WESTMORELAND, Tenn. (WTVF) — A public painting can bring joy and a little nostalgia. When one painter sent us a picture of his latest work, we loved it and had to go see it ourselves. It might just provide a little holiday nostalgia, too!
"I try not to stress what I'm gonna paint," said Shaun Trent, speaking between paintbrush swipes. "I just let it come to me."
All that's left are a few little touch-ups, just some last dabs of yellow paint. Another piece is completed by the man who's completed about 75 paintings around Macon County and nearby communities.
"I try to not back down from a challenge, so when somebody says, 'Can you paint this or do that', I try it and do it," Shaun said.
It's a pretty cool talent from someone people know for his landscaping business, Trent's Professional Grounds.
"They're free!" Shaun said of his paintings. "I just take a donation."
That's just to get more paint.
Friday, Shaun was in neighboring Sumner County in Westmoreland. City court clerk Roger Carter had an idea for the window at City Hall.
"I grew up with this commercial," he said. "It wasn't Christmas until this commercial came on."
Now, what commercial is he talking about? It's been running on NewsChannel 5 since 1974. A scene of toys in a shop window has been lovingly recreated for Shaun's latest piece on a Westmoreland City Hall window.
"A classic commercial from Channel 5!" Shaun said. "I grew up with it. I think a lot of people in this area grew up with it."
Actually, it's not the first time Shaun's had this inspiration. He also did a recreation of the two children with sleds in the commercial for a car lot last year.
In all these paintings he does, free of charge, Shaun tells us the intent is always the same.
"I just wanna make people smile!" he said. "It's nice, just bringing joy to people."
I LOVE Forrest's stories on the history of NewsChannel 5 as we celebrate our 70th anniversary. Here's a story I wasn't familiar with until recently. Eudora Boxley had a live cooking show in the early days of the station. She may have been the first black on air at NewsChannel 5 and perhaps, one of the first African Americans to have a TV cooking show anywhere in the country. It wasn't until her grandson reached out to me that I even heard of Ms. Boxley. Thankfully, I was able to connect him with Forest to learn more about this great nugget in NewsChannel 5 history.
-Lelan Statom
