4 Things to Remember While Painting at Spirited Art

During my lifetime, I’ve acquired a few skills (baking skills, crochet skills, nunchuck skills…), but painting skills are not on that list. While I’ve never considered myself a painter, I haven’t let that stop me from trying! That’s why I jumped at the chance to visit Spirited Art in Huntsville when my friend Liz brought it up.

Spirited Art has six locations throughout the U.S. and offers fun classes in a group atmosphere. They have tons of painting template options, so just check their calendar to find one that speaks to you! If the painting you have your heart set on isn’t being taught at a time you can come, they also offer Open Studio nights. You can choose the painting of your choice, email them beforehand so they’re prepared to talk you through it, and show up to complete your masterpiece! My mom, sister, and I looked at the calendar online, chose a night that worked for us, and showed up for a group class with lots of optimism! Here are a few things to remember during your night at Spirited Art:

1. WINE

It’s called spirited art for a reason, y’all! You are allowed to bring your own alcoholic beverage to sip while you paint, and I highly recommend it. They provide bottle openers and plastic cups, too. I think the wine really added to the “girls night  out” vibe, as long as we followed the number one rule at Spirited Art: Don’t drink the paint water! We chose a cabernet sauvignon from Noble Vines, which was delicious by the way. Another reason to bring wine- your painting looks better the more you drink! Well, mine did at least…

2. A Friend

There are a few reasons to bring a friend to your Spirited Art class. First of all, it’s a fun activity to do with friends! Secondly, you won’t have to drink the whole bottle of wine by yourself. And most importantly, your friend will tell you to put the brush down. Liz, our teacher, called this the “phone a friend.” It’s so easy to keep adding little bits to your painting until you’ve totally messed it up, so having a friend there to tell you your tree has enough branches is really helpful.

3. A Sense of Humor

This can be taken two different ways, both of which are appropriate. First of all, the teachers at Spirited Art are funny. I’m not sure if being a comedian is a required skill on the application, but I’ve never been to a class with a dull teacher. As an appreciator of the dad joke, I approved of this. It’s also important to bring a sense of humor about your painting skills. Sometimes your “light pink” is more like a “deep red,” and sometimes you make a cloud that looks like Sir Hiss the snake from Disney’s Robin Hood… s**t happens. It’s not the end of the world! It’s all part of the experience, and the teachers are really great about helping out those in the group they see struggling.

4. Your Painting is YOUR painting

Listen your painting is not going to look exactly like the teacher’s. And it shouldn’t! It’s your painting! While the teachers are really great at walking you through each step, they are also really great at encouraging you to make your painting your own. For example, our template had one tree, but I saw people add multiple trees, a tire swing, and a dog! At the end of the night, you take your painting home, so you can make it look however you like.

I had a great time at my Spirited Art class, and I know you will, too! You don’t have to be an artist, or even have painted within recent memory, to enjoy a fun class and leave with an original piece of artwork. And if all else fails, they actually sell paintings done by the teachers, so you could just fib and say that one was yours…

Make sure you keep an eye on their Facebook, Twitter, and website in the coming weeks for a fun announcement, too!