In five years, local Hillsdale artist Dena Rushton weathered the COVID-19 pandemic and built a successful small business teaching acrylic painting classes.
Now she has her own gallery, Hidden Turtle Gallery, where she sells her paintings.
Rushton said it all started with a paint and sip class.
“About five years ago, a friend invited me to a paint and sip class and just like that, I was hooked,” she said.
Rushton didn’t immediately think it would lead to her teaching.
“I’ve always been artsy,” Rushton said, “But I thought I’d just do it as a hobby.”
Shelley Mangus, owner of Hillsdale Craft Supply, said it took some encouragement from her and others before Rushton agreed to start teaching classes.
“She is a fabulous painter,” Mangus said, “I thought she was good enough to teach, but had to spend two years convincing her that she was good enough.”
Mangus said she was finally able to convince Rushton to hold a very small class with just Mangus and another Hillsdale Craft employee.
“Our paintings just turned out so beautifully and I had never painted before,” Mangus said.
Seeing the success of the first class, Rushton decided to host a few more classes. Soon that turned into weekly acrylic painting classes at Hillsdale Craft, as well as at many other local venues and even private groups.
“I’ve done everything from bridal showers, baby showers, church events, and others,” Rushton said, “I’ve even gone to people’s homes and done one-on-one classes for people who really just want to paint.”
