W + C, part 2

So, the story about Wine and Canvas that I began telling on Friday actually has a prequel. Ginny and I had made our plans to go to Jake's and paint Lake of the Isles with quite a bit of notice. Exactly one week before we were set to go, Ginny sent me a text message in the middle of the afternoon. She had already made plans that evening to go to make a different painting with another friend. But, that friend had a sick child and would be unable to attend. Ginny asked me if I'd like to go along in the friend's place, and I said sure!

It was a little bit of slapdash madness from there out. I ended up leaving work a few minutes early to meet up with Ginny and set off for Redstone in Eden Prairie. Since it was the middle of rush hour, I was worried we were going to wind up sitting in traffic forever. But, we got very lucky and since it was a Monday evening, things were a little lighter. We made it on time and got settled in quickly.

This was actually my first experience with Wine and Canvas, despite the way I'm telling this story. It's a lot of fun to leave the class with a painting you've made, but don't be fooled: it can be a little bit stressful while you're working. In my experience, this was especially true the first time around. There were a few moments of awkwardness, followed by some levity, during the session, though, because there were some participants who'd had a little too much to drink. Okay, a lot too much. They were interrupting the teacher, and shouting for the waiter to bring more drinks. At first, it was just irritating, but soon it became clear that everyone knew what was happening. I guess you could say it was a bit of a bonding experience for the rest of the class. I meant what I said before: all the paintings people make during the class look different, but they all look good. Not true for the drunken ladies. Their paintings looked nothing at all like the model. So, I guess the lesson is that, if you can keep your alcohol consumption under control, you can make a beautiful painting!

So this was the painting we made that evening. Don't you think it's funny - this painting seems way more like me than the other one, doesn't it? I couldn't quite believe it when Ginny invited me along to do this one in particular!

Here's a detail shot of some of the leaves on this one. Remember how happy I was to paint the leaves in the other one? Well, I felt the opposite about this one. Seriously. I was tempted to leave them out, though I'm glad I didn't, especially since I usually see the painting from further away.

I brought the painting home and dutifully hung it up - since its colors match almost my entire apartment, I had no trouble finding a spot.

These are all the W+C adventures I've had... for now! Though you've really got to focus during the class, its a cool activity and one I definitely plan to do again!