"PAINT AND SIP"

Last night I went to the Arlngton Art Lounge to attend a "paint and sip" event (I brought my own decaf, which was undoubtedly rude).  Fun!  I'd heard about these workshops for a few years:  Mostly they take place in pubs or bars; you go and order drinks, there is a painting instructor, everyone gets a place with an easel and paint and brushes, and as you sip, the instructor talks everyone through the process of making a painting.  An example of the finished painting is right there to refer to.  Everyone does the same painting (but of course, art being art, they all come out slightly different).

At the Art Lounge, the emphasis is less on drinking and more on painting, which I liked.  There is a bar, and also snacks, but that's not where the emphasis is placed.  They also offer other classes--a lot of other painting classes, family nights, jewelry making, drawing from live models, poetry readings and music.  It's a wonderful place and it's where I'll be teaching the basic Zentangle® class on 2/24/15.  I'm looking forward to it.

I had never worked with acrylics before.  And still I have had so little experience with them that I cannot say whether I like them or not--about all I can say is that they dry quickly.  I was able to bring the painting home on the bus with me and it was totally dry as I left the Lounge!  Other than that, one experience isn't enough to tell me much.

It was fun though.  The music they played while we painted (not live music, but still...) was really great and it was a good combo of excellent music, really nice people, and fun doing the paintings.  It's a wonderful safe form of experimentation, even if we were all doing the same picture.  I don't know how much "art talent" anyone else there lays claim to, but every person was able to produce a good-looking canvas by the end.  From what I could tell, everyone loved it and it looked to me as though they will all be back.

“I hate flowers. I only paint them because they're cheaper than models and they don't move.” Georgia O'Keeffe quotes (American Painter, 1887-1986)