Sioux City Adventures: 10 Reasons You Should Check Out Canvas Night
Me painting for the very first time at Canvas Night!
News flash: I’m a creative person.
This won’t come as a shocking statement to anyone who knows me, or knows that I work for an awesome digital marketing company called Team Creative Fire. It’s kind of a job requirement.
In my line of work, I create a lot of awesome stuff. I build websites, I design graphics, and I tell stories.
Telling stories is kind of my thing, both professionally and personally, and creative writing is a huge passion of mine. I love building scenarios out of carefully crafted sentences and constructing characters with well-placed adjectives.
I’m creative, but I wouldn’t really call myself artistic. I can’t draw anything more than simple doodles, and the only paintings I’ve ever done involved Crayola watercolors or canvases with numbers on them.
So, when our Benson Building neighbor, Shea Hartmann Hodges mentioned that she was hosting a weekly Canvas Night, I knew it was a perfect opportunity for a Sioux City Adventure – right next door!
If you’re not familiar with the concept of Canvas Night, it’s basically a group painting class. You pay a flat fee of $25, and that includes the canvas, all the materials you need, the instruction for the painting, and some wine (or water, if you prefer)!
You can see why I was intrigued by the idea, right?
In case you need more convincing, here are 10 reasons why you should check out Canvas Night:
#1: You really can’t beat the price.
How much does it cost to see a movie in the theater these days? What about going out for dinner and drinks? It’s so expensive. Keeping that in mind, $25 is an incredibly fair price, I think. Keep reading to see why it’s worth it!
The $25 fee includes all of the materials you need to complete your painting!
#2: Did I mention the wine?
Okay, so I don’t drink, but I think the option to have a glass of wine while you paint makes it feel legitimately artsy-fartsy, if you know what I mean. It definitely adds a touch of class to the whole affair, and I’m sure it helps some people get their creative juices flowing.
How about a little wine (or water) to get your creative juices flowing?
#3: You can meet some awesome people.
Canvas Night starts at 6:30, and begins with a half-hour of social time, so you really have a chance to mingle with the other participants and get to know them. That becomes helpful later on as you encourage each other in your painting endeavors.
The shirt says it all – awesome people come to Canvas Night!
#4: Step-by-step instructions are provided…
I was a bit worried, having never really painted before, that I would be behind the learning curve so to speak. But Shea kept things really simple, and gave us step-by-step instructions on how to achieve the effects she created in her version of the painting.
Shea gave us a helpful heads up – the acrylic paint comes out of those bottles FAST!
#5: …but creative freedom is allowed.
We were all there to learn how to paint the same image, but at the same time, we were encouraged to create our own, unique masterpieces. I walked in excited about the sunset orange and sky blue colors in Shea’s painting, but became ecstatic when I found out I could use pink and purple if I wanted!
All of our paintings turned out a little different…but they were all fabulous!
#6: Shea really shares her wisdom.
Shea also gave us little tips and tricks to help us fix things that we goofed up on, such as spritzing our canvas with a water bottle to keep the paint from drying too fast, or adding a touch of white to make bright colors more opaque and easier to blend.
I almost broke my painting a couple of times, but Shea was there to help all of us fix our boo-boos!
#7: The painting playlist.
Working next door to Shea’s Art Spot, I can personally attest to her good taste in music (and the girl can sing!), and the playlist she had going didn’t disappoint. There was just the right mix of everything between Rihanna and Bryan Adams to guide our blending brushstrokes.
Our brushes were dancing to Shea’s painting playlist!
#8: The opportunity to add to the “Oopsy Painting.”
Despite our best efforts, most of us ended up with some leftover paint when our paintings were finished, but there was no need to worry! Located at the front of the studio is a long canvas with a very naughty name where extra paint goes to dry. In the interest of keeping this Adventure PG, I’m using the junior art class version of the name, so you’ll just have to check out Canvas Night next week to find out what it’s really called.
The “Oopsy Painting” was there to catch all of our extra paint.
#9: You’ll walk away with an original piece of artwork.
My favorite part of Canvas Night was walking out of the studio with my masterpiece in hand – two turtledoves chilling on a wire against a backdrop of pink, purple, and turquoise – and it was all mine. It is currently hanging up at TCF HQ, and I smile every time I look at it. My original intention was to give it to a friend, but I’m just too in love with it now. I still think, however, it’s a great gift idea, if you’re looking for something special for a loved one. And, again, you can’t beat the price.
Your Canvas Night painting will make a great gift for loved ones…if you can part with it!
#10: The Shea’s Art Spot experience.
Let’s assume for a moment that you don’t like wine, or painting to the tune of “Wrecking Ball,” or meeting new people…the chance to check out Shea’s gallery (I’m still in love with her “Suppression” series) is totally worth giving Canvas Night a shot.
Chill out in Shea’s Art Spot on Canvas Night, and check out her amazing work!
Canvas Night takes place every Thursday in the Benson Building at 705 Douglas St. in Studio 354. Social time begins at 6:30 p.m. and the painting starts at 7 p.m. For more information about Canvas Night, including the upcoming paintings, like Shea’s Art Spot on Facebook.
I had a great time at Canvas Night, and I can’t wait to go again, but I’m always looking for new adventures. What should I try next? Let me know in the comments below. I’m willing to try anything, so long as it isn’t dangerous, illegal, or harmful to others.
Nakia Tyler is the Junior Firestarter at Team Creative Fire. When she isn’t exercising her creative muscle, she spends her time fan-girling over Doctor Who, playing with her adorable niece, and chowing on vegan food. If you see her out and about having adventures, feel free to say hi. She’ll probably be wearing pink.
About the Author
Nakia Tyler Nakia is a Web Specialist at Team Creative Fire. When she isn’t exercising her creative muscle, she spends her time fan-girling over Doctor Who, playing with her adorable niece, and channeling her inner Hello Kitty. If you see her out and about having adventures, feel free to say hi. She’ll probably be wearing pink.
Related Posts
Week Ahead: Iron Chef, Wu-Tang and ArtSplash →
Week Ahead: Premium Draft, Painting and Pop Show →
Photos: Celebrating St Patrick’s Day in Sioux City →
