One Canvas and a Fresh Perspective Later...

I had driven circles in the parking lot of the school-turned-booze fest known as Sips and Strokes for about fifteen minutes before I finally took a deep breath of gumption and walked into the din of tipsy ladies. Most of the students took the title quite literally, sipping on their purchased goods from the liquor store next door as they put on paint smeared aprons and pumped out the specified amounts of primary colored paints we would be using that evening.

We began putting brush to canvas about 20 minutes after our scheduled start time. A mad rush of latecomers and throngs of chatty females were the cause, but the instructor commanded attention with the aid of a deafening microphone, and everyone instinctively got down to business pronto (A result of getting chastised by your teacher in elementary school, no doubt). What I didn't expect was to enjoy it - alot. We were allowed some version of creative freedom (as much as our limited color palette would allow), and were given step by step instructions.

While everyone's picture turned out to be a mirror image of the other, I took pains to separate mine from the pack. My flowers were a little more abstract, my vase a bit off-center from the rest of the group, and I had splattered paint onto the bottom of the canvas...mainly out of rebellion. Unfortunately nothing could be done about the elementary colors or the low quality of paint which dried flat and dull onto the canvas. But overall, I have to say that it allowed most people in the room to step out of their comfort zones and be creative for a change, showing them that even the most Type-A personalities can let loose every once in awhile.