My First Ever Painting!

A couple of weeks ago I went to a studio called Painting With A Twist and I liked it so much that I'm going back.  You can check its website -- they're franchised and have tons of locations (at least 80), in several states, clustered mostly in the southeast.  I went to the one in St. Petersburg.  The "twist" is that it's an artist-directed play-date type of activity, teaching students to create a painting in a single two- or three-hour class, the longer one is dedicated to a bit more detailed painting.  So, at the end of the class, I walked out with a completed canvas.

The company provides everything we aspiring artists need:  the easel, canvas, paints, brushes, and even an apron, complete with dried paint splatters, that, when tying it on, I at once felt as if I were already part of the artistic process.

I picked the date and time from their calendar for the specific painting I would attempt:  a Monet-inspired curved bridge over a flower-surrounded pond -- similar to the settings you might have seen of his home in Giverny.  And you probably already know that his style was "impressionist" which is good because that provides me LOTS of leeway when displaying my finished piece:  "Hey, this is MY impression."  But there are thousands of paintings rotated through the months and people who book private parties have the option of picking one that might not be on the regular schedule.  Children's subjects are also available, so there is pretty much universal appeal.

My class met in the morning, but they have midday and evening classes, too, and at any time, students may bring a bottle of wine or snacks to enjoy, and perhaps share (further evidence of their special "twist").  The company provided my morning class with coffee and doughnuts on the serving counter.  One thing in the studio that tickled me was their fancifully painted list of house rules.  Among them, the two I most remember are "Please do not dip your paintbrush in your wine glass," and "Please do not drink your cup of brush rinse water."   I knew that this was where I belonged.

Even without the wine, however, I managed to drop my paper plate of paints onto the floor, paint side down, of course.  The young teacher didn't miss a beat in washing away my mess, saying "Oh, this happens all of the time,"  and I could see the possibility in those wine-enjoyed evening parties -- but coffee?

Anyhow, I had a wonderful time painting my very first canvas which I proudly brought home to my admiring husband.  Yes, he earned points with that.  

My two-hour "Monet"

(*I'm still working on this photo-importing problem, and I still don't have it licked.  My painting is a bit brighter than this appears here.  Oh well.......)