Before our world took a break from “normal” for a few years, I lead paint evenings on a regular basis in restaurants and pubs.
I’ve seen all kinds of people coming to these events: best friends looking for a cool kind of evening together. Moms on an evening out to nourish their own soul. Artists who would blow me away, and people who hadn’t touched a paint brush since kindergarten. Boyfriends who were coming to make their girlfriend happy, and ended up loving their experience, etc.
Two things would make me particularly happy, and I want to share them with you.
First – I loved people who had little to no experience in painting. They would invariably come in, look at the painting for the evening, and tell me with a nervous smile: “I’ll never be able to do THAT!”
I would smile, and tell them: “It is my job tonight to make sure you end up with something much better than what you think you can do. Trust me, you’ll be surprised! And… a little drink will definitely help the process!”
I was able to say it with confidence, because in all the times I’ve done this, the number of disasters I’ve had on my hands was astonishingly small. Not because I’m some sort of genius. It’s just that the paintings selected for these evenings were made out of very simple steps – all you need to know is how to break it down in simple steps that everybody can reproduce with very little difficulty. Even the most hesitant ones would end up doing something they never thought they could. It wasn’t Van Gogh or Rembrandt, but it was theirs, and they were proud!
If they hesitated about the final product, I’d play a little trick on them. I’d tell them to hold their painting, I’d take a picture and show it to them. Invariably, they would be surprised: “I’ve painted THIS?!” Once they saw their painting on the screen, somehow, it helped them see it as a whole, instead of focusing on the small details that bugged them. They could see it with a more objective eye, and they were amazed at how good it looked!
I absolutely loved that moment. It was magical.
The other thing that would make my night was when I had a rogue in the group.
Sometimes, it was somebody who clearly had artistic abilities and would go off on their own interpretation of the theme of the evening. They would add details, they would play with colors, shades and tones, they would totally make it theirs and I loved seeing them just improvise with their brushes!
At other times, it was a person with a bit of an original streak that would think of something humorous or off the wall and just go for it. I’ve seen it all: a SWAT team dropped in the middle of a serene winter scene. Intergalactic fried eggs (don’t ask). A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle with a Bob Ross afro, holding a palette and paint brushes. As soon as I would see something like that happen on one of the canvases, I’d tell that person to just go for it, and I’d keep an eye on it all evening. It totally made my night!!
All of this to say how excited we are to bring this type of evening back!!! I cannot wait to see you guys join us at Just John’s for a nice cool drink and a bite to eat, as we go through the steps of this beautiful Tropical Evening painting, or the other designs coming up this summer!
I’m looking forward to meet all of you: don’t count yourself out because you think you cannot do it! As I’ve said before, it’s my job to prove you wrong. One way or another, it will be a really fun evening, and if all goes well, as I think it will, you’ll end up with something you can proudly hang up in your living room!
Visit our website to reserve your spot, places are limited! Come with a family member or a friend, or come by yourself if that’s what floats your boat! Treat yourself to our Sip ‘N Paint nights at Just John’s!