Very recently, my mum signed me up for a Paint and Sip session by Onelook Studio, here in Apia, Samoa. My mum found them on Facebook, and immediately wanted to me to try it out.
I have painted before, but only as a hobby. I am in no way a master of my craft at all! So when I thought of this event, I had a rush of different thoughts: “Ooooh, how fun!” Was my initial thought. With curiosity plaguing my mind, I then wanted to know more about them. I took out my phone and searched for them on social media.
Immediately, I was met with a stack of videos and photos of amazing vibrant paintings that struck me. I really loved how the event provided templates readily drawn for you to start on.
They have solo templates (canvas with one full picture provided). And they have Buddy templates. (Two canvas with one picture halved on two sides).
And here are what the templates look like on the canvas! As you can see I chose solo template #1 and my neighbour chose solo template #4.
Here is a buddy template! This was a painting displayed in their studio!
After seeing the countless amazing paintings done by the people who attended the event, I began to wonder, “Am I even good enough to join?”. Funny enough, they had a video saying that their event is friendly for all levels, beginner, intimidate, or advance. All was welcome. This seemed to calm my nerves a little and made me look forward to the event.
After two weeks of waiting for the day to arrive, it finally came. We were told to come by 6 pm, but I had arrived quite early, and ended up being the first one there.
Straight off the bat, the staff were very sweet, welcoming me with hospitality and a quick tour. They were really kind enough to show me the art supplies and give me a first-hand explanation of everything. Despite feeling awkward at being extremely early, my worries were quickly washed away, and I felt right at home.
Onelook Studio is such a beautiful place with a warm and cozy ambiance. It is clear that the owners are very artistic and imaginative people with good taste in style.
It is important to note that Onelook Studio is a co-working space by day and that their layout is very different during working hours. Their day-to-day layout is just drop-dead gorgeous, and I would love to try it out one day!
The whole night, the staff were so easy to talk to and were very helpful. Since Mother’s Day is this Sunday, I had an idea to write a poem for my mother on the back of the canvas. They were happy to help me figure out whether the markers would seep through the canvas and show up through the paint (spoiler: it doesn’t)
Sadly, my poem was too long, and the whole thing couldn’t be written on the canvas, so I’ve posted the rest of it right here.
Anyways, there was a whole spread of art supplies laid out on a table in the corner of the studio. It had an entire spread of acrylic paints placed in a RGYB format, glitter paints, paint brushes, markers, pencils, sponges, clothes, cardboards as pallettes and other things that I didn’t know what was for.
Once the clock struck six, the studio began filling up, and by 6:30, everyone had arrived. The staff began with the housekeeping rules, some explanations of what they are as a company, and how excited they were to sell out the tickets for their event.
I had decided to go to this event on my own, and I quickly learned that this isn’t something you go to alone. Everyone was either coupled up or with a huge group. Either way, this experience was extremely positive, and I was able to interact with people from different ages and backgrounds!
The studio also serves food and drinks, but it’s not for free. You will have an additional cost, but they do have a selection of free beverages. The food is incredibly delicious, but I’m a professional food vacuum, so next time, I’ll order the large shareable box and a pitcher of coke and inhale it all by myself.
The night was also accompanied by amazing music that put us in the right mood. It was such a great playlist that when I noticed they were playing it from Spotify, I made a mental note to later ask them for the playlist. However, at the early age of 17, I seem to be heavily suffering from dementia and can not share the playlist with you, as I simply forgot to ask. :<
As for my painting experience, I will not lie. Painting stresses me out. I love the end product, but somehow, I always stress myself out. Maybe I’m just hellbent on perfection, but going through the process of painting is always messy and ugly (or at least for me it is), and seeing that process always bothers me due to imperfections and my lack of self belief.
So, from the first stage to the last, I did quite a lot of panicking. A lot.
This was the gift I was giving for Mother’s Day, so I needed it to be perfect. The words trust the process is something I always try to do but fail miserably at. Then, with only 30 minutes to their closing time (10:30pm) I began to spiral into panick mode. I grabbed the white marker and began scribbling, and somehow, I don’t know how, but somehow, I was able to salvage it and create something I could be proud of.
Don’t mind the bottom right of the painting. Focus on everything else.
After that, I breathed a sigh of relief and said a quick “thank you, jesus.” I wiped the sweat off my head, said Yippe, took some pictures, paid off my bill, then left.
The sip and paint is definitely something I’d recommend, and please, don’t be like me. The staff are quite knowledgeable about art, but I made no attempt at asking them questions. So if you have inquiries, be free to ask them about it! Questions like color blending, techniques, and more, they are more than happy to help you. 10/10 experience, and I would definitely want go to their next event on the 30th of May.
Here’s a photo of me with my painting. Don’t mind my look. It’s far past my bedtime…
Lastly, here is a video of the front and back of my canvas.
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