CLEARWATER, FLA. – Art Tampa Bay in Clearwater opens its doors with classes to benefit kids and adults with disabilities, foster children, cancer patients and others.

One Friday every month, they have a session for our military members to feel better through art.

What You Need To Know

  • Elizabeth Cadena, a retired Army Combat Medic, opened Art Tampa Bay studio 

  •  The art studio offers splatter painting classes for kids and adults with disabilities, foster children, cancer patients and others

  •  One Friday a month, a veterans splatter paint class is offered

Spectrum Bay News 9 recently visited the studio and found a patriotic veteran prepping her canvass.

"Let me do something that I can actually hang up in my house. And then I am going to splatter all over it," said Reina DeBoer as she painted over her campus a stroke of red paint on what looked like was going to be an American flag.

DeBoer medically retired as a Staff Sergeant after almost 10 years in the Air Force

She has now taken up painting.

"It's been fun,” said Reina about the classes. “It definitely takes your focus off normal life."

For DeBoer, the classes are more than a mental break. It's therapy.

The treatment includes splatter paint and the calming force behind this session is Elizabeth Cadena.

"Oh, this is cathartic. This releases your stress, your inhibitions, anxiety,” Cadena said. “Just by throwing that paint around and getting all your stress out. It’s perfect."

A retired Army combat medic herself, Cadena opened Art Tampa Bay in Clearwater.

She knows what it is like for the veterans seeking this outlet.

"Like any negative feeling you have, you can actually put it into art and create something beautiful," said Cadena.

DeBoer gets to laugh during the classes.

She feels good about her rendition of Old Glory and has plans for future studio time.

"If I have anger or if I want to cover someone in paint and they're coming here for sure,” DeBoer said jokingly. “And you know, I won't tell them what's going on."