Painting with a Twist

Right before I moved home from London, I took a painting class at the American Women's Club, taught by my friend Maribeth, who has sadly since died of cancer.  I have no talent when it comes to drawing or painting, and yet somehow I eked out two paintings that a second grader would be quite proud of!  When my friends collected for my farewell gift, instead of the usual piece of British pottery or Timothy Richards bookend, I persuaded them to get me a fancy box of paints.  That was 10 years ago, and I haven't opened one tube.  So when my friend Luci suggested we go to Painting with a Twist, I thought, as long as we can take wine, why not?

Interestingly, Painting with a Twist is a franchise organization, and is apparently quite popular in Texas (there are 40 studios in that state, and 4 in Austin alone!).  What are the odds that the only one in New York would be right here in Fairport? They host lots of private parties, where you can choose the image you wish to paint, but they also have classes that are open to the public, so Luci and I chose a night that offered some pretty yellow flowers that seemed fairly simple.  I was dubious about painting something in 2 hours on a Thursday night that wouldn't just end up in Friday's garbage, but I was game to give it a try.

Great background, Luci!

Chuck, the evening's instructor, was also the artist of the painting, so it was fun to watch him copy his own work while directing us.  He made it seem so simple, as first we painted the entire canvas black, dried the paint with hair dryers, then chalked some rough outlines for the flowers (one was supposed to look like a bird's head) and stems.  As he walked around reviewing everyone's progress at that point, I heard him remark to the ladies across from me, "nice bird head.  Nice."

I like my "bird's head"!

When he got to mine, he diplomatically said, "that'll work."  After filling the flowers and stems with white, we then proceeded to the yellows, trying to maintain some differentiation between the actual petals.  I don't think I totally succeeded, but I was rather pleased with my variegated tuft of grass at the bottom, and Chuck complimented my improvement.  (Of course, they want you to return, so they have to be polite?)

We did it!

By the end of the evening (and the end of Luci's and my bottle of red...), we had all completed our paintings quite satisfactorily, and the owner told us about their 'frequent painter' program, where after 10 punches (and liking them on Facebook or writing a review on Tripadvisor earns a punch, in addition to attending a class) you get a free session.  Since I know I'll be a repeat customer (and how fun would it be to have a private girls' night out party and choose from among their 100+ images?), I now have to figure out where in the house to create my own little gallery - Maribeth would be so proud!

                                                                                                                                                                  .         For more information on Painting with a Twist,  click here: Painting with a Twist.  For more information on the Fairport location, click here:  Painting with a Twist in Fairport