Paint? Me? I have trouble drawing a stick figure. They say you don’t need prior experience to create a painting at The Art Party Studio in Champaign. Just bring your own bottle of wine, if you’d like. They take care of ice, glasses, painting supplies and the lesson. So being the adventurer that I am, off I went to The Art Party Studio, bottle of wine in hand, figuring I could use the wine as an excuse if my painting was a disaster.
It turned out most everyone in the class was the same as me, little to no painting experience and just there for the fun of it. The canvases were all set up on easels when we got there, the sample painting up front (I’m really going to paint a lighthouse?), so I settled in with a glass of wine. I was happy to see some of the design already outlined on the canvas.
After our instructor, Chance, shared a few tips about using and rinsing the brushes, we dove into painting, Chance explaining and demonstrating the techniques as we went along. Soon the canvas was almost filled with sky and water. I don’t know whether it was the wine or getting involved in the painting that did it, but I was relaxed. I no longer cared if my painting didn’t turn out well. I was having fun.
On we went to fill in the lighthouse and rocks. My lighthouse wasn’t exactly straight, even having had an outline to follow. Oh, well, must be the wine. Adding in the sun and additional rocks freehand was a bit challenging, but I managed.
A little wash of watered down white across the water, a tad more white in the sky, add my initials, and voila!
Every one of the 25 paintings done that night turned out decent. There may have been no future Rembrandts in the class, but we all had a great time.
The Art Party Studio is located at 111 S Walnut, Champaign, Illinois. Tickets are $35 for one person, $60 for two, art supplies included. You must be 18 or older to attend, 21 to drink alcohol. Visit their web site for the schedule and further details.
Disclosure: My visit to The Art Party Studio was hosted by the Champaign County CVB, but any opinions expressed in this post are my own.
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