I mentioned in a blog a couple months ago that I had made a list of things I want to do before I turn 30. Some of them were things I’d never done. Some of them were things I hadn’t done in a long time. One of the items on the list was to try a wine and painting night, something I’d seen many of my friends do before.
I found an event on Groupon called Paint Nite. You can get one ticket for $25, two for $49 and four for $99. I took two of my friends with me. It’s a perfect, fun night out for girlfriends. But for the record, there was a guy or two in our class, too!
You can pick the exact painting (including level of difficulty) and location where you will take your class through the Paint Nite website. There are some great ones to choose from, including one of the Fresno skyline! I would advise planning ahead because some of the classes are booking up about a month ahead right now. We decided on an easy painting of some birds on a branch, and took our class at The Tasting Room in Fresno. Other Paint Nite locations include Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que, DiCicco’s in Clovis, Mimi’s Cafe, Elbow Room, Kings River Winery and The Vineyard in Madera.
As we started getting a little closer to the event, I got nervous. I am historically a terrible, terrible artist, and I wasn’t sure mixing alcohol with the whole thing was a good idea. But honestly, imbibing a little before and during was a great idea, because it relaxed me enough not to stress out too much about the whole thing. I just took a sip of wine and dove right in!
Local artists serve as instructors for the classes. Our teacher, Brenda Allison, was hilarious and very helpful. She took us through every single step and stroke of painting our masterpiece. She had some great rules for us before we began, including promising not to use the phrases “I messed up,” “fix it for me” or “I don’t like this.” She gave us plenty of time for each step and encouraged us to go at our own pace and not worry about falling behind.
Even though there is a painting to copy with specific steps, we were also able to put our own spin on it if we wanted. I started taking it less and less seriously because I knew I would not be able to make a great copy of the piece. Things got less precise and more fuzzy. Eventually, I just decided to have fun. Playoff baseball was playing on the TV while we were painting at the bar, so I was inspired to turn one of my birds into a cardinal. After all, the theme of the painting, called “Find Your Own Sunshine,” was individuality!
I had to find a cartoon Cardinal to copy on my phone, but overall, the whole thing turned out way better than I expected! (Especially if you just look at it from far away!) The bottom line was, I was just loose and had fun, and so did my friends!
No matter your skill level, it really is a great time, and a unique spin on going out for drinks with your girls. You can find out more at Paint Nite’s website or its local Fresno Facebook page.
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