Author: Uncorked Inspiration

At our Uncorked Inspiration paint and sip events, we have a lot of different types of people who come paint with us. To be honest, we love all of them, and we do our best to make their event personal, friendly, and most of all, fun. Over the course of the time we’ve been in business, there have been a few “types” who stand out to us. If you come down to paint with us, be sure to keep your eyes open. You might just see one of these friends at the event.

The Perfectionist

I don’t really know the politically correct term for “Type A”. I’m sure it’s probably not “Type A” or “anal retentive” or “neat freak” but maybe it’s “perfectionist”? However, I do think we all have someone in our life who’s kind of like this (Andrea).

My perfectionist friends tend to keep their spaces spotless. They clean up afterward without even asking if they should. Their paint cups usually don’t even look as if they’ve been used, and they almost always clean their brushes really well. This is really nice for me. I won’t say I don’t enjoy it. I mean, three less brushes to clean. Paint goes into our paint bin without having to fight with the lids to put them back on. What’s not to like? Okay, maybe it’s not all roses and wine. I have noticed, on occasion, that my perfectionist friends tend to paint just a little bit slower than all of our other friends. You can sometimes find them still painting, even after we’ve closed the shop and turned off the lights. Okay, maybe not quite. It’s all good, though. We completely understand that they’re simply not satisfied with mediocrity. This is a good thing, right?!

The Hot Mess

Messy art is the best art. At least that’s what we were always told. Or maybe you’re a firm believer in Miss Frizzle and the Magic School Bus and her admonishment that we should “Take chances! Make mistakes! Get Messy!” And boy do our hot mess friends get messy!

Our hot mess friends generally mix their paints freely on the paper that covers our tables. Sometimes they do it in their own space, but most of the time, they do it in their neighbor’s space, as well. Their wine glasses tend to be covered with colorful fingerprints, and acrylic paint tends to coats the palms of their hands, fingers, arms, and sometimes their faces. And of course, their aprons. Our messy friends also seem to be having the most fun during our events, as well. They don’t mind that their cup of white is now an off shade of pink because they accidentally (or on purpose) mixed red with it. Their brushes lay cattywampus at odd angles in front of their easels, covered in paint from bristles, to barrel, to handle. But you know what? It’s all good. We completely understand that they’re with us to be creative and have fun. And this too, is a good thing.

The Partier

You can always identify them by the song of their people… “Hey y’all, I’m here to partaaaaaaay!!!!” Our partier friends are almost always our loudest friends. They love life, they’re down for just about anything, and sometimes, they’ve probably even had a few drinks before they came down to paint and sip. Any time they’re at a paint and sip, you can rest-assured it won’t be a dull event. And of course, this is all good. It wouldn’t be a painting party if we didn’t have someone who was there to “partaaaaaay”!

The Comedian

Ahh, the comedian. These friends are Andrea’s favorite. She loves them because they generally give me just as much of a hard time as I give out, and she’s always down for me getting back some of what I give. Much like our partier friends, these friends are here to have fun, be fun, and make fun (mostly of me). They generally don’t care how their painting turns out, and in many cases, they go completely off the reservation and paint their own thing. And sometimes they manage to help their neighbors, too. Again, they add a liveliness to our paint and sips that is only matched by our partier friends. Honestly, even I love the funny ones, because without them, I’d be the only one cracking jokes. And most of the time, they’re just bad dad jokes, anyway. Which kind of isn’t a good thing.

The Fearful

This friend comes in, looks at their one ounce cups of paint and wonders silently if there will be enough. I can always spot my fearful friends because they never use enough paint. Their brush strokes are generally short and tentative. Usually, there are two or three at every paint and sip who do this. When I give them some good natured grief about it, they always tell me they just want to make sure they have enough paint for the painting. Rest assured, this won’t be an issue, and, if it is, we have more paint! I realize the cups only hold one ounce of paint, but each one of those cups can literally cover the canvas. I promise, I’ve actually tried this!

