The Millcreek Arts Council and Salt Lake County Library Millcreek Branch are excited to start June with a new exhibit at the Library at 2266 Evergreen Ave. The artwork of Happy Online Painters (HOPs) will be displayed throughout the month of June.  A reception will be held at the library from 6-6:45 PM on June 7th.  Please join us for light refreshments and musical accompaniment by Jason Dreher and Emily Grace Bender.

Happy Online Painters (HOPs) is an online painting class with the Salt LakeCounty virtual senior programing.  Each Friday morning a group of friendly, accepting, and gracious artists sign on to a WebEx link for their acrylic painting class.  Typically, the class does a painting from start to finish in about one and a half hours.  Popular themes include landscapes, animals, birds, flowers and more.  There are four leaders that rotate through the monthly schedule.  The leader demonstrates, coaches and steps classmates through the entire painting process from start to finish. Occasionally, the class has guest artists.  At these times watercolors and oils have been explored.  Most of the paintings you will see in this exhibit were completed during the 1.5-2 

hours of class time.  However, sometimes an individual artist will see the need for a few final tweaks after stepping back from their painting for a deeper look and then do additional touch ups after class.  This unique and special class offers an escape into the world of art and provides a valued creative therapy outlet.  Our hope for this exhibit is that you will have as much fun viewing our art as we have had in creating it!

Jason Dreher started playing music at age 11, receiving private music tutoring after school on the trombone. He picked up the guitar at age 14. After High School he moved from his home state of Wyoming to California to study for 2 years at Musicians Institute in Los Angeles. Jason has played many styles of music throughout the years including jazz, country,rock, gospel, and classical. Jason recently graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelors degree in jazz guitar performance.

Emily Grace Bender has played guitar for 19 years and has played professionally since 2016. She graduated from the University of Utah in 2017 with a Bachelors degree in Classical Guitar Performance. When she isn’t teaching private guitar and drum lessons, she plays in orchestra pits for local theater companies.