University of Houston students know Renu Khator as the president of their school, the ever-present face at games and events, or around campus. But in her spare time, Khator unwinds by picking up a paintbrush or digging her hands in the soil. We caught up with Khator to hear more about how she finds time for her passion projects.

HOW DID YOU FIRST BECOME INTERESTED IN PAINTING?

I started in April 2020. I had so many Zoom meetings, sometimes eight to 10 hours a day, and my brain was just getting tired. I needed something to release the pressure. I went on Amazon and ordered two canvases, two paint brushes and five tubes of paint — three primary colors and black and white. I didn’t know anything about acrylic paint. I’d certainly never painted on canvas before. In ninth grade, I took an art class. That was about it.

I just started painting. I have never taken any kind of formal class, and I still don’t have my own style. Whatever pleases me, I paint. You will find my paintings as being abstract, semiabstract, but also impressionistic, realism and sometimes fluid art, too.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE KINDS OF PIECES TO CREATE?

At any given time, I have at least three canvases in my studio that I’m working on, depending on what mood I am in and how much time I have. There is generally one very large abstract piece. I hesitated for at least 18 months before I got into abstract, but now I find them just very, very relaxing. It lets me fly without boundaries.

Then, there is always a realism painting. I may use a photograph I have taken somewhere or I may find a photograph that I like and want to recreate. The third kind of painting is something Cougar-based, something to do with the University of Houston. Many of these paintings have gone up for auction in different galas. Any money that is raised goes to student scholarship funds.

HOW HAS NURTURING THIS INTEREST IN ART MADE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR LIFE?

Slowly, it became therapy. Sunday morning is the time I go to my studio. If I am traveling on Sunday, I honestly can’t tell you how much I miss my paint — it is to the point of aching. I just want to be back in my studio. Sometimes if I have 10 minutes, say I got ready early or I’m waiting for something else, I’ll just go and give a tiny little touch to something. To me, it is part of my rejuvenation.

YOU’RE KNOWN TO HAVE A GREEN THUMB, AS WELL. HOW DID YOU GET INTO GARDENING?

I never thought about it until I visited my daughter in Atlanta, and she was showing me her tomatoes. I thought, “Whoa, that seems so fascinating.” I had no clue about the different soil types, fertilizer, pH balance, potassium or nitrogen. I had zero knowledge. To me, it became a research project.

I put up four wooden planters and put some soil in it. It started from there. Slowly, it just became something that I love and enjoy. Again, it’s a part of my therapy. I do a summer garden and a winter garden. In the morning when I get up, I do my yoga and meditation, and then I go out to my garden. I spend half an hour in the morning. Saturdays, I spend a lot more time pruning, cutting, giving them protection.

WHAT ARE YOU GROWING THESE DAYS?

Right now, it’s time for the winter garden. I have carrots. I have beets, and, of course, radishes. Then, I also have cabbage, cauliflower, Broccolini, broccoli. I have bok choy, lettuce and spinach, green beans and every kind of herb.

I KNOW YOU SHARE A LOT OF IT. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT’S PARTICULARLY PRECIOUS TO YOU, THAT YOU KEEP FOR YOURSELF?

I just grow so much of it that even though they’re precious, there’s no way I can eat it all. So, I bring them to the office, I send them to my friends. I let the children from the neighborhood come and pluck their own tomatoes.

There are some things I really haven’t been successful with, and one of those things is potatoes. I’ve tried to grow potatoes in so many different ways. If anybody is growing potatoes, I would love to take some lessons and get some tips.

YOU HAVE YOUR HANDS IN SO MUCH AROUND CAMPUS, PLUS YOU’RE A MOM AND A GRANDMOTHER. HOW DO YOU SKETCH OUT THE TIME FOR THIS?

When you enjoy something, you don’t really think about finding time for it. Somehow, time finds you. That’s how I feel. I can always squeeze two hours for my art on Sundays. I can always squeeze two hours for my garden on Saturdays. I really don’t have any other kinds of habits. I don’t watch too much television.

DO YOU SEE YOUR PURSUIT OF THESE HOBBIES AS PUTTING YOUR WORDS INTO ACTION WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR APPRECIATION FOR CONTINUOUS LEARNING?

I believe very strongly that you should take on a new challenge every few years, if not every year. Right now, I’m learning Spanish, but I don’t have time for formal classes, so I got Duolingo on my phone. By now, I have something like a 1,100-day streak of at least a lesson. I’m a very disciplined person. Once I decide on something, I will stay at it. I don’t start and stop. Anything that brings me equilibrium, makes me a better person mentally, physically, emotionally, I’ll do it.

WHAT MIGHT YOU SAY TO OTHER BUSY LEADERS OR BUSY PROFESSIONALS WHO MAY NOT BELIEVE THEY HAVE THE TIME TO CARVE OUT FOR PERSONAL INTERESTS?

I think if people say they don’t have time, they haven’t found something that they’re truly passionate about. It is so important. You cannot burn your candle from both ends. You do have to pause and find your passion.