Social Painting In Fort Lauderdale

Looking for a fun girls night out instead of the same old same old at the local bar? If you want, you can head to the bar or a movie afterwards!

While at the office last month an email came through. I opened it and found a link to a Wine and Canvas social painting gathering at a local pizzeria. A coworker had invited myself and another coworker to attend for a girls night out. Whatever, you had me at wine!

Sounded fun to me. Pizza, wine, and a few laughs. Sign me up! I rarely go out with the girls. Truth be told, I’m a homebody. My boyfriend plays hockey 2-3 nights a week, so it’s not like I don’t have plenty of opportunity to get out there and explore a few passions of mine.

Admittedly, I looked at the schedule posted and didn’t like the theme we chose, but it was the only night we all could attend. So we decided on Blooms and Balloons and reserved our spots. Everything was provided by the Wine and Canvas instructors. Our first glass of wine was included in the $35 fee and a 20% discount after that. Sadly, I had to drive home and sipped on one glass of pinot noir the entire night.

The class was scheduled from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm. The venue hosting the Fort Lauderdale/Palm Beach Wine and Canvas event was  Flash Fire Pizza in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We arrived early so we could eat before the class began. It was my first time eating there, and the pizza was delicious. It’s sort of a concept like Chipotle where you go through an assembly line and choose your crust and toppings, then they bake it for you in their fire oven.

While we were eating our instructors introduced themselves to us and told us a little about the background of Wine and Canvas. Her name was April. She asked us, “Have you girls painted before?”

I told her, “When I was about 19 my mom was really into painting and I highjacked her painting book one day and actually turned out two decent paintings just by following the book instructions.”

“This isn’t really a painting class per se,” she said. “It’s more like following some very simple instructions to produce the theme painting. You’re going to surprise yourself at how easy it is.”

She asked us to follow her on Facebook and being the social media guru I am, I asked her if she was on Snapchat? “I’m not really on Snapchat that much.”

“What! You’re missing out on a great opportunity to grow your business.” I told her. “Over 10 billion videos a day are watched on Snapchat!”

I saw the wheels turning in her head. Hopefully, I’ll run into her again and I’m going to see if she is using it for her business.

All of the class participates finally showed up and we all got situated in front of our canvases, glasses of wine in tow, and donned our painting aprons. This was the instructor’s sample theme photo.

The above photos were posted to my snapchat story. Obviously, I’m no stranger to Snapchat. Snapchat seriously is my new favorite social media platform. In just a few short months, I’ve learned how to utilize it to my advantage and have gained a lot of followers and made a lot of friends. It’s more than an app to me. It’s a community and a creative outlet for me. Now I just sound like a goddamn advertisement for Snapchat.

Ok, let’s get back to the Wine and Canvas post Sherri. Focus. Focus. Here’s a quick video of my snaps from the event.

There were about 13 of us in the class. Initially, everyone was quiet but as the wine flowed, so did our words. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like anyone was trashed by any means. We just got more comfortable and acclimated to our painting adventure.

Ugh, my painting wasn’t going so well.

At one point the instructor said, “Don’t worry about what your neighbor is painting, just focus on your canvas.” To which I shouted out, “It’s not a competition ladies, but if it were, I’m winning!” Luckily, the joke went over well and the ladies burst out into laughter. Thanks for the joke JT. (Justin Timberlake.) <wink wink>

I’m pretty sure someone said my clouds looked like penis’. “Huh, what? Sorry, but I don’t see that.” I’m not sure whose penis they have to look at, but damn, you might want to find a better looking one. Or just pull back on the wine sweetie.

Ok, so as my painting progressed, it got a bit better. Until I got to those damn balloons.

Those fucking trees were no walk in the park either! But you know what? I had a great time. We all laughed and enjoyed ourselves and it was worth the $35 dollars. Exactly what the class was designed for. Socializing while experiencing art. I’m going to take another class. Next time, I’m signing up for the painting I actually want to paint.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you when my boyfriend came home from hockey and looked at my painting he said, “That’s what you got for your $35?” He’s now wearing the painting around his neck as a necklace! I joke, I joke. As for the painting, it’s going to the curb. I won’t hang it because I don’t like it. You know what they say. “One man’s junk, is another man’s treasure.”

So to sum it up, if you’re looking for something artsy and fun to do in Fort Lauderdale while meeting new people, go check out one of these Wine and Canvas events. And remember it’s not just for ladies. Couples do it as a date night. Tell April, the Snapchat lady sent you.