Laughing over drinks , a would-be artist picks up a paintbrush for the first time . Smoothing paint over a canvas in unfamiliar brushstrokes , a beautiful scene begins to emerge . Two hours later , the vision is complete with trees reaching for the sky in a technicolour swirl towards the sun and , in an instant , a new creative soul is born .
In recent years , painting parties have become all the craze , inspiring professional painters , never-touched-a-brush novices and everyone in between . A session is typically two-hours long , and participants gather at a venue for an evening of painting and drinking - no experience necessary . The host company provides easels , paint , brushes , smocks and fun , interactive instruction for creating a one-of-akind art piece that the participant can then take home . The first of the paint-and-sip parties originated in New Orleans by a pair of moms , Cathy Deano and Renee Maloney , who created Painting With A Twist , as a way to help rebuild their community and raise morale after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina . While they remain the largest proprietor in the painting party realm , many fun franchises of the paintand-drink variety have sprung up across North America . We sat down with Susan and Gary Parker , the husband and wife team that brought to life one such franchise , Paint and Cocktails , for a deeper look into the undeniable allure of the wildly creative social phenomenon that is sweeping nation after nation .