Editor’s Note: This story is part of our series “Helping Hands”, which aims to spotlight Johnson Countians doing good in the background of their community. If you have an idea for someone to spotlight in a future “Helping Hands” story, email us at [email protected].

When one of Kalpana Lalgudi’s painting sessions begin, it might be quiet at first, but it doesn’t stay that way for long.

In a typical session, there’s a playlist going in the background, a hum of conversation, and the soft scratch of brushes on canvas. In the end, Lalgudi said, people are often surprised by what they create during the session.

In a way, that’s exactly the point.

“I really think everyone has an artist in them,” she said. “It’s a sense of expression; it doesn’t have to be a Monet. It’s a way to express yourself through colors.”

This sense of expression is one Lalgudi knows well, having taught Johnson Countians of all ages to paint for the past 25 years through her art program in Overland Park.

What began as a personal passion for Lalgudi has now turned into something altruistic. Today, Lalgudi uses in-person and virtual art sessions as both a therapeutic tool and a means of giving to the community at large.

The art sessions started as a pandemic project

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and Lalgudi’s consulting job stopped requiring weekly travel, she suddenly found herself equipped with something she hadn’t had much of in years: free time.

So when friends talked about how much they missed parties and in-person gatherings, she saw an opportunity.

“I said, what about doing some art online?” she recalled. “I can do some art sessions where I guide you through a painting.”

She put together some small kits (canvas, paints, a few brushes, some snacks) and hand-delivered them to friends’ doorsteps. With drinks in hand, people logged on from home and settled in for a two-and-a-half-hour session that was part painting class, part social lifeline.
Some had painted before, but for many, it was the first time. As such, they found it intimidating, but Lalgudi assured them that was the point.

“They would say, ‘I’ve never painted, I’m not good at it,’” she said. “My first reaction would be, if you haven’t practiced it, how would you be good at it?”

To try to lessen the intimidation, Lalgudi chose simple compositions that were heavy on painting and lighter on drawing. Silhouettes of hills and trees, bold streaks of color forming the Northern Lights, stars dotted in white across the canvas.

The result surprised almost everyone.

“Almost all of them turned out really amazing paintings,” she said. “Some of them were very surprised with themselves.”

Lalgudi uses the art session proceeds for charitable causes

More than a decade ago, before she started hosting art sessions more regularly, Lalgudi volunteered to lead a women’s paint session to raise money for an eye hospital in India.

The idea was simple: step-by-step instruction, artists walked away with a new painting, and the proceeds were donated to a good cause.

Today, she still uses that model. The art sessions are donation-based, and Lalgudi puts the donations from each session toward different charitable causes.

The first three online sessions in Johnson County raised roughly $5,000, which Lalgudi donated to her cousin’s eye camps that provide comprehensive eye care to rural parts of India.

She also frequently donates to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, juvenile diabetes foundations, and projects bringing clean water to communities in Africa.

“I really feel there are a lot of things we can do, even in little ways,” she said. “I use art as a way to gain presence in the community, helping kids — and whatever I get out of it, I usually donate.”

Lalgudi’s art sessions help people in more ways than one

Though the fundraising aspect is a central part of what Lalgudi does, it’s also just one piece of the puzzle.

Her private art program has long focused on children and teens. The goal is not to turn them into professional artists, she said, but to give them a place to grow.

“It’s kids realizing their interest and their talent, and for some kids, helping them with their self-esteem and their confidence,” she said.

Some of her students have come to her for art sessions for multiple years, from middle school into high school. For them, she said, the weekly session serves as a “stress buster” — a rare break from the stress of maintaining their grades, keeping up with extracurriculars and scrolling through social media.

A few of her students also have special needs or attention challenges. One longtime student on the autism spectrum has a weekly session with a small, consistent group he feels comfortable around.

Another student has gone on to study digital art and business, and he now runs his own store.

It’s stories like these that affirm Lalgudi’s belief that art is not all about what you see on your canvas at the end, but about what happens during the process of putting it there.

“I tell them not to put pressure on themselves,” she said. “It’s never your first piece that is your masterpiece. Enjoy the journey in creating a picture.”

More Helping Hands: This Leawood man snuck beers into his college library. Now, he runs JoCo Library’s biggest shindig