Welcome to Artistic Abandon’s sip and paint blog! We’ve been a little slow to start a blog, because our studio keeps us so busy, and as an artist, I like to use spare time for creating my personal artwork. But I’m finally knuckling down and starting to write. I have no idea how frequently I’ll be able to post new blogs, and I’m guessing what I write about will be a little scattered. I’ll try as much as possible to post about the sip and paint industry, but I’ll probably sprinkle a little art and personal writing in here, as well (all work and no play makes Emily a dull boy…er, I mean girl).
To get things started, I’m going to talk a little bit about my background. I’m the product of two dirty hippies who liked to travel around the country camping near train tracks (my dad was a major train buff), which meant that I needed to find ways to entertain myself. Enter art supplies. While my parents learned early on that crayons equal a melted mess in the back of the van if you’re camping anywhere warm, I was allowed all manner of other media to explore with. As years passed and we stopped travelling as much, my parents still encouraged me to pursue art in any way that interested me. Eventually, I went to Wake Forest University and obtained a bachelor’s degree in visual arts. I moved to DC for one miserable year, then to FL where I began selling my artwork in local galleries. As the economy tanked in the mid 2000’s, I found my art sales drying up, so I had to get a “real” job. I landed at a law firm as first a receptionist and then a paralegal, and while I enjoyed the work, I had some pretty awful bosses. One day, out of desperation resulting from a particularly hideous work day, I went onto craigslist to look for another job. I stumbled across a sip and paint studio that was opening up a franchise and applied and got the job. It wasn’t enough work to allow me to quit the law firm, but it was a fun outlet and a little extra income. I’ve taught most of my life, beginning with horseback riding, then acting, and of course, art, so teaching at the sip and paint studio came very naturally to me. Add to that the fun of letting people sip wine and beer while they paint, and we had a winning combination! A couple years later, I decided to open my own sip and paint studio, and now we’ve been going strong since 2010!
What’s different about the sip and paint experience from a regular painting class? Well, the classes are less like a class and more like a party, even though you’re getting very step-by-step instruction. People that come don’t just want to learn to paint, they want to have a relaxing and fun time with their friends. It’s a social event. Most of the customers that come for the first time have never painted before, and the alcohol allows them to let go of their fear a little bit and enjoy the process. My job is to remind them to have fun and let go of the outcome, and to assure them that they’ll still leave with a painting they can be proud of. I start with a blank canvas like my customers, and then I walk them one step at a time through a painting start to finish in a 2 or 3 hour period, using acrylic paint. When someone needs a little extra assistance, I’m there to put out fires, but as much as possible, I encourage attendees to complete the work on their own so that they can be really proud of it. I also encourage them to put their own personal touches on the painting to make it their own. I’ve heard of studios where the instructor gets upset by students changing up the painting, but that makes no sense to me. Art is about self-expression and should be fun. If someone wants to draw a giant shark eating the sea turtle we’re painting, I’m on board. I’m totally an enabler if it means that the person is having a good time and will be happy with what they’ve created!
If you’re interested in opening your own sip and paint studio, but don’t want to pay outrageous franchise fees, contact us!
Artistic Abandon Wine & Paint Parties 