Art lessons with a tipsy twist

Above a panel on 15th Street hangs a small sign that reads, “Sipping ‘N’ Painting,” complete with a collage of paintings of various colors and styles. The warm, inviting atmosphere and small bar inside also help draw patrons in from the streets.

Sipping ‘N’ Painting is an ideal place to spend with a date, either one you know well or one you may be seeing for the first time. The idea is to paint either the chosen picture for the evening, or your own creation, while having a glass of wine or beer handy. It’s a great combination of structure and conversation, made even better by the fact that libations are readily available.

Sipping ‘N’ Painting began nearly three years ago in the basement of a community center. The business quickly outgrew its birthplace, expanding to a restaurant, and then its current, humble studio on 15th Street, which is tastefully decorated with instructors’ paintings hanging from horizontally mounted aspen trees. Original wooden flooring adds a touch of charm you would expect from a high-end art studio. A new location is scheduled to open at I-25 and Hampden on Sept. 28.

The classes are $35 per person Tuesday through Thursday, $40 Fridays and Saturdays, and just $30 on Sundays. The price includes a complimentary drink, as well as everything you need for the evening: paints, canvas, apron, and of course, instruction.

After students get settled in with drinks in their hands and paints on their palettes, an instructor begins the class. Sipping ‘N’ Painting is open to people of all levels and abilities, and it attracts men as well as women who just want to have fun.

Certain paintings are assigned to different dates, so you can choose which painting you would like to go home with. Simpler paintings like Aspen Trees are very popular, as well as classics like Starry Night.

The instructor makes it easy for students to make a painting of any difficulty by walking them through step by step. This time of year, there are fewer students, which gives the instructors the opportunity to walk around the class offering one-on-one attention, not to mention more time to bartend.

The menu consists of red and white wines, beer, and sodas. House wines go for $4 a glass and $15 a bottle. Some choices include Lucky Star pinot noir, Callaway cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay, and A. Mano pino grigio. Premium wines are a little more at $6 per glass and $25 per bottle. You, or better yet your date, can splurge on some Irony cabernet sauvignon or Darcie Kent sauvignon blanc.

Beers go for $4 apiece, except for the $3 Coors Light. Brew choices include New Belgium Fat Tire and Sunshine Wheat, as well as Pacifico, Blue Moon, and Mike’s Hard Lemonade. Sodas are also available, and students can snack on free M&Ms and nuts piles high by the bar.

Classes are held every week in the evenings, and discounts can be found at eventbrite.com. So whether you and your date are artsy or not, the night is sure to be relaxed, fun, and flirty.