ArteVino: Let’s Paint

Seeking a safe space to sit back, relax, have some snacks or drinks and develop your painting skills in the company of friends? Head to ArteVino!

Let your inner artist run free and relax at ArteVino studios.

artevino studio
Photo courtesy of Paul Vidal.

In this day and age where so many folks surround themselves in sort of cocoon of screens, social media and entertainment, it can be surprising to recall that places like ArteVino still exist. In some ways conceived as a method to help combat some of these very issues and give back to the community in general, ArteVino Studios holds to a standard of social responsibility which is quite admirable. Opening their first Hoboken shop in 2012, right on the heels of the initial “smartphone boom,” they have since brought their unique service to four more locations, including Montclair.

“We always strive to create a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere which doesn’t feel in any way like school – a space where anyone beginner-painters to a more experienced ones can gather, socialize and create together,” said Helena Smit, Chief Artist of the studio at 51 Upper Montclair Plaza, echoing the mission statement found on ArteVino’s website. With a background in education, children’s book illustrations and more, Smit expertly achieved this during the afternoon session I got to observe.

Even from the view of a spectator, one truly does get the impression of this supremely chill environment. The instructors genuinely go step-by-step and are always around to assist in any way, offering all sorts of useful tips and nice suggestions the whole time. All the while, they continue with this fostering of a community devoid of judgment, hostility or anything of that nature.

Depending on the event at hand, this environment is often facilitated by drinking wine or beer during their BYOB events. These occasions are quite appealing of course, and even if one does not drink it still remains a rare opportunity to be able to attend something like these classes, as laid-back and fun as they are educational and edifying.

In addition to their various brunch, lunch and dinner sessions, ArteVino also offer anything from kid’s parties, to other private events like birthdays, other types of celebrations and get-togethers and anything else of that nature. They conduct certain corporate events, such as the recent collaborative “Team-Building Class” which they held for the department of a local bank that Smit spoke of. Together they all created “couple paintings,” wherein two people essentially create one image using two canvases. One can easily imagine how much there is to be gained from these sorts of team-building strategies. All of these options and others – combined with specialized on-location classes they offer, where instructors come to the location of your choice – helps make for quite the versatile and customer-friendly business indeed.

As told in their mission statement, ArteVino Studios “believe[s] artistic self-expression is a great way to nurture a healthy outlet and decompress from stress of the daily life and our goal is to provide a friendly and affordable environment for anyone to experience this.” Undoubtedly, there are many others who feel similarly, which explains why the art of painting has been revitalized and transformed so much in recent years.

As rates of mental illness skyrocket and all manner of neuroses run rampant, it is both unsurprising and quite fortunate that this sort of “artistic rebirth” has begun taking place, with new art-forms popping up left and right. Given all the knowledge, service and assistance offered by ArteVino, coupled with the remarkable environment they cultivate, it really is an affordable experience.

There are very few reasons not to be online in at least some capacity. In the case of ArteVino, this is doubly true. In addition to featuring all of the information one could ever need on their small business, all of their individual locations and respective events, the site also provides 33 percent discount-codes for all occasions in their event list. Follow ArteVino Studio Montclair on Facebook and Yelp for more offers. They are always looking for new instructors, too.

Follow ArteVino Studio Montclair on Facebook and Yelp for more offers.

Finally, if regular painting isn’t your thing, they even offer wine-glass painting classes on top of everything else. There is simply no excuse for anyone with even a passing interest in painting to skip any opportunity to check out ArteVino Studios. Simply viewing all of the works on display is a joy all its own.

“So bring your friends, bring your wine, and come paint with us,” encouraged Smit, “[no matter your] artistic level, background or age.” If you give it a shot, you are guaranteed to enjoy yourself on some level, as well as to learn a whole lot – even if it’s only about how to have a really great time.

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