Thank you Living Social! Talk about leaving your comfort zone! Mark and I met up with mixology class friends, Gail and Dave, for an evening that sure was different from how we'd normally spend a Saturday night. Well, as far as the painting goes anyway. The Paint Monkey class (yes, that's the real name of the business) was BYOB...so that part wasn't all that far from the norm.
(The four of us pregamed the class at Industry Public House - awesome food and cocktails...more about Industry in another post, folks.)
Heading into class, we didn't know what to expect...none of us had any real experience with a brush and a canvas. We set up our BYOB items (Gail brought horseradish cheddar, fontina & crackers along with vodka and cran, I brought Captain Apple Rum-aritas and Black Bottom Macaroon Cupcakes...we'd had an early nosh at Industry so I figured dessert would be appropriate.
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| The magic about to begin.... |
Then over to the line of canvasses just waiting to be turned magically into our very own works of art. Could we actually do this? Joe Groom, Artist-in-Residence, believed we could...and coached us along the way.
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| Coach/Artist Joe offering helpful advice. |
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| Marilyn Before - Notice the Cocktail! |
As the evening progressed, so did our canvasses. Magically, each one of our blank slates started to come to life.
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| Mark feeling those creative juices |
Although we each had identical paints and tools to begin with, each "artist" brought something unique to his or her own painting. Oh...that Marilyn at the very top of today's post? Mine. Yep, I'm proud.
After a lot of laughs and some very good-natured ribbing (and those cocktails), our creative evening slowly came to a close.
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| Gail putting the finishing touches on her masterpiece! |
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| Dave's Marilyn is perfection...but we'd expect nothing less from Dave. |
Turned out there actually was a hidden Renoir, Andy Warhol or Monet in each one of us. Who knew. Well, what I do know is that we ended the night looking at sample canvasses on the wall, trying to decide which painting we'd do next. Hmmmmm...Starry Night? Georgia O'Keefe's Poppy? That lovely Monet? How about the Christmas Tree painting to grace the living room for the holidays? Decisions, decisions.....
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| Gail overlooking the payload of "fine" art |
Just in case you want to head over to Paint Monkey to create your own work of art, let me leave you with the "how to" on that Rum-arita.
Captain Apple Rum-arita
Serves 8
- 2 1/4 cups rum, Captain Morgan or other spiced rum
- 6 ounces Triple Sec
- 1 cup apple butter
- 2 cups apple cider
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup simple Sugar Syrup, cinnamon stick simple syrup
- lime wedges
In a pitcher, mix apple cider and apple butter until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the lime wedges, of course) and stir well. Serve over ice garnished with a lime wedge. Or if you need a warming drink, heat the mixture gently on the stovetop and serve in mugs.
Paint Monkey
100 43rd Street
Ste 212
Lawrenceville
Pittsburgh, PA 15201
412 770-4923
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