Resident-Led Art Class Personalizes Pumpkins for Halloween

Residents of Phoebe Allentown put paintbrushes to miniature pumpkins during the Halloween season as part of their regularly scheduled art class.

The class, led by resident Patricia Charles with help from the Community Life team, meets every week for a fresh new art project. Residents flex their creative muscles with projects ranging from simple drawings to paint-based works of art.

For this session, each artist was given a variety of paint colors to personalize a pumpkin to their liking. Everyone seemed to have a different take on what their pumpkin should look like, some going for a more traditional look while others experimented with color. By the end of the session, the table boasted a vibrant spread of various pumpkins.

Charles has led these art classes for the past couple of months. She’s been passionate about art for as long as she can remember, often doodling in the back of her childhood classrooms. As she began taking art classes herself, she gradually honed her craft, resulting in some truly impressive works.

Charles is still exploring new artistic avenues to this day, expressing a particular desire to improve her skills at drawing human portraits. She wants these art classes to ignite people’s passion for creativity, as art is everything to her.

“It’s important that they do what they want to do in life – don’t put it off,” says Charles. “I hope people get something out of [the classes].”

“Trish is like our Martha Stewart,” jokes Community Life Coordinator Diane Kendra, noting that Charles has graciously created seasonal decorations for each door in Trexler Way in the past.

These holiday-themed projects add a new level of festivity to Phoebe Allentown while providing residents with a cathartic, creative outlet.

To learn more about Phoebe Allentown, please visit phoebe.org/allentown.