Pittsburgh Painting Classes & Resources
Sam Lutz • April 29, 2014
As those of us in the greater Pittsburgh area know, we’re an eclectic group here in the 412, and we have a myriad of interests and pastimes. Whether we’re cheering the Steelers beginning in the Fall, or we’re catching local music venues, we like to keep busy and we like to be creative. For those of us out there who have been bitten by the creative bug, and therefore feel compelled to create a piece of artwork, there are plenty of venues, both public and private, where you can congregate with likeminded enthusiasts who are determined to perfect their craft, and prefer to do so in a fun and social environment.
The Carnegie Museum of Art
When it comes to refined pursuits, the first name that comes to mind for denizens in the Burg is Andrew Carnegie
and as well it should. The complex of museums, which were endowed by him at the close of the 19th-century and continues to bear his name to this day, is host to an impressive collection of classes for the novice painter to the experienced. It’s about more than creating artwork in these classes; it is about making fun memories as well. This is particularly true of our youngest budding Van Gogh’s out in the crowd because we invite your kids to come too. As far as they’re concerned, if more paint lands on the child than on the canvas then that’s just fine too.
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
is a cultural oasis that has garnered recognition as the national model for the arts leading the way in urban renewal efforts. The Trust has deep ties to the community and they give back with an array of educational programs and workshops that gets the creative juices flowing, and a venue in which they can gush. Programs are available for both kids and adults, and all experiences are welcome to come and enjoy the fun.
Pittsburgh Center for the Arts
For a myriad of artistic options, you can’t go wrong by checking out the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. They provide a host of educational opportunities to the community with outreach to area schools, local neighborhoods, and in the minds of each individual artist with classes designed to hone your skills whether you have just put on your painter’s smock for the first time or you are a seasoned veteran. Their programs accept kids, teens, and adults, so you pack up the whole family and make a day of it.
Colors & Bottles
If your artistic vision focuses better with a cocktail in your hand, perhaps you might want to move your easel out of the classrooms of academia, and move it into the local bars and taverns of your neighborhood. Colors & Bottles
does exactly that with neighborhood venues that invites you and your friends to come paint, drink, and socialize for a great night out on the town.
Painting with a Twist
If you are averse to paying those bar prices for your favorite cocktail while you create your next masterpiece, perhaps you should call the good people at Painting with a Twist
and schedule your next art class at their BYOB art studio. With the second “B’ standing for beverage, you can bring either alcoholic or non- alcoholic beverages and get away from the rind as you socialize in their fully equipped art studio. They also host special events like parties for kids, bachelorette outings, and more. Painting with a Twist is a nice blend between an academic setting and sitting in your favorite tavern.
Be a Paint Monkey
At Paint Monkey, they invite you to come and create your own masterpiece and bill themselves as the premiere painting class and party venue in town, and with a name like Paint Monkeys, don’t doubt them for a minute. Whether you are seriously challenged by drawing a stick figure, or you are a seasoned amateur artist in search of a relaxed setting with likeminded creative people, then you might seriously want to consider becoming a paint monkey and expanding your horizons.
Go Discover Your Inner Artist in Pittsburgh
There are so many places in Pittsburgh to practice your artistic craft that you will be hard put to find a place to put the paint where it ain’t. Join a group today and go to a class tomorrow. From the social skills to the technical skills, you will be glad you made the choice to do it.
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