In a cozily-lit dining room, on a January winter night, 10 women gather around the table to celebrate a friend's birthday. But before digging into tasty birthday treats, they have a more artsy activity in mind – painting.
Each person is given a blank canvas, paints, and paintbrushes, to replicate an outdoor, winter setting that's provided by their teacher, 17-year-old Poppy King. The teen art enthusiast organizes paint parties across Oakville, with a part of its proceeds going to Front Line Outreach, an Oakville-based charity.
King says she's been doing art — be it drawing or painting — all of her life. While self taught at an early age, King started taking oil painting lessons in the eighth grade, which led to her liking the hobby even more.
“I’ve always been imaginative and it’s always been a very good outlet for me,” King said about her love for art.
King's paint party business started organically, she says. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, King, who was 12 at the time, witnessed horrors from around the world online, including the murder of George Floyd. Feeling frustrated by not being able to help while being in lockdown, King began commissioning her art online and use the proceeds to donate to nonprofit organizations including Black legal action centres, True North Aid and the Milton Humane Society.
“It was a way to not turn a blind eye to what was going on around the world,” she said.
King's mother noticed her art online commissions and encouraged her to organize a paint party for her mother and her friends. Eventually, as the years went by, word of mouth led her to organizing more paint parties for different groups around Oakville.
With several paint parties under her belt, King says the journey has been enjoyable and informative.
“It’s been a good experience for me to learn how to better my communication skills, as no group is the same," she said.
The paint parties cost about $20 per person with 25 per cent of the proceeds going to Front Line Outreach, an organization that aims to support disadvantaged people. King says she's been volunteering at the organization since starting high school,and has taken part in several of its initiatives, such as the annual holiday toy drive, bake sales, and summer camps.
To date, King has surpassed $200 in donations to Front Line, with hopes to raise $1000 by the end of her school year. This money would cover Front Line's summer camp admissions for several children.
"I feel like I recognize that I’m a very privileged child," King says. "And I want to be able to spread what I have, the wealth I have, through my actions."
While art will always be part of King's life, she hopes to continue hosting paint parties and donating its proceeds to charities in the future.
“Even though [donations] are on a smaller scale, it’s still making an impact in someone’s life," she said. "It’s a really good feeling to know that what I do is worth something more than just materialistic things.”