Last Friday, Brent and I spent the evening with paintbrushes in hand. No, not another home project. This time it was Van Gogh and Botticelli!
One of my birthday gifts to Brent was a trip to the “Simply Jane” studio in Minneapolis. I discovered the offer through “Trubates” which meant 50% off the usual $40 fee for Jane’s “Paint the Greats” event. This gave us three hours of painting masterpiece-inspired work, including all materials and instruction. It was inspiring, relaxing and lots of fun.
“Painting the Greats” might sound a little intimidating, but Jane does a great job of making art accessible to every level of student. When you arrive, the canvases are already prepared with a sketch of a well-known work of art. That means you get to bypass one of the most challenging parts of painting: drawing! From there, she provides all the supplies needed as you fill in the sketch and she teaches tips on highlighting and texturizing.
We may not have come away with masterpieces, but after many years of not picking up a paintbrush, this was the perfect way to step back up to a canvas.
One of the many things that Brent and I share is a love for the arts. Years ago, he picked up a pencil and started sketching and then he signed up for painting classes. His work shows that a formal arts education isn’t necessary to produce beauty on a canvas. He captured wonderful scenes from his years in the Peace Corp that are hanging in our home today.
I focused on Graphic Design as an art major before graduating in Journalism. I loved being able to experiment and learn about everything from drawing, three-dimensional design, lettering, photography, art metals to print production and more. Today I’m thankful my job provides opportunities for creativity almost on a daily basis.
But, for both of us, it’s been years since we’ve actively pursued something like painting. “Paint the Greats” reminded us how much we love it. As we ended the evening, Brent commented that he couldn’t remember the last time he felt that relaxed. We realized we really needed to prioritize opportunities for creativity for that reason if none other. So we walked away a little more relaxed and dreaming about possibly having an art studio in our home one day.
Whether you have some latent artsi-ness you want to re-visit or you just want to have fun with friends, we highly recommend Jane’s studio.
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What do you do to inspire creativity? Let us know in the comments below.
I haven’t read it yet, but this looks like a great resource for artists. I’ll give you an update when I get to read it!
• “You Need to Read the War of Art” by Jeff Goins
Broken Vessels 