Brush strokes blend for successful MoN paint and sip evening

Inspired and budding artists set Mall of the North on fire with brush strokes applied to board, wine in hand and French café music playing in the background when meeting last Wednesday evening for the first of a concept that seems to be burgeoning in Polokwane.
During Mall of the North’s first paint and sip evening – previously hosted but without the wine – a host of participants gathered around easels and artist supplies, intently fixed on each creating a masterpiece while interacting with like-minded souls.
Tickets allowed participants access to acrylic paint applied to custom-made gesso boards containing the design of a protea to be taken home upon completion, in between sipping on glasses of wine and savouring the treats on offer. The custom-made boards and acrylic paint made completed art work easier to transport home afterwards.
Judging from the reaction gauged by 40 tickets for an art evening of painting, snacks and wine flying off the shelves, Mall of the North was left with no other choice than having to host more such gatherings in near future. Not even the threat of load-shedding spoiling the mood had an effect on enthusiastic participation by an eager audience who set to work in dim lighting on the upper level of Cappuccino’s Pizzeria and Grill Café.
According to Mall of the North Marketing Manager Mari Delport tickets for the evening affair sold like hot cakes, while they still received last-minute enquiries. As the programme got off to a start, she expressed the hope that participants would have enjoyed themselves and join similar events planned for the future.
She explained that participants could choose their seating in the reserved space for two hours of painting guided by artist Saritha Behr, who is partner in a Pretoria-based business concern aimed at hosting arty kind of parties.
On the sidelines of their protégés for the evening setting about their work Behr, who was accompanied by business partner Retha Odendaal, mentioned that the gathering was aimed at pure entertainment. Behr pointed out that she had studied art and fashion design and had a wedding gown business, but when an eye impediment forced her into a different direction she started painting again. In Pretoria the classes had proven to be a hit, with increasingly more demand for the hosting of such get-togethers.
As was the case in Pretoria, the paint and wine evening at Mall of the North was attended by mostly women. It was also their first in Polo­kwane. In Pretoria they discovered that their classes were also being joined by artists who wanted to get out of their studios and enter into social interaction, Behr remarked.
To the one corner of the venue PNA Mall of the North displayed art supplies on offer and store manager Elmarie Last, who also participated in the event, said they had available a range of supplies by varying brands to meet all art supply requirements. Having embarked on studying the different media the past year and a half and attending art class time permitting, she said it enabled her to assist enthusiasts who visited the shop with suggestions and ideas.
Friends Vanessa de Marre and Ann Venter were among the participants and, while concentrating on bold strokes on board, indicated that they thoroughly enjoyed themselves. It was the first time they had engaged in such a concept and also in painting. De Marre, who confessed to having an appreciation for art, was vocal about having been bitten by the art bug.

Story and photos: YOLANDE NEL
>>observer.yolande@gmail.com