Shelby aides paint, pursue justice in London

Brittney Ingalls doesn’t exactly call herself an artist, but in her spare time she dips a brush in oil or acrylic colors to paint portraits or landscapes.

Ingalls, 22, whom Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) recently promoted from staff assistant to legislative correspondent, has yet to paint a portrait of the senator but isn’t ruling it out. She does like to give her paintings as gifts.

“[Painting is] just something I find very relaxing,” she said.

Ingalls studied advertising at the University of Alabama but has taken a liking to government work and foresees a future continuing to serve her home state’s constituents.

While Ingalls makes art, her new colleague Rhyse Nance appreciates it — at least when she’s not getting swindled in Europe.

Nance, a 22-year-old new staff assistant for Shelby, took a side trip to London while studying abroad in Spain and had hopes to see a musical there. She and her friend were excited to score theater tickets from a vendor in Leicester Square, only to discover later that he had sold them tickets for the wrong day.

She and her friend rushed back to the square and approached the vendor to demand a refund. He fled and they chased him — until they decided they’d get a better result by going to the police station.

They got their money back but missed their chance to see a show in London.

“I’ll always look at the dates [on tickets] from now on,” the Vanderbilt University alumna said.