Proctorville resident Patricia Reed has been painting for longer than she can remember, and she’s now sharing her love with students.

Reed has been painting in her private downtown Huntington, W.Va., studio after

graduating with a master’s degree from Marshall University in 1997.

She has strayed from painting occasionally, for a time opening her own interior design business, but she always found herself with the brush once more in her hand.

This spring, Reed began to teach her first crop of students the fulfillment of a long-time goal.

“I have had people for some time ask me if I’d be interested in teaching classes, but I’ve never been in the right place to do that,” Reed said. “It just kind of happened this time. I haven’t been doing it for very long, but the experience has just been incredible.”

Although she’s finally teaching others, she isn’t casting a terribly wide net. The classes are small, with four to five students, which Reed said allowed her to focus on each student individually.

Reed said that not only has the class caused her to focus on her students, but it’s also afforded her time to turn the microscope on her own large body of work, which has been in exhibitions throughout West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio and San Francisco.

“Things that you learn along the way become second nature to you when you’re doing your own work, but when you start teaching you have to really stop and think and be on your toes, and put all of that education into play,” Reed said. “It’s a very rewarding experience that’s enriched my thinking about painting.”

Reed’s students are of varying skill levels, some learn how to mix color using the color wheel or composition and some, like Sharolyn McCray, paint at their own pace with occasional guidance from Reed.

“She’s a wonderful teacher, she’s extremely talented in her art by herself, but she’s also a wonderful teacher,” McCray said. “I’ve bought a lot of books and read them, but the more people you have, instructors and otherwise, the more you learn.”

Seeing more experienced painters like McCray enjoy the same class as some of the novices could be the biggest thrill for Reed, who believes that everybody should have a chance to express themselves.

“I think every individual has a need to express themselves,” Reed said. “Some people do it in writing, some people do it in music. I think our society is really faced paced and people don’t have time for creativity … they don’t have time for themselves.”

Reed said she’ll be taking a new class of students on in a couple of weeks. Those interested can reach her at (304) 416-2081.