use the same art utensils as the previous week.”

She found her passion for art when she began watching, “The Joy of Painting- Bob Ross.” Her parents requested she should try watching Bob Ross because they enjoyed the documentary throughout college.   

“My family and I watched an episode, and it almost seemed as if he hallucinated us,” Winklhofer said. “I quickly had the urge to follow his tutorial myself.” 

Winklhofer said since watching that episode with her family, she’s created more time for herself to think by using art. She loves how painting and drawing is therapeutic and is the best to do when she’s overwhelmed and worried about upcoming events or assignments. 

“My schedule can become really jammed when I try to fit a drawing on top of a busy schedule,” Winklhofer said. “If I’m so stressed and know there’s no time to begin another project, I let it slide and just wait for the next week so I can take up another piece.”

Her favorite part about drawing and painting is how through the use of different colors, they can express themselves without the use of words. 

“There are also days where taking a week break from art is the best thing you can do because you come back with bigger and better ideas for your next project,” Winklhofer said. 

Winklhofer said she hopes that from sharing her experience may spark some interest in readers to begin experimenting with art to ease stress.  

“It’s so exciting when you have an idea for a project that you can’t wait to start because of the potential it holds,” Winklhofer said.