Some of my dearest paint and sip friends are still afraid to use the paint, but what I love, is that when they’ve come to more than one or two events, they begin to show a confidence that allows them to start really covering their canvases. This sometimes leads to them becoming…

The Fearless

After a few paint and sips, my fearless friends really get into it, they cover their canvas from top to bottom, impasto style, with thick globs of paint and bold brush strokes. I love it when this happens, because that’s when I really start seeing the creativity begin to happen. It truly is an act of bravery to put a brush into paint and then apply it to a canvas and simply trust your instincts. When this happens, it’s always a good thing.

The Frazzled

I tend to think almost everyone falls into this category. I’ve always believed that any type of art could be therapeutic. I’m sure there are plenty of studies that back this up, too, but I’m simply too lazy to Google them.

I love seeing these friends come to our events. They’re the ones who you can tell have maybe had a rough week or a rough day. Most of them flat out say, “I come here because this is my therapy.”

When they sit down and begin painting, you see the start of a curl of a smile on their lips, and as the evening progresses, the smile becomes broad, is followed by laughter, and when the evening is finishing up, they seem to be in a better place and so much happier then they were when they began. And of course, this is definitely a good thing.

The Mom

This friend almost always a mother of two, or three, or toddlers, or teens (sorry dads, I have yet to see a man fall into this category). But the excuse is always the same, “If I don’t clean it up, I’ll feel weird because I’m always telling my kids they need to clean up after themselves, and so I want to set a good example.”

And to that, I say, “Of course you do.” And I get it. I’ve found that most moms are the ones who are holding the household together with a little bit of spit, vinegar, and duct tape. For that, I applaud you. But please, let us clean up for you. You came down to have fun, paint, maybe sip on some vino and have a good time. There’s absolutely no reason for you to ever clean up after yourself down at Uncorked Inspiration. Okay, well, maybe there are, but most of the time that involves paint being spilled and tracked around your area, but that’s usually “The messy one”, who we’ve already talked about. But seriously, let us clean up for you. The best part is, you’ll get to watch me clean up, and from what I’ve been told, it’s very rare for women to get to see a man clean up much of anything.

The Nope

In most cases, she drug him by the scruff of his neck to the paint and sip event. This friend is there because his significant other wanted to go to a paint and sip, but didn’t want to go alone. He’s not necessarily against it, but he’s not exactly too sure about it, either. Oh, and yes, most of the time, (all of the time in my experience) this friend is male. I know that sounds sexist, but if it changes, I’ll come change this post.

You can spot these friends by their straight face. Sometimes, they even have a scowl. I’ve even had one pull me aside and growl, “I’m only here because she brought me.” But you know what happens nearly every single time? These guys end up having more fun than the person who brought them. And for me, they’re a challenge. I want to ensure that they have fun. So I always make it a point to come around, chat with them, crack a joke with them (sometimes about their painting, sometimes about their bald spot, it all depends). And in the end, they usually seem to have a pretty good time. Oh, and that one who specifically took me aside at the beginning of the event? He took me aside at the end of the event and told me, “This is the most fun I’ve had in a long time! I’m glad I came!” And you know darn well that was a good thing.

The Artist

Every now and then, we’ll have a friend come to our events who is very serious about painting. They’re almost one of the “Type A” friends in that they want to strive for getting a painting that looks awesome and is well-crafted. Sometimes, they bring their own brushes. Their own palettes, and palette knives. They might even bring their own paints. What they’re generally looking for is some advice. “How do I create this blend?” “Should I try this?” Or “Should I use a different type of paint?” I love that they ask questions, and I love seeing them progress as artists. The serious friends, most times, take their paintings home and either work more on them, or completely redo them. Their goal is to learn how to be better painters, and I applaud them for that effort and I’m always happy to give whatever advice I’m able.

