Craft E Magee and I were invited to Pinot’s Palette in St. Matthews this week to paint Louisville’s beautiful skyline as part of a Louisville Bloggers event. When I received the invitation, I may have squealed with delight, as creating my own painting has been on my bucket list for quite a while.
What was I waiting for? Confession time: I can tackle a sewing machine and a glue gun with the best of ‘em, but put a drawing instrument in my hands and I’m all fumbles. In short, I have always been scared that my painting would end up looking like a toddlers unintelligible scribbles. Friends, I can not draw.
Fortunately, at Pinot’s Palette, I didn’t need to worry about that. Pinot’s Palette is a “paint and sip” studio and the class is designed to teach you how to create the evening’s painting in simplistic, easy to follow steps. There was nothing scary about it. Plus, there’s a wine bar if you feel you need a glass of vino to help kick the nerves down a notch. Or, you can just keep the wine flowing until your painting looks good. Whichever.
When we arrived, we were warmly welcomed and shown where to grab a smock and where to look for our names at our seats. Everything we would need for our painting was laid out for us – canvas, paint palette, and brushes. Then the fun began: it was time to put paint to canvas. As I said, everything was explained step-by-step and the artist-instructor gave everyone plenty of time to finish one step before moving on to the next. There was an additional instructor walking out among the group to offer assistance if anyone got stuck and needed help during any part of the creative process.
Music was playing, everyone was laughing and having fun with their painting, and the atmosphere was easy-going and relaxed.
I love my finished Louisville Skyline painting. It may not be perfect, the buildings may be slanted in the same weird way that my handwriting slants, but I feel very proud of it.
Pinot’s Palette has locations in many states and you can check out their website to see if there are any located near you. If you are a Louisville local, I highly recommend checking out the class calendar at the St. Matthews location and signing up for your favorite painting. I saw several hanging in their gallery that I would love to try my hand at now that I feel more confident. Pinot’s Palette also offers private group parties – what a fun way to celebrate a birthday or bridal party!
Have you ever participated in a class at Pinot’s Palette or another “Paint and Sip” venue? Would you like to give a class like this a try? Leave me a comment below – I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences!
Happy painting, DIY’ers!
~julee~
