Art, and all its branches and facets, has long been viewed as a skill that some of us have and some of us don’t. Combined with a lack of understanding of the benefits of art amongst wider society and the added perception that to enjoy something you have to be good at it from day one, as well as earning money from it then you’re left with hundreds of people who believe art isn’t for them. The Paint Club in Brighton is working to change this perception, by not only making art fun but also accessible.
Created in 2016 by wife and husband, Alice and John, The Paint Club’s mission is to help people explore their own creativity and discover their inner artist. With events across the UK and an ever-growing internal team, it’s clear to see how popular this event has become as people from all over the country are learning to unleash their creativity.
Taking place in a number of locations, our session was hosted at The Seahorse. Looking out at the sea, through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, our subject was the West Pier. With the sun setting slowly across the horizon, the view highlighted a multitude of colours weaving in and out of each other in the sky and the sea.
Getting there early is personally recommended, once there take advantage of the ability to sit and take in your subject. One of the highlights of the night was the ability to do just this and it meant guests had the ability to hide away from their phones, as they buzzed with last-minute work emails.
John led our session, an artist in his own right, he patiently waited for us to make that nerve-wracking initial brushstroke on the canvas, letting us know certain techniques and tricks should we see any errors in our work, not that there ever are errors in painting.
Halfway through the evening, we were encouraged to take a short break, stretch our legs a bit, and take a look at everyone else’s masterpiece. This was the perfect ice breaker when at first we quietly observed and after a few minutes everyone was discussing what they had done and how good everyone else’s paintings were. The group was a great mix of friends who wanted to try something new to people on their own joining the session to push their own abilities.
“There’s some trepidation,” John said before our session began “Some are quite nervous and they [visitors] haven’t painted since school, which could be decades ago, but they want to come and get back into it. We try and teach it in a way that builds their confidence.”
Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the night was looking at how everyone inserted a bit of their own personality into their work. All of us had looked at the same scene, and been asked to paint the same things and in the same order yet every piece was different from the other, highlighting our own intricacies and eccentricities. For both its creative and social aspects, this event can’t be recommended enough!
To book your experience with The Paint Club in Brighton: https://www.thepaintclub.co.uk/brighton
