Two Sides of Paint Nite
I recently had the opportunity to attend my first Paint Nite. These are informal group painting “classes” (though never referred to as such), often in pubs or restaurants, for people of all skill levels to try their hand at following the instructor to create their own version of the sample painting. Groups usually contain about 20 students and run for 2 hours, with a “drink and dry” break in the middle. Supplies as well as instruction are included in the ticket price, while food and beverages are extra.
Woodpecker on Birch Tree (by Ward Parker)
A woodpecker chipping away at a birch tree illuminated by moonlight was the subject of the Paint Nite in which I participated. The instructor is an artist (Tiffany April) in her own rite, and did a great job of walking the class through the process of filling up our empty canvases with this pre-fab image invented by Paint Nite artist Ward Parker.
These events are a great opportunity for painters and non-painters alike to try out a new skill or practice their existing skill. And it’s fun to leave with a personal memento of the evening. It is emphasised that the instruction is just a guide and that participants are free to adjust their painting to their own preferences or creativity. It’s wonderful to have art so accessible and simple to try without needing to invest in supplies.
As an artist myself, I clearly have a bias in that I already thoroughly enjoy painting, and it was interesting to have a flexible structure of instruction that I could follow or bend. However, not everyone at the event felt the same way. For one person it was the first time they had picked up a paintbrush. She said she didn’t find the evening enjoyable and thought her piece was horrible.
That leads me to the flip side of Paint Nites. What was sad about it was how people compared their work (negatively) to others, or seemed to get increasingly anxious about missing an instruction or making sure their work identically matched that of the instructor. Comparison and stress are two life-sucking elements. Comparison for the purpose of self-improvement or seeing things from a new perspective is a healthy practice; unfortunately, when it gets into negativity (“I’m not as good as…”) then it loses any benefit.
I recognize that as a person familiar with the feel, motion and activity of painting, I had a lot less to worry about or focus on than my classmates who hadn’t done much (if any) painting. But it made me think wistfully of childhood times when kids just make art however they like, guided by their imaginations, without limits (like that “the sky should be blue” or “a human looks like this…”). I wished my classmates (especially those struggling with the painting process) could have released themselves from striving to fit into a certain mould and being frustrated if they didn’t fit it they way they thought they should.
In summary, Paint Nites are good and bad, depending how a person choses to participate. I love seeing art-making getting great public attention as it provides a perfect introductory experience to those who wouldn’t otherwise try painting on their own. I don’t like seeing art making become a source of negative self-talk or comparison. Even if the painting doesn’t look like the instructor’s, I think there is something beautiful about the diversity of each individual’s take on a prescribed painting.
My woodpecker must have undergone some sort of full-moon style transformation as I adjusted it to have the Marion Aitken personal touch. It’s based on the sample, but hurray for making it my own. I added a little trunk carving in honour of my own relationship with my fiancé.