The Rebel

Sometimes this friend is a mix of the messy one, the partaaaaay, and the funny one. But no matter what, they always do exactly what they want. Sometimes they have a plan and right out of the gate will tell me, “I’m not gonna’ do this painting, I have something else in mind.” I smile, look at them, and say, “I’ll help you as much as I’m able, but you do you.” I’ve found that many times, these friends are our younger painters. The teenagers, the eleven-year olds, the ones who haven’t learned to be afraid of art, yet. They haven’t been told they can’t and so they don’t worry about it. These painters are truly one of my favorites. And when they come back, I love seeing their techniques develop and how they try new and different things. In most cases, they end up teaching me things, rather than me teaching them. And that’s a pretty damn good thing, too.

The Pessimist

“This is going to turn out like crap!” I’m always a bit bummed when I hear this, and sadly, I hear it fairly often during our paint and sip events. I always worry about my friends who are concerned about whether or not their painting will turn out… good… bad… okay… ugly… or  “like crap”. In my mind, I’m wondering what has brought on this insecurity? Did they have an art teacher who told them they needed to go do math? Maybe a parent giving them a hard time when they were a child for wanting to ‘paint pretty pictures’? Maybe a significant other telling them they’re not that good.

Believe it or not, this painter is probably the one I can relate to the most. As artists, we are our own worst critics. We beat ourselves up in our mind over every brush stroke, pencil mark, or ink stain. We’ve had art teachers tell us when we were in seventh grade that we “must have traced that because there’s no way a seventh grader could have drawn that.” Or maybe a spouse who, while we were still doing our undergraduate in art, condescendingly says “All you ever have to do every day is go off to school and paint your pretty little pictures while I have to stay here and do real work.”

My heart aches for these friends because I’ve been there. I know how hard it is to put yourself into your art and be rejected. For these friends, I have one message: “You will never be rejected at Uncorked Inspiration. I will always do everything I can so that you know you are valued, and that your art is your own, and there is always something good about it.” And I’m pretty sure this isn’t just a good thing, but one of the best things.

The Blender

Ahhhh, the blender. Perfect for making margaritas and other mixed drinks… oh wait, that’s not quite what I mean. The blender is one of our friends who loves to paint, but always feels obligated to blend the paint on their canvas until it’s so completely mixed, that many times it turns gray. This is not a good thing! At our paint and sips, we often incorporate techniques that come directly from the Impressionist period, which was really more about capturing a moment, or a mood, lighting during different times of day… but not so much about blending. In many cases, the application of paint to canvas for many impressionists was bold, impasto, and not highly blended. Yes, you’ll find some examples of delicate and purposeful blending, but for the most part, the paint was brushed directly from the palette onto the canvas, sometimes in very thick layers (Van Gogh, for instance).

During our paint and sip events, I always try to evaluate the process that my blending friends are using, because sometimes, the blending is quite beautiful. It’s simply a matter of helping them to make the decision of when to stop blending!

The Repeat Offender

Our last painting friend is also one of my favorites. I call them, very lovingly, I might add, “my repeat offenders”. These friends come back, sometimes twice in a row on a weekend for multiple events. They come back and paint. They come back and learn. They come back because we are all friends at Uncorked. And I don’t say that lightly. I value all of my painting friends. I simply have a very special place in my heart for someone who is willing to come back and learn more from me. I love teaching our paint and sip classes, and when someone comes back more than once or twice, it makes me feel incredibly special. And I can personally state… this too, is a good thing.

You may see yourself in one of these friends, or all of them, or maybe none of them. What I do know is that as friends and individuals, you are all very special to Andrea and myself, and we love doing what we do because of you. And that’s a pretty good thing, too.

