For many of us, putting paint on canvas is an activity we left back in elementary school art classes, when we may have been a little more willing to experiment, create and make mistakes. If you are looking to give your inner child another shot at the blank canvas, there is a judgment-free environment that allows you to do just that, and you can even lower your inhibitions with a drink or two. It’s called Paint Nite, a nationwide company that provides guided painting experiences at local bars or restaurants.
The basic structure of a Paint Nite event is that one teacher and an assistant lead a group in replicating an example painting. Registration is all online, and every event in your local area is listed with a picture of the painting the class will be re-creating. Most of the subjects of the paintings are fairly simple: trees, buildings, landscapes. There are even some events where participants can paint flowers or abstract shapes on glassware. Many of the paintings to choose from are beautiful and intriguing; some look as though they would be nearly impossible to re-create without some sort of art background. For this reason, the members of my group and I decided on something simple when we registered. We agreed on a moonlit scene with snowy hills and pines. It still looked slightly beyond our abilities, but we agreed a couple drinks would help with that.
Though it was still referred to as Paint Nite, my painting experience took place at 2 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon at Squatters Pub Brewery downtown. The upper loft area of the pub was roped off for the afternoon for the group of aspiring artists, who gathered at long tables lined with blank canvases and brushes. Many of the participants were taking advantage of the full bar on one side of the room, where one could purchase drinks throughout the event. The atmosphere was relaxed, and our instructor, Mallory McDaniel, was enthusiastic as she explained to us that this was “not paint by numbers” but it was still “not that hard.” She also reminded us that we were there to have fun and we could really paint whatever we wanted, however we wanted to. If we wanted to paint a picture of our cat, that was okay.
I decided to stick to the subject, and it turned out to be a lot of fun. McDaniel led us smoothly through each stage of the paintings with an eclectic soundtrack playing in the background, featuring everything from classic rock to “Apple Bottom Jeans” by T-Pain. We started with our swirling purple skies and ended with dabbing mounds of snow on our pine tree branches. The toughest part for me was when I dipped my brush in my mimosa instead of my rinse water, but things went smoother after I rearranged my cup situation. When we finished our masterpieces, we got our pictures taken in front of the Paint Nite sign with the slogan “Drink Creatively” hanging in the background. There were actually photos snapped throughout the class by the assistant teacher that were slated to be posted online to show everyone “how much fun we were having.”
I was surprised at how enjoyable and relaxing the process ended up being and how different everyone’s paintings were, despite being based on the same scene. Some were more exact, and others (those painted by some of the tipsier participants) were more abstract, but they were all beautiful in their own unique ways. Anybody who has ever wanted to paint but has no idea where to start should definitely check out a Paint Nite event. Registration is simple through the Paint Nite event search on their website at paintnite.com. Grab a friend or two and “Drink Creatively.”
@Unchained116