{"672771":{"#nid":"672771","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Purple Reigns on Staff Member\u0027s Palette","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EYou never know when something beautiful will catch your eye. But more and more people are experiencing the phenomenon in the College of Computing building thanks to staff member Mechelle Kitchings.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAlong with being a college administrative manager, Kitchings is an amateur painter whose third-floor office is bursting with attention-grabbing color.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen I walk into Mechelle\u2019s office, I\u2019m always drawn to her colorful artwork,\u201d said College of Computing Chief of Staff Tonya Peoples. \u201cAll of her beautiful pieces, plus her warm personality, make her office an inviting space to visit.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EKitchings has been with the college for a year and with Georgia Tech since 2001. About 10 of her brightly colored paintings adorn the New Jersey native\u0027s office walls. The paintings have a charming, folksy quality highlighted by Kitchings\u0027 vibrant palette, expressive brushstrokes, and energetic approach to her subjects.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAlthough she doesn\u0027t consider herself an artist, most people are surprised to learn the mother of four and grandmother of three doesn\u0027t have an arts background.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I don\u0027t have any formal training. When my sister and a friend visited from New Jersey a few years ago, we went to a painting studio for fellowship and fun,\u0022 said Kitchings. \u0022I was hooked.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThese events at local venues are known informally as \u0022sip and paint nights.\u0022 They are a popular way for friends to relax and spend time together. Usually, an instructor leads the session by introducing a subject for the evening and taking participants step-by-step through the process.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EKitchings enjoyed her first experience so much that she and her friends regularly celebrate birthdays and other occasions with an evening of painting. She and her husband have also celebrated their wedding anniversary at a \u0022sip and paint night.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhen it comes to painting, purple reigns on Kitchings palette. She says, \u0022I just use what makes sense for the picture, but try to incorporate purple in the scheme, if possible.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPurple was a must for one of Kitchings\u0027 recent projects. Hanging on the wall behind her desk is a portrait of the legendary artist Prince. Kitchings used tones of purple, blue, and other colors to create a somber and moving picture of the late musician.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI love Mechelle\u2019s portrait of Prince,\u201d said LaDonna Cherry, College of Computing creative services assistant director. \u201cThere\u2019s a sadness that she\u2019s captured with the portrait that I think is beautiful and that touches me on an emotional level.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhether it\u0027s painting, dance, literature, or some other avenue, the ability to create something beautiful with the power to connect and move people is artistry. This means that, although she doesn\u2019t see herself in that way, Kitchings is an artist after all.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022People often say I\u0027m an artist, but I don\u0027t see it. I never have confidence in my paintings,\u0022 said Kitchings. \u0022But it\u0027s truly humbling and feels good knowing others appreciate the beauty of my paintings.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThis year\u0027s Black History Month theme is African Americans and the Arts. Although she doesn\u0027t consider herself an artist, Mechelle Kitchings is bringing a touch of color to the College of Computing community.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Staff member\u0027s paintings feature a vibrant palette, expressive brushstrokes, and energetic approach to her subjects."}],"uid":"32045","created_gmt":"2024-02-06 14:40:02","changed_gmt":"2024-02-06 14:53:25","author":"Ben Snedeker","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-02-06T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2024-02-06T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"672982":{"id":"672982","type":"image","title":"Paintings by administrative manager Mechelle Kitchings are displayed in her College of Computing office ","body":"\u003Cp\u003EPhoto by Kevin Beasley\/College of Computing\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1707230417","gmt_created":"2024-02-06 14:40:17","changed":"1707230417","gmt_changed":"2024-02-06 14:40:17","alt":"Paintings by administrative manager Mechelle Kitchings are displayed in her College of Computing office.","file":{"fid":"256319","name":"2X6A3564.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/02\/06\/2X6A3564.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/02\/06\/2X6A3564.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":110647,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/02\/06\/2X6A3564.jpg?itok=_-rtEehT"}},"672983":{"id":"672983","type":"image","title":"A close-up look at a portrait of Prince by College of Computing administrative manager Mechelle Kitchings ","body":"\u003Cp\u003EPhoto by Kevin Beasley\/College of Computing\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1707230840","gmt_created":"2024-02-06 14:47:20","changed":"1707230840","gmt_changed":"2024-02-06 14:47:20","alt":"A close-up look at a portrait of Prince by College of Computing administrative manager Mechelle Kitchings.","file":{"fid":"256320","name":"2X6A3578.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/02\/06\/2X6A3578.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/02\/06\/2X6A3578.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":168965,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/02\/06\/2X6A3578.jpg?itok=mjpNocXD"}}},"media_ids":["672982","672983"],"groups":[{"id":"47223","name":"College of Computing"}],"categories":[{"id":"42901","name":"Community"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1452","name":"Black History Month"},{"id":"193495","name":"staff art"},{"id":"183420","name":"faculty and staff art"},{"id":"193496","name":"Prince"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBen Snedeker, Communications Mgr.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech College of Computing\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003Ealbert.snedeker@cc.gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["albert.snedeker@cc.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}