The excitement is building. You’ve purchased your wine, your beer, your snacks. Most importantly, you early-birded your tickets and saved some moola, and now the evening is here and you’re heading down to Uncorked Inspiration for your very first paint and sip class! Yes, it IS this exciting. Yes it IS going to be fun. And yes, there are a few things we love for people to know about when they come down. After all, we want this to be a fun, enjoyable, memorable, safe, and comfortable event for you to attend. So here’s a little bit of the low down on what you can expect, and a few general paint and sip etiquette items.

BYOB – Some basic etiquette and some legal stuff

One of the most awesome things about paint and sip with Uncorked Inspiration is that it’s a BYOB event. We know you know this, but if you don’t, BYOB simply means “Bring Your Own Bottle”. Now, depending on how old you are, what that bottle contains is entirely up to you.

For our BYOB events, most of our friends bring wine, beer, sparkling adult sodas, etc. However, Kansas law allows you to BYOB wine, beer, and spirits/hard liquor. Once you’re at Uncorked, you can even mix your own drinks with the stuff you bring, but you must be the one to bring it. We don’t have a liquor license at this time, so none of our staff are allowed to provide any type of alcoholic beverage or serve any type of alcoholic beverage. We can uncork your wine for you, pop your beer top for you, and even open your bottles of liquor, but we cannot, under any circumstances serve it to you. This even means we can’t pour it into your glass. We figure you can handle that, anyway, though.

Legally, you also need to not only be 21 to drink alcohol, but you must always keep your booze with you. So basically, if you bring a bottle of wine or a six-pack of beer, keep it close by your canvas on the table or in a cooler underneath the table at your feet. Some other legal stuff is that you’re technically not supposed to leave with an open container of any type of alcohol. There are a couple of ways to solve this, though. First, simply leave it with us and we’ll “dispose” of it properly. And by dispose, we mean we’ll most likely drink it. Keep in mind that Andrea loves Moscato, so you’re welcome to leave Cupcake or Roscatto with her. I’m into reds and good beer, and the occasional pinot noir, or a good solid white. Come to think of it, I’m really not that picky when it comes to good booze.

That being said… if you have a sealable bag, you can take re-corked wine home with you. A beer growler that can be sealed (usually with electrical tape). Unsealed remaining beers in a six-pack can be taken home, obviously. And while we don’t recommend it, you can re-cork your wine and place it in your trunk so that you cannot access it while you drive. This is important, though… if you have a hatchback, mini-van, station wagon or other trunkless vehicle, you really shouldn’t travel with an opened bottle, even if it’s been re-corked. Open container is no joke and we don’t want you to lose your license because it would suck for you to have to ride the Green Apple bikes to our events.

Another very general thing is that you are absolutely welcome to offer Neal or Andrea a glass of your hooch. Most likely we’ll turn it down, simply because we feel you’ve paid your hard earned money for it, so you should get to drink it. But, every now and then, we may accept, but we’ll likely have to make a toast!

One final thing about drinking at our events. We love it when you have a couple of glasses of wine. I personally think it helps loosen up the creative flow, and I even joke about how if you drink another glass of wine, your painting will look better! But the reality is that drinking too much can be really dangerous. You know yourself better than anyone, so just know when you’ve reached your limit, and please, under no circumstances should you ever get behind the wheel of your car if you’ve been drinking. We are more than happy to call an Uber or a taxi for you. Hell, if it comes down to it, I’ll even drive you home myself. We love all of our friends who come to paint with us, and we want to make sure that you can come back if you want.

One thing to keep in mind is that we may or may not have glasses or cups, so it’s always a good idea to bring your own.

Should we bring snacks?

Absolutely! We also love it when you bring snacks! Two hours can be a long time to go without a yummy snack, so feel free to bring your charcuterie, your meats, your cheeses, your crackers, cakes, cookies, or whatever other yummy items your tummy craves. When you bring snacks, you’re welcome to share with whomever you choose, or keep them all for yourself. Entirely up to you. We’ve had people bring entire spreads of snacky food to share with their group and others, or just for themselves, and we’ve had people bring nothing at all. It’s really just a personal choice.

