Painting brings 'sense of joy'

Courtney Sleeping

Her co-workers don’t know it, but Christina Haylett started as a crayon junkie and progressed to pen, pencil, paint brush or just about anything she could find.

What they know now is that Haylett, a UAW Local 212 member, impressed the Artists at Work judges and walked away with top honors for her “Courtney Sleeping,” a pastel on paper.

“As a child, I loved playing with crayons,” said Haylett, who holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the College of Creative Studies in Detroit. “Art is something I was always pretty good at and something I have always enjoyed,” she said.

Haylett is a process engineer at the Chrysler Technology Center.
Her winning work warmly captures an artist’s model napping.
“It was a challenge to draw her and capture her essence. When I draw a person, I really think about them,” she said.

Also known for her landscapes, Haylett entered three other pieces in this year’s Artists at Work Exhibition and also won an honorable mention.

“Art is a part of me that’s not always seen at work. The artistic process gives me a sense of joy and accomplishment I cannot duplicate anywhere else. If someone else likes what I do, that is a bonus,” Haylett said.

Often, she said, she will encourage others to do pursue their creativity.
Sometimes people will tell me that they can’t even draw a straight line, Haylett said. “I tell them, desire is 90 percent of the battle.”