Self-taught artist and transfer student Rosa Lloyd gave a lesson on basic painting technique to students at Southeast Missouri State University on March 7.

The lesson took place as part of a floor program at Southeast's Towers Complex. According to Oluwamayomikun Lawal, senior and resident assistant at Southeast, the painting lesson Lloyd gave is the most successful program of the 2015-2016 academic year so far. Lawal said she was impressed by how passionate Lloyd was about what she does as an artist.

"I think that what she can do with a paintbrush on canvas is simply amazing," Lawal said. "For her, it is clearly a passion, not just her major. She puts her soul into every painting she does. I'm also intrigued by how willing she is to share this gift with people. She led the most successful program on my floor teaching other residents to paint and was even willing to use her own resources."

Lloyd transferred to Southeast this semester in order to attend a school that would enable further development of her artistic skills without any formal training.Lloyd said that at her previous school, Arkansas Northeastern College, there was not a strong visual and performing arts program, and the River Campus is one of the main elements of Southeast that attracted her to the university.

"Coming to a university like SEMO with such good programs, after never taking any kind of art training classes, made me realize I didn't know that much in the first place," Lloyd said. "The only art class my last school offered was an art appreciation course, which did not go in depth at all. The visual arts program was really small; there was only one art instructor there and she worked part time."

Lloyd said she first realized her knack for art in the first grade when she won first place in a contest at her elementary school. She said her abilities shocked her peers and family members because they never expected her to be artistic. According to Lloyd, her hometown of Caruthersville, Missouri, puts more emphasis on athletics than artistry, so many people thought she went against the grain by not playing sports growing up.

"I was the only artist in a football playing family," Lloyd said. "Caruthersville is enthusiastic about sports, but not so much about fine arts. Everyone was so big on football in my family that they were surprised by my abilities to draw and paint. I was voted 'most artistic' twice when I was in high school by my classmates."

Lloyd has taught several painting courses to small children and young adults in Missouri and is building her portfolio to continue doing so in the future.

According to Lloyd, the art program at Southeast is the best place for anyone interested in developing an art craft to go.