Recently I was invited to a private Sip N Dip party to celebrate a friend. I was very hesitant about it. I had heard a little about “sip n dips” and all I knew was that there was painting and wine involved. I was good with the wine…not so sure about the painting part! I learned that most of these parties consist of a teacher and a group of students all painting the same picture. The teacher walks the students through each step of the painting so that the end result will look just as good as the teacher’s model. All the while, everyone is sippin’ on their drink of choice. I am not a painter. Add a glass of wine to the mix and I didn’t think there was any way I would be able to create something as beautiful as the model! The painting chosen for our party was a bouquet of flowers. It was beautiful! We settled down a few minutes before class started and each of us had a canvas, tray of paint, cup of water, and several paint brushes of different sizes. I felt pretty overwhelmed but all of the other party goers seemed confident so I took a big gulp of wine and got ready! Well, let me start by saying that our teacher, Katy Caroline, made me feel much more relaxed. She assured us that everyone ends up with a beautiful painting and has a lot of fun doing it. She fit right into the group, feeling like one of us. Certainly not someone we had just met, teaching us something we knew nothing about. She talked us through the painting process, step by step, using language we all understood. The only times I had trouble was when I couldn’t hear her over our own laughter! In the end, we did all end up with beautiful painting and she never touched any of our canvases! Not only did we have these beautiful paintings to brag about, but we had a blast doing them! This is definitely something that I will do again at least one more time this summer and I recommend you try it out too! More about the classes: Who: Katy Caroline is the teacher/artist who directs the Sip N Dip. When: Every Thursday from 6-8:30. (Private parties are also available both on and offsite.) Where: Artspace in Southern Shores. (Just a short drive south from Corolla) How Much: $35 for everything! Find out more about Katy Caroline, her art, and Sip N Dip by visiting her webpage!