Try to avoid splattering your friends/neighbors

One minute, you’re just painting and sipping away, having a great old time. The next, you notice little colored spots on your canvas that you didn’t put there. Or worse, you realize you just splattered your neighbor’s canvas with the color paint you were just using!

Okay, so it’s not a YUUUUUUUGE deal. And yes, you can paint over the little splatters. But it can be kind of inconvenient. The bottom line is that in a well-attended paint and sip, we may have 30 painters just painting away having a blast, but we do have to sit fairly close together. So, just remember to kind of keep your brush in check as you paint those gorgeous brush strokes onto your canvas.

Where should we sit?

Seating can be a crazy thing at a paint and sip. Sometimes people come by themselves. Other times they bring a friend, or three, or five. That’s when seating can get tricky. We usually tell our single friends to try and sit by someone. This helps keep free spaces for groups and couples open without us having to ask people to play musical chairs so that everyone can sit with the group they came with. We always feel badly when we have to ask people to move, but we’ve found everyone is generally very understanding.

If you come as a single try to sit next to someone, they might become your new best friend. We’ve actually seen this happen. People come down, sit by each other, chat, share a few laughs, and the next thing you know they’re going out for dinner together afterward. It’s one of our favorite things to see happen at an Uncorked Inspiration event.

Speaking of coming with friends, it’s definitely okay to save seats for them. We suggest grabbing the number of aprons you need, and draping them across the stools you need to save. Easy peesy happy little treesies.

Be on time

Okay, so yeah, this one is kind of a sticky subject. We know sometimes traffic sucks. Finding a parking space can be a pain. Or sometimes the darn kids won’t listen to the babysitter and you end up getting stuck at home for a few minutes while you call in reinforcements. We really do get it, and most of the time, I can get people caught up on the painting if we’re forced to start without them. The one thing we do ask is that if you have a bit of a drive, try to plan ahead. We love to start on time because it’s more about being considerate of our friends who are there painting than it is about us.

What if you don’t want to use our brushes?

Then by all means, if you have some of your own awesome paint brushes, you are absolutely welcome to bring them. You can even bring palette knives and paints if you want. Our friend and local artist Mitch Steimers does this all the time. We’re pretty “cas” (is that how it’s spelled?) as Andrea likes to say, and as we all know, there just aren’t that many rules in painting or making art. So we’re even happy when people bring their own ideas and do their own paintings at our events.

Are you an extravert like me?

Great! Socializing is completely acceptable. We also think it’s cool when our friends get up, chat with other friends, walk around the tables to look at everyone’s paintings, compliment others on their paintings, and just having fun.

Neal did such an amazing job, we want to tip him.

Awe, you guys are so sweet. I assume you mean money and not some really good advice? I mean, I’ll take either. All kidding aside, tipping the artist at our paint and sip events is absolutely unnecessary. That’s not to say it isn’t unheard of, or unacceptable. It’s just that you’ve paid for your ticket, your wine, your gas to come down. We’re perfectly fine with that. Which is why we don’t put a tip jar out. (I like $20’s by the way, though. IJS).

Cleaning up your personal space after the event

Okay, we get it. Some of you have told us that you just have to clean your area up or you’ll feel weird. We won’t try to tackle you and keep you from doing it, but keep in mind, this event was your time to unwind, socialize, have fun, have a few drinks, and paint a cool painting. You paid us for that experience, and part of that experience is not having to clean up your area. So, as I tell everyone, let me clean your area up. Let me take your easel down. Let me put the lids on your painting and take your empties to the recycling bin. I love doing it. It’s the most glamorous part of the paint and sip business! Plus, it’s very rare that a group of women get to watch a man clean anything up.

So, there you have it. No real rules, but just some general etiquette thoughts about what to do or not do once you come to one of our paint and sip events. As always, we love having you here so come on down and meet up, paint up, and drink up.