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Painting With A Twist | Yes, You CAN Paint!

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Crescent City Living LLC Licensed LA RE Commission

I’m not talking about painting your house.  I’m talking about one of the newest hot spots for West Bank ladies (and a few gentlemen too) to get together for a few hours and share food, drinks and definitely a few laughs. 

Painting With A Twist recently opened in Gretna LA, just a couple of blocks off the West Bank Expressway.  One of my friends decided that painting and drinking would be a fun way to spend an evening, so we rounded up a group and headed over there last night.

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We all arrived toting trays of goodies to share, bottles of wine and even a few daiquirisI figured the drinking was so that we wouldn’t cry if we hated our pictures.  The entire premise is that anyone can be at least a novice artist.  Bring your own snacks, drinks and $35 and Painting With a Twist provides the bottle openers, the cups, the space, the canvas, the paints, the brushes and the most patient instructors you’ll ever meet. 

Each night of the week, there are open classes that anyone can attend.  2 hours classes are $35 and 3 hour classes are $45.  Walk ins are welcome, but it’s preferred that you either call ahead or sign up online, since there are a minimum of 4 people to hold a class.  A different picture is featured each night (see the schedule on their website) for the open classes or you can book a private party for 15 or more people and choose your own painting from a large gallery selection.

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If you have company coming to visit over the holidays, wouldn’t this be a fantastic way to get out of the house and spend an evening as a group or a family?

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Step by step, we were led through the process of turning a blank canvas into our own little piece of art.  Rule number one from our fabulous teacher, Jason, was….relax!  It’s supposed to be fun, not stressful and a room full of type A, perfectionist personalities promptly did just that.  Music played in the background as we made those first hesitant strokes onto the canvas.  I don’t know why we were worried to begin with.  If we ran into a little trouble, Jason and another of the resident artists were on hand to help us out, encouraging us to put our own interpretation on the guide pictures we were trying to recreate and giving us how-to tips to fix our little mistakes along the way.

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Now, I’m not creative or the least bit artistic by any stretch of the imagination.  I can’t even draw a straight line, much less paint a picture, but I’m pretty proud of my first attempt and figure it’s at least a step up from what my mom used to hang on the refrigerator.

 

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Painting With A Twist is located at 1900 Lafayette Street, in the Village Shopping Center in Gretna LA.  Visit them on the web at www.paintingwithatwist.com or call (504) 361-0574.

Jeremy K. Frost
Keller Williams Realty - Dripping Springs, TX
Associate Broker, ABR,CNE,CRS,ePro,PSA,RENE,SRS

I love to read a great post like this one. Thanks for making it RAIN!!!

Nov 04, 2009 11:28 PM
Cindy Edwards
RE/MAX Checkmate - Johnson City, TN
CRS, GRI, PMN - Northeast Tennessee 423-677-6677

This is incredible!  I would be a regular at a place like this.  NAR is in New Orleans next year!  I'm in.

Nov 04, 2009 11:33 PM
Barbara Michaluk
Weichert Realtors | Phone Direct 240-506-2434 | 301-681-0550 office - Silver Spring, MD
Leisure World Specialist / Full Service REALTOR

Lisa, this is a very interesting concept that allows anyone to be an artist for a day or night.  It looks like you had fun and from the art on the wall.

Nov 04, 2009 11:46 PM
Susan Brown
Keller Williams NE, Kingwood Texas (Humble & Atascocita too) - Kingwood, TX

Lisa - This is an awesome idea.  You get to let your hair down, enjoy your friends and be creative at the same time.  I wish we had something like that in our neck of the woods.

Nov 04, 2009 11:57 PM
Julia Odom
Select Realty Professionals - Chattanooga, TN
Chattanooga Homes for Sale

I love this (especially the BYOB - is that wrong?).

Nov 05, 2009 12:06 AM
Colleen Fischesser Northwest Property Shop
NextHome Experience - Chelan, WA
A Tradition of Trust in the Pacific NW since 1990!

What a fun idea! I wish we had something like this close by and you're right, it's a great thing for families to do while visiting over the holidays. Can you paint whatever you want or do you have to follow the lesson of the day? I notice several of you have painted the same picture.

