Painting portraits helps Windsor artist pay student loans

Windsor artist Melanie Janisse is using her skills to pay off her student loans.

Janisse was supposed to graduate from her Masters of Art program this fall, but an issue with her loan held her back.

"It took me a few weeks to find out that I had gone over a limit I wasn't actually aware of," she said. "Part time students are allowed (a certain amount of) funding, which is $10,000."

But, she needed another $400 to cover her expenses.

She also missed the deadline to accept the original OSAP loan, which left her with $1,800 in unpaid tuition fees.

"If I don't pay it, I won't graduate," she said. "So, I worried about it for a few days and then I just started to apply some creative skills to the situation."

About three weeks ago, Janisse used her social media following to her advantage.

She started a Facebook page offering to paint portraits for $100 apiece, guaranteeing a completed portrait within a month.

"I wasn't sure how it was going to go," she said. "But, within a week ... it was tremendously successful."

She already has about 31 commissions painting portraits of anyone from her friend's babies to their pets.

So far, Janisse has raised about $1,000.

"There's a lot of stress around having to get a job, balance that with enough time to paint," she said. "(I've) thought about this a lot. This project just really empowers me."

If all goes well, she said she will keep offering portraits to cover the remaining debt.