Reed: Group canvas events allow creativity without large investment

By Rebecca R. Bibbs | The Herald Bulletin Nov 4, 2018

ANDERSON – The only thing Nancy Brennan ever had painted were monochromatic things like the walls of her home or her fingernails.

That was until Sunday when she painted “Northern Lights,” a dark, contemporary scene with a neon aurora borealis at Crafts and Canvas with Park Place Arts at 5’s Tap Room. She was one of about 20 people participating.

The event was one of many similar events hosted over the past several years by local organizations.

“It’s different. My daughter’s done it two or three times,” said Brennan, who learned of the event from one of the owners of the tap room, located in the former No. 5 Fire Station, 1314 Broadway.

However, Julie Barton, who was sitting next to Brennan, said she has participated in several similar events at local wineries and Mounds State Park.

“It’s a good way to get out on a Sunday afternoon and spend time with your friends,” she said.

Barton said she has a mini-gallery of the works she has created hanging in her home.

“I rotate them by season on my enclosed front porch. When I have visitors, it’s a good conversation piece,” she said.

Eliot Reed, owner of Park Place Arts, said he’s hosted similar events at his gallery, custom frame shop, and photography studio and thought the tap room would be a good venue for such an event.

“We got to talking about cross-promotion,” he said.

Reed said he thinks the group-painting events are popular because of the social interaction. He said they also are popular because painting supplies can be expensive, and these events allow people to do something creative without making too much of an investment.

“When people can just come and try it out and take it home, they like it,” he said.

The scenes selected for such events often are seasonal. The northern lights are seasonal without being pumpkins, Reed noted.

Though a teacher typically models how to paint a particular scene, Reed said he likes it best when patrons paint their own way, choosing the colors they use and the orientation – vertical or horizontal – of the canvas.

“We like when people do their own thing. That makes this a more enjoyable experience and a more creative one, too,” he said.

Joe Brandon, who owns 5’s Tap Room with his wife, Shelly Van Asdale, said the event seemed like a good way to attract craft beer and wine lovers.

“It’s good for business. It’s something different we have not done before,” he said.