chuckography: Mixing red paint and Merlot...

Friday, September 04, 2015

Mixing red paint and Merlot...

Smokey Bones on Rivers Avenue sends me discount coupons each month.

"Buy $20 worth of food and pay only $10."

They have BBQ and burgers and lots of other things but I like the Salmon with two sides.

Last night I got the fish, mashed potatoes, baked beans ...and a
colorful live action show going on in the corner.

PaintNite.com had about 20 would-be artists gathered for an evening starting with a blank white canvas and ending with a finished painting.

The result on the right was the targeted desired effect and Haley Metcalfe, the artist leading the class, explained the steps she had taken with various colors of paint and brushes to get there.

She also filled a blank canvas step-by-step so the participants could see and follow her lead.

Oh, did I mention a waitress came through with refills and fresh drinks for the neophyte painters? This is a restaurant and bar after all.

The slogan for PaintNite is "Grab a drink, grab a brush and, let the fun begin."

As the salt-rimmed glasses were refilled and wine glasses topped, the brushes were in motion.

Beers were consumed and paint was applied.

Creativity was unleashed and the enjoyment factor flowed.

Haley looked over shoulders, made suggestions and gave gentle reminders.

"If you draw branches that you absolutely hate, don't worry. You can cover them with the black leaves you're going to add later."

Haley asked me if I had ever painted and I responded that I had not.

I said my camera challenges me to create using a lot of the same guidelines such as "Rule of thirds" and off-center framing.

I combine colors for effect and maybe even use "tricks" such as a fisheye lens or a zoom lens to compress space.

She said an artist can leave out distracting objects and focus on things pleasing to the eye.

Before Photoshop, and other tools, I had to observe carefully the background behind my subject.

Errant telephone poles could not be removed later!

Today, photos with a rude person popping up in the background, is called "photo bombing."

I used a fisheye lens effect to distort this scene of an artist and her progress.

The almost empty wine glass adds to the surreal image.

Hmm... maybe less red paint and more red wine?

PaintNite also has "classes" at Liberty Tap Room in Mt. Pleasant and at Two Keys Tavern in Ladson.

The website shows a cost of $45 with all things needed supplied.

It also points out how to get discounts and encourages people to team up for a fun evening.

I can attest to that. This was a happy crowd and showed diversity when compared to the target image.

These efforts dispute the old poetic saying that only God can make a tree. The tree's look is in the eye of the beholder.

Or, in some cases, this night, in the eye of the beer-holder.

(Click on the photos and links for more details.)

Haley may have whetted my appetite to put down my camera and try to create something with a different medium.

I'll get a few friends to join me and see how I do while sipping a Jameson whisky on-the-rocks.

I can always go back and cover my errors with dark bushy leaves...unless it's a beach scene.

This is definitely NOT paint-by-numbers which I tried when I was a kid.

Check it out. Could be a fun evening.

Labels: #Haley Metcalfe, #Liberty Tap Room in Mt. Pleasant, #PaintNite.com, #Smokey Bones, #Tara McGuirl., #Two Keys Tavern in Ladson, paint-by-numbers, rule of thirds.