Happy Hour, Bob Ross and Happy Accidents...C'mon get Happy with us!

A couple of years ago we realized how lucky we are to be able to do what we love-and as like most people we wanted to share it with the world. Happiness is best enjoyed when shared with others.

"More people need to DO this!" 

We didn't want to hog it all to ourselves. So we tossed around a lot of ideas on how to share with all those downtrodden adults around there. Something for those people who want to join my kids art classes but are too shy because they are 

"afraid they won't fit in and OMG I can't draw a stick figure let alone paint an entire canvas! "

(Does this sound familiar? Yeah, adults are just big kids with huge responsibilities)   We wanted a catchy title. We wanted people to feel comfortable and socialize. We wanted a way for people to relax and let the world disappear for awhile.....

happy hour

Noun

(plural happy hours)

1. A time of day, usually in the afternoon or early evening, when a bar or pub offers its drinks at a discounted price.
2. Any small gathering, usually in the afternoon or early evening, set aside to relax and have a drink.

Since we are not a bar, pub or tavern  the first definition really didn't fit. But when I read the second one I had this "Ah-hah!" moment.

HAPPY HOUR ART

was born

Several times a month we offer art classes for adults. We encourage them to bring a beverage (non-alcoholic is just fine too), turn off their phones, relax and socialize. We take each person through a step by step process and at the end of the evening they walk out with a finished original piece. Yes we are all painting the same picture but we encourage participants to put their OWN mark on their piece. Change the colors! Change the layout! Add extra flourishes! Leave out certain elements!

 There are 

NO MISTAKES IN ART

We take the Bob Ross approach to being creative:

"People might look at you a bit funny, but it's okay. 

Artists are allowed to be a bit different." Bob Ross

Since its inception we have branched out into more than acrylic painting. We've added Mixed Media, Collage, Jewelry making and a Pinterest night. Since moving into a larger studio we are actively seeking out new ways to encourage adults to discover how much fun art is again. We have even started hosting an Open Studio one Sunday a month where you get to pick what you want to paint. 

If you want to see what classes we are offering in the Studio and surrounding communities please check in at the Artworks Studio Facebook page. You'll find the most current class schedule on our Notes page. 

stop pinning and start doing

I'm a Pinterest junkie. With over 5000 pins I would say I have a problem. I'm like a book geek in a book store, or library, or book sale.....you get the idea.
The problem is I do an awful lot of pinning, but I don't DO much with what I've pinned. It's like hoarding DIY projects for later and later never comes. 
ENOUGH! 
I pinned this several months ago. 

Pretty cool isn't it and I like maps and globes and I was kicking myself for donating the globe my mom had for years in the house when I moved in- WHAT was I THINKING!.  Then I stumbled across a globe in a second hand store. 

And it rolled around the studio for a few months. It didn't have a stand but it did have that metal ring on it. Which took an enormous amount of effort to remove until I discovered that a new saw blade is  magic. Pure magic.

Breaking apart the globe is like cracking an egg. You keep bouncing it on the seam- gently - until it separates. Did you know that most globes are made out of cardboard? Me either.

 I painted the inside white because it was t shirt gray and that's not a very attractive color for this project. I also stared at it for a few weeks and thought - that's pretty boring. More people will see the inside than the outside.

So I decided it needed more. Because well, it's me and I can't just let something be boring. So I got out my printed tissue papers- printed with vintage maps of course- and my gel medium and transformed the inside from boring to better. And, as if THAT wasn't enough after I wired the fixture in it I got a reproduction "vintage"  light bulb. 

Can we say "light bulb" moment?  
It's available for purchase- just contact me.