Paint Nite Plumage

The peacock on top of the bookshelf is my very first masterpiece.

Watch out Picasso.

Well…

Not exactly.

I’m still proud and giving myself a pat on the back though.

Here’s how it all began.

In elementary school I dressed up as an artist, a la Georgia O’Keefe style, for a Halloween party at church. I wore a long sleeved striped shirt that was a little too big for me, black pants, and some sort of hat. In my mind I pulled off the artist look flawlessly. Later that night I became the queen of bobbing for apples as well. We used tongs instead of submersing our heads into a bucket of ice cold water.

Scored. Every. Time.
I used to draw all the time and enjoyed art class in school but just before entering high school I channeled all of my creative energy into writing short stories and later poems. This newfound outlet is courtesy of an assignment given to me by Mrs. Havens, my English teacher.

I never stopped loving art and every now and again I toyed with the idea of taking a class. To help my dream become a reality I recently bought a Groupon for a Paint Nite party then signed up online. Their slogan is “drink creatively” and thankfully no experience is required. There’s an array of pictures you can choose from when you sign up. They include fall foliage, sunsets, the San Juan Islands, and much more. I’m into peacocks right now so that’s what I ended up choosing.

The peacock we modeled our own painting after.

I was pretty nervous as I entered the room with about two dozen other amateur artists like myself. I sat up front because I wanted to pay close attention to our instructor Katana. At each station there was a canvas, a cup of brushes, a cup of water, and a plate with blue, red, white, and yellow paint. We were going to need to channel our primary art skills as well for the night.

After ordering a cup of soup and a glass of wine we got started. The peacock began with a simple “S” then another. Each layer of the peacock built on itself and quickly our versions came to life.

The peacock began with a simple "s."

Katana made the process easy and simple. She has a background in teaching art to 5-year-olds which made her patient, encouraging, and easy to follow. Katana emboldened us to make the picture our own rather than focusing on making an exact replica of the model. She reminded us not to worry because in art there are no mistakes,  there’s always second chances, and encouraged “happy accidents.”

It was exactly what I needed to hear. I had to stop myself from wanting to make it perfect. I needed the reminder to relax and go with the flow. 

Painting at the halfway point

Other participants

Other participants

It was all pretty simple but I struggled a bit with the feathers. I couldn’t quite get the shape right. Instead I opted more for a more impressionist style like a second model of the peacock we were painting.

After an hour and a half we were done.

Voila.

I had a great time and plan on signing up for another event soon. Overall I’m happy with my “masterpiece.” I could always go back and make some changes but I’m not going to.

It’s perfect just the way it is.

“If you hear a voice within you say you cannot paint, then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.”
― Vincent van Gogh