Nov 05, 2009 12:37 AM
Michelle Minch
Moving Mountains Design Home Staging, Pasadena, CA - Los Angeles, CA
Home Staging Los Angeles and Orange County, CA

Sounds like a lot of fun, Lisa. I haven't heard of anything like that here, but it would be a great idea for a girls night out.

Nov 05, 2009 12:43 AM
Amy Jones
Amy Jones Photo - Mandeville, LA
(licensed in LA)

These places seem to be the "thing to do"! A friend of mine has been to Painting With a Twist in Gretna. She had a great time. Wish them much success. Thanks for sharing.

Nov 05, 2009 01:08 AM
Maggie Dokic /Indialantic | 321-252-8696
Magdalena Dokic - Indialantic, FL
Selling the beach in Florida's space coast

Lisa, what a novel idea.  Great way to spend an evening with friends, and the price can't be beat.  We have nothing like this in Miami. =(

Nov 05, 2009 10:33 AM
Lisa Heindel
Crescent City Living LLC - New Orleans, LA
New Orleans Real Estate Broker

Jeremy, thanks!

Cindy, that would be a blast to have a whole group from NAR go - a little different than hanging out in the French Quarter, that's for sure :)

Barbara, we had a really, really good time and laughed so much my cheeks hurt!

Susan, it's a franchise of Corks and Canvas...surely there's an artist in your town who would do well with this concept.  One of the girls who was with us said that her sister is opening a location in Florida.  I bet it spreads like wildfire.

Julia, the BYOB is what got me to agree to go :)

Colleen, the whole group paints the same picture, with the instructor helping step by step.  I can't begin to imagine the chaos of people who have never gone beyond finger painting each trying to do a different one!!

Michelle, it was just us girls in our group, but there were a couple of guys in another class.  I think a family class would really be fun.

Amy, is there one on the North Shore?

Maggie, $35 for the class, $7 for a daiquiri, $5 for crackers and spread and a great night out with friends - you can't beat that!

Nov 05, 2009 11:06 AM
Terry & Bonnie Westbrook
Westbrook Realty Broker-Owner - Grand Rapids, MI
Westbrook Realty - Grand Rapids Forest Hills MI Re

I really like this idea too bad I'm not an artist.

Nov 05, 2009 02:23 PM
Lane Bailey
Century 21 Results Realty - Suwanee, GA
Realtor & Car Guy

After a few daiquiris I would be sure I could paint... the next day I might think different, though. 

 

;^ )

Nov 05, 2009 02:23 PM
Lisa Heindel
Crescent City Living LLC - New Orleans, LA
New Orleans Real Estate Broker

Terry Bonnie, that's the beauty of it - you don't have to be! 

Lane, daiquiris never hurt ;)

Nov 06, 2009 01:29 AM
Lisa Hill
Florida Property Experts - Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Beach Real Estate

This looks like so much fun! It's great that anyone can participate in this. And I like the filigrees. It's a great place for anyone to start, and be able to feel good about their painting =D

Nov 06, 2009 12:13 PM
Lane Bailey
Century 21 Results Realty - Suwanee, GA
Realtor & Car Guy

Isn't the "Hand Grenade" based on a Daq.?  That thing sure gave me a hurt...

Nov 06, 2009 02:21 PM
Terrie Leighton
Ferrari-Lund Real Estate - Reno, NV
Reno Real Estate Agent ~ Selling Homes in Reno

Reno does not have a "Painting with a Twist" shop or anything like it, yet! But I would love it if one would open here. I like the idea of not having to be talented or creative to be able to create something unique.

Nov 07, 2009 12:15 PM
Chris Olsen
Olsen Ziegler Realty - Cleveland, OH
Broker Owner Cleveland Ohio Real Estate

Hi Lisa -- What a great night out and a fun concept, I would be game for something like that.  I hope you hung your painting up as it is visually interesting and paintings always bring warmth to a home.

Nov 08, 2009 12:00 AM
Lisa Heindel
Crescent City Living LLC - New Orleans, LA
New Orleans Real Estate Broker

Lisa, I didn't expect to be able to paint anything worth sharing, so I'm just happy it remotely resembled the original!

Lane, well, what did you expect from something called a Hand Grenade?  Hee hee....

Terrie, they are franchised, so maybe you'll get one soon.  If so, GO!

Chris, I absolutely hung it up - good or bad, it's mine :)

Nov 08, 2009 04:06 AM