Have
you ever fancied yourself an artist, if you only had the chance?
Have you ever wanted to take lessons? Do you like to hang out and
drink with your friends? If it's even one “yes” then you need to
try “Paint and Sip”
This
brilliant concept comes from Whimsy Paint and Sip Art Studio. There are other ways to
enjoy their facilities: open studio (come use their supplies, for a
fee, paint what you want), kids' classes, and of course, the ever
popular Paint and Sip sessions.
I've
been twice now and I'm really learning some cool techniques.
Everything is already set up for you when you arrive, you just have
to show your ID and pick a seat (reservations required). Next you
head for the bar! Prices are completely reasonable, and they have
quite the selection of non-alcoholic but special drinks, too.
We
start with a group toast, and then the teacher begins taking us
through the steps of the painting. Very calmly she explains that you
just “go for it” and “we can fix most things”. Leaving you
to complete just that one step, and let it dry, she cranks up the
music (the old rock favorites of the 70s and 80s along with some
contemporary music) and then wanders the room answering questions.
There are about 35 students, so it's not hard to get her attention if
you want help.
So
you're painting, and drinking, and giggling with your friends, and
watching an actual painting come to life before your eyes. Dancing in
your seat, singing along to the music, you realize you CAN make some
of the clouds look for away and some near. You learn how to mix
paint, how to use the white to your advantage, when your brush should
be wet and when it should be drier.
Of
course you're not a perfect artist on the first try. The wheat grass
still confounds me, though the instructor admitted some ten year old
must have rammed my tiny brush into the bottom of the glass and
brought me a new one. Helped a lot, but fixing the wheat grass
wasn't really an option since I liked my mountains so much.
We
(my Swissie and my friend) picked our class not just for scheduling
convenience, but for which painting they were featuring. Swissie,
who is now a five-time veteran decided to go for the option of
painting something else that she liked -their walls are covered with
samples from previous classes. That's really nice in another way,
too. Scattered around the room they have several versions of the
“same” painting so that you can see the variety and
non-conformity. Creativity and personal choice is highly encouraged.
I
don't know if they have something like this in your area, but I sure
hope you do. I've linked their website , and this is their facebookpage. With your permission,
they take pictures of you while you're painting and as you're walking
out the door with your finished masterpiece. Then you're on fb on
their page! Almost famous and all that...(no, as of 6:30 this
morning, our pictures weren't up yet.)
As
you can see by our grins, a good time was had by all!
