Paint and Sip

... just don't drink your paint water

Ever since my early twenties I have been a teacher. Initially I trained to teach Maths at Secondary school. Apologies if I’ve mentioned it before (I’m pretty certain I have) but I would have much rather studied Art and had some sort of art related career than do Maths, but parents and school had other ideas. The school felt maybe Geography might be an option, but I wasn’t interested… and there’s nothing like telling me I should do something to make me choose something else! I chose Maths, not through any great love but because I found it easy. I also chose Physics at A level mostly because it wasn’t geography. Huge mistake! I hated it and failed Physics spectacularly, as well as getting a lousy grade in Art too, which I blame on having to do most of my lessons in my lunchtimes foregoing any formal teaching or guidance. But I got good grades in Maths so that’s what I did at further education and then when I trained to be a teacher, Maths was the only real choice if I wanted to go into secondary teaching.

After a few years I had a family, moved abroad and had a break. By the time I was ready to move back into full time work when my youngest started school, I had spent far more time around small children at home than I had being around teenagers, so I wasn’t sure about returning to secondary school. I also felt a primary environment might allow me more artistic expression than teaching A level Maths, which had always terrified me. Not to mention that by now I wasn’t even sure I could remember any Maths! So, I did a return to teaching course and retrained to teach primary aged children. After a brief period as a supply teacher, I had another career break due to family reasons during which time I studied City and Guilds embroidery classes to diploma level so when once again I was looking for work teaching embroidery seemed a logical step. I have taught mostly machine embroidery plus City and Guilds design as well as numerous other craft related classes to adults now for over twenty years. Yet during this time I have never really taught any formal art.

I have taught endless colour theory and principles of design and I have dabbled with some drawing, but I have shied away when asked if I could run art classes and teach painting. Being mostly self-taught when it comes to painting I have never had the confidence to pass on to others what I have learned just in case it’s ‘wrong’. I know this is ridiculous when latterly I have taken plenty of classes with self-taught artists who are more than happy to teach ‘their way’… some better than others… because there is no right or wrong.

However, when back in January I was asked would I be prepared to run a ‘Paint and Sip’ session at a local pub I hesitated. To be honest I wasn’t entirely sure what ‘Paint and Sip’ was, but I did a bit of googling and discovered that it sounded quite low key with the focus on getting together for an evening of fun, which sounded like my sort of class. With some trepidation, I agreed and the end of the month I hosted my first ever Paint and Sip where we painted colourful cows, relevant because there were some Highland cattle in the field at the back of the pub. Fifteen people turned up to our first evening. Each one was supplied with a canvas, a palate (i.e., a paper plate) some paints and brushes, plus their drink of choice. As a dear friend said to me “Paint and alcohol… what can possibly go wrong?” As it happens not a lot!

In reality, in a packed room full of people drinking (they weren’t stopping at the one complimentary drink) there is never going to be much teaching going on. Their ability to listen declined exponentially as the evening wore on so I think my role was far more a facilitator than a teacher. The rules were few and simple…

·      Forget any preconceptions about not being able to paint

·      There are no good or bad paintings only paintings

·      Don’t dip your brush in your wine

·      Don’t drink your paint water

·      Remember to let the layers dry… the one rule they all found the hardest.

I talked through some basic colour mixing and then we started to paint.

I demonstrated a painting through each step, standing up holding my canvas facing them and looking down on it upside down. It didn’t occur to me to bring an easel. But despite my unorthodox, handicapped approach, everyone in the room, with one exception, produced a fabulous colourful cow. And the one exception… he decided to paint his daughter to whom he then added horns (I didn’t ask) but that was fine because as I had said there really weren’t any rules. And I have since discovered there is always at least one maverick in the room who does their own thing, which I actually think is brilliant. Another place, another time that maverick would be me!

I was asked to return and since January I have run another session where we painted spring blossom with birds and bees where everyone learned that it’s not cheating and it’s perfectly okay to make paintings with old credit cards and fingers as well as brushes. Some people even came back a for a second time. And last week I ventured out to a different pub and a different group of sixteen people to paint more spring blossoms and I’ve already been booked to return.

It's great fun with plenty of laughter, it’s relaxed and it’s a brilliant evening out plus everyone gets to take a painting home.  As one punter said, ‘This beats staying at home watching telly’. That alone would be enough, but for me I have also discovered that I actually know a lot more about paint, colours and techniques than I gave myself credit for. And perhaps more importantly it doesn’t matter what we paint but it’s the fact we are doing it that is important. None of what I have done since January has been my usual subject matter, nor my finest work and it’s definitely not fine art (whatever that might mean) by any stretch of the imagination but it has been fun, and people seem to like the results. I think there is a whole lot of bulls**t spoken about art and we can be hoodwinked into thinking it has to be meaningful, important and serious when actually all we need to do is do it… get out the paints, make a mess, play, experiment and enjoy ourselves. And stop worrying about whether it’s any good.

I know some of you live not too far from me so put Thursday 18^th July in your diary and get in touch if you fancy joining me for our next evening of Paint and Sip in Ashwell.

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If you live too far away to join me in person I do still have a range of online classes in embroidery, drawing and even a bit of painting, all available until the end of July. I am reducing the price of all these by 50% as after July there will no longer be access but they can all be done within a weekend or two so there is plenty of time to complete each class. Just put in the code HALFPRICEOFFER to get a half price class. (Offer available for the next four weeks only) Find all you need to know here:

Gina Ferrari online classes

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And if you don’t fancy learning from me but might be interested in buying a painting I currently have work in this online exhibition:

Royston Arts Society Online