By: Anna Krolikowski

The University Planning Committee (UPC) is constantly planning a variety of acts and events for Southwestern’s weekly Friday Night Live, but for one of their early October events, they decided to do something they’d never done before: a live painting event called Painting With a Twist.

The Painting With a Twist company is a painting studio located in Georgetown that offers customers step-by-step painting lessons. They are provided with a canvas, paint, brushes, and all the other supplies needed. Each night has a different theme, and the studio also hosts family friendly and private events.

The university version of this event had a distinctly Southwestern twist: students painted a cheery yellow pirate bike against a blue sky and green grass. It also included fun games such as Georgetown trivia and a contest to see who had the most interesting object in their pocket, wallet, or purse; results of the latter included a miniature high school diploma and an eyeglass cleaner from Paris.

This event was the first Friday Night Live of its kind. Arlene Rodriguez, leader of the UPC team, was happy with the outcome.

“I’d say it was really successful because there was a good amount of students from each grade year,” she said. “We had really good feedback from everyone who attended and it was a really fun atmosphere.”

Though the event included the usual step-by-step instruction, many students that attended chose to put their own spin on their paintings. Some used their creativity to play with colors, include stars, or add other small details to personalize their works.

“We definitely couldn’t have done it without the team,” Rodriguez said. “Everyone helping out with this event really made it successful.”

All Friday Night Live events, from the comedians and performers to newer events like Painting With a Twist, are made possible by the volunteers on the University Planning Committee.