On Thursday night (February 6, 2014), people from all around Orange County got together at the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity to participate in the Center’s first-ever Pinot and Picasso.We were joined by groups of all kinds – families, couples, mothers with their daughters, and friends out for a night of fun. There were people from all skill levels – from those who haven’t picked up a brush since elementary school, to those who have missed the familiar feel of a paintbrush in their hand.
When the guests arrived, they all enjoyed wine, cheese, and other bite-sized treats to go along with their painting lesson. They were provided with a 16x10 canvas, a palette, paintbrushes, and paints, and each sat across from their partner.
The class was led by Chris Scardino, and he taught everyone how to paint basic dimensions of a human face and head. His class was loosely themed around various eras of Picasso style portraits, and everyone released their inner Picasso. They filled up their palettes with paints, and got creative with different ways to capture the personality and quirks of their partner.
Some of our guests stated that they enjoyed, “Expressing oneself. The lesson was useful. I played with colors…. and its fun to see how you see each other.” Her partner smiled and responded, “It’s a big challenge to paint something as beautiful as her.”
A family stated, “It was good family time. I'm with my wife and kids and a student who is living with us, so it was a very enjoyable evening for us. Very relaxing. I haven't done this for 30 or 40 years and she used to do a lot of art. I'm glad I got to paint her and share a bottle of wine.”
“You just relax and drink and paint a theme like Picasso – which I’ve never done before. It’s fun and forgiving because you can kind of do anything and it doesn’t have to be accurate. Everything is set up – no stress! You come, you open a bottle of wine, and you take home your masterpiece, and hang it up on the wall.”
