Painting in Panama City

Tana thinks I can paint.

Ha ha. Yeah. Me…Paint. Right. That’s what I said.

I have zero artistic ability.

ZEEE-ROH

Nevermind I have a shake. Had it all my life. Couldn’t hold a cup of coffee steady if my life depended on it.

But Tana says she guarantees I can paint.

Challenge accepted.

Guess what.

I can paint the %#!+ out of some Flowers!

Paint Party in Panama CityTana (Like Vanna, but with a T and without Pat Sajak) does something called, “My Paint Party.” A rollicking two hours of discovering what you thought you couldn’t do, paint wise, that is, and creating art that YOU painted that you would proud to hang in your own home.

“We would not put a painting up if we weren’t 100% sure we could get you to paint that.” Tana says.

The way Tana put it to me was, some of the paintings they offer every month at My Paint Party do “have more steps” than others, but none are really “hard.” Besides, she says, it’s a paint PARTY.  It’s as much about the fun you have creating your art as it is the end result.

Roger on that.

We had blast the night my fiancee, Tita (I know! Tana…Tita…I’m not making this stuff up), and I went. We started working on a piece, in this case our initials done in flowers, and we were shown what to do, stroke for stroke, to make sure we were on the right track.

(Tita knows her way around a paint brush. She has painted incredible sets for community theatre that astound. I was sure she would put me to shame on the canvas.)

You can bring whatever food or beverages you want and she provides the wine glasses and ice. I’m a cabernet person myself and I promise you my painting was better because of it. At least I think so.

In the end I have to say…my piece rocked!

I don’t know if it was the wine or my uncanny ability to follow the Tom Cruise mantra from Risky Business (If you’ve seen it, you know), but whatever it was I made something very cool I was really proud of. I’m not going to say that mine was better than Tita’s since it’s not a competition or anything…

I asked Tana about my reticence to try painting. How the stigma of not thinking I was artistic prevented me from even putting brush to canvas. She said that isn’t unusual, but she likes to remind people that it’s just a piece of cloth. It can’t hurt you. You can’t make a mistake, she says. (That’s an incredible relief for one that grew up being told there was a right way and a wrong way to do EVERYTHING.)
“If you make a mistake, it was probably meant to be there.” Says Tana

I really like her way of thinking.

Everything you need for the evening is supplied: canvas, acrylic paint, instruction, instructor. It’s all there. Other than food and drink, like I said.

Looks like I might like this painting stuff after all.

Tana has been having paint parties since 2007 and have discovered that once people get past that initial reticence they find out they LOVE painting. Some make regular night out of it during the year. Even tourists are starting to discover the fun to be had, not just with the painting, but with your friends and family.

“It’s more about the relationship with friends and family,” Tana Said, “But the time you are spending having fun with the people you are there with.”

Tita said my “T” was better. Just saying.

 http://www.mypaintparty.com/

https://www.facebook.com/MyPaintParty

Or call 850-258-2112 for reservations