Creativity Through Home Art and Camaraderie
Paint and sip
Of a year ago three friends and i also attended a Paint and Sip session. When you attend such an affair you have to pay a small fee then receive a blank canvas, a tray of paints, a glass of wine (or two) or any other beverage of your choice, along with the opportunity to participate in 2-3 hours of "copy art". In copy art, the instructor tells you what to do, then s/he demonstrates so you copy. It is fun, especially for a novice painter like myself, but it may become tedious if the instructor works with the pace of the slowest painter (not I!) and everyone waits and waits until each attendee is at the same point before the lesson continues. For the speed demon like myself, this sluggish pace did not lead to creativity but alternatively the fatigue of non-participation well, i simply abandoned my leader and moved along within own pace. Having a finished product to replicate and occasion listening, I finished up with a fairly decent wine representation with added touches, dashes, and flourishes of my own, personal.
Paint night
The instructor, unfortunately, wasn't a teacher. She knew some techniques and she or he had obviously led this lesson more than once in the past, but she had not been attuned to her students. We plodded, she yapped; we waited and she or he yapped some more. It was clear that this slowest painter was never gonna finish but we patiently killed time the same. During this "free" time the trainer filled any empty spots of air with criticism to her fledgling artists: "Too much color", "Stop wanting to fix that mess", and "Please quit" were are just some of her remarks. Really allows you to want to paint, right?
But the class had been fun because I was with friends and dibbling around with colors is entertaining and critiquing non-teacher types is more so. As a result I chose to host my own paint and sip with no pressure applied. Ten friends gathered within home one evening excited to try this activity. Each easel was loaded with a clean canvas, water and brushes were available, and an array of paint drops filled each pallet. I had a finished example to share so that I could explain some tips i had done, when and how, and also clarified some important steps like having a damp canvas, the best way to cover errors with white, tools available for special touches, and so forth. For those who were too nervous to self-launch, I led them step-by-step from the process. For those who simply wanted to plunge, I allow them to go with maximum freedom.
As my girlfriends painted, I wandered, offered advice, analyzed other bottle shapes and backdrops online, and commended their efforts. Even though some replications were somewhat on the mysterious side, like the command "draw a bottleneck approximately 1-inch wide" produced tiny traces and thin lines instead, nevertheless the idea was creativity knowning that was just how some translated my try to their canvas. Others, with amazing vision, added dogwood blossoms, fancy wine bottle labels, and intricate designs with delicate shades. The interior personality was exposed together with imagination and magical conceptualizations in every painting. The finished products were fantastic.