Sips and Splatters
Melissa DeCicco
I was recently invited to an evening of painting and beverages in Belleville Illinois at Sips and Splatters. I was hesitant because I am a terrible artist and certainly didn’t want to be flaunting my awful work of art in front of dozens of people. I chose to go hoping everyone would be too full of ‘sips’ to notice my work.
First things first, it is located next to Seven in Belleville on South High Street. It is a super cute space (a little crowded) and the owner is very personable and fun. His name is David Brandt. You can find his art sold at Target stores or at art smoothie. He actually started this business out of his own home where he would host these parties before deciding to move to a larger space. It costs $40 and includes the canvas and all the paint. The canvas has an already sketched design on it that you will use as your guide. The shtick is you get to bring your own drinks (alcohol or non) and tasty treats. You can either schedule your own private party or join one that is open. They only offer certain paintings at the open parties so you will want to pick one that you are interested in painting.
We were painting a fleur di lis. My piece of advice is to go in with a plan. Mainly, figure out what you want to do with the painting so that picking colors is not stressful. I went in with no plan and ended up liking my painting, but it won’t match any room in my house…so I still need to figure out where it will go. The best part was at the end when you get to grab watered down paint and literally splatter it on your painting, very strategically of course! I would also recommend some food and beverage accompaniments…our group chose Grappa Growlers, another fun new place in Belleville (more to come on them later) and pretzel chips and cheese. Most people brought wine and other snack food items.
All in all, it was a great evening after getting over the initial hesitation about your personal level of artistry. Since I have trouble with markers and children’s coloring books and my painting turned out acceptable, anyone can do it. It is the perfect destination for a fun night out with friends! They actually also mentioned that they are expanding and opening a shop in the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon area, so if you are in that area, you are in luck.
Brought to you by Mills Properties
Melissa DeCicco
Melissa is a wiz at crazy facial expressions, golfs at every chance possible, and loves super uncomfortable shoes. A dedicated Dolly Parton fan, she purchased Dollywood season passes several years in a row (it’s 500 miles away) and finally met her in 2004 – she ROCKS!
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