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JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. – With each stroke of her brush, U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Gracie Torres, a maintenance scheduler with the 437th Maintenance Squadron, brings color and life back into the whitewash walls of the Joint Base Charleston dorms.
Torres paints the walls of the public dorm kitchens with the hope of increasing morale in the residential Airman of the dorms. She also paints in order to relive her own stress as she finds painting to be soothing after a long, stressful day of work. Her end goal: include more Airmen with her creative outlet to give them morale and motivation.
“I never took any art classes in school,” said Torres. “So, I’m completely self-taught, but I actually really liked it and just picked up more skills over time.”
Once she enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and arrived at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, Torres quickly found the dorm campus to be drab and lacking color.
“When I got here, I noticed everything was just the same sad color, like a sun-bleached gray,” said Torres.
From there she had the idea to add some color and a reason to smile in the dorm kitchens while adding her passion for painting— a perfect combination for a new style in the dorms.
“I thought it might be a good idea because maybe an Airman can go in there, see something different and think ‘oh this is cool,’” said Torres.
However, when it was time to actually begin the project, Torres had her fair deal of struggles that she had to solve. The process ended up being significantly longer than she anticipated to begin her painting.
“First, there was a lot of discussion on whether or not I could even paint,” said Torres. “It was a few weeks before I even got the go ahead. And then the I had to actually get the supplies.”
Luckily, she had some help from people that supported her motivation for inspiring others and making a difference.
“I couldn’t afford all the supplies myself but the Dorm Office offered to get me the paint and brushes,” said Torres.
Thankful for the assistance of the base’s resources, she began patiently waiting for the paint to arrive so she could begin.
“The paint took about six or seven months to order since they had to use a government card,” said Torres. “It was a bummer having to wait that long because I didn’t know if it would ever come in and if I could even paint at all.”
Just when Torres thought the paint would never arrive and she would need to give up on her project, she got the notification that it was delivered. Eager to get started, she immediately began painting.
She wasted no time getting to work in the public kitchens of the dorm campus. In total, she’s dedicated five months to enhancing the overall aesthetic of the Airmen dorms on base.
When it comes to the future of painting around the dorm campus, Torres is aiming high when it comes to her plans for the future.
“By the time I leave here I want all three or four buildings with public kitchens to be painted and even the stairwells,” said Torres.
One of her biggest goals is to inspire other Airmen to join her in her dorm campus beautification.
“I really hope to inspire more Airmen to help me paint, especially the stairways so they are colorful and lively,” said Torres.
Painting may not seem like much to some, but to Torres, painting means a lot. Painting is peace in a sometimes-stressful life, away from friends and family. It can be seen as a light in a room of darkness and Torres wants more Airmen to experience that joy and hope.
“I feel so at peace when I’m painting, and I want others to feel the same peace,” said Torres. “Airmen need to know there is more to do than just sit in their rooms alone.”
| Date Taken: | 12.19.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.19.2024 14:44 |
| Story ID: | 487992 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 14 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 437 MXS Airman paints murals for Charleston dorms, by A1C Katelyn Fankhauser, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
