WASHINGTON 鈥� Aspiring artists have figured out the secret to becoming the next Picasso: a glass of Pinot 鈥� or two.
鈥淧aint-and-sip鈥� businesses burst onto the scene in 2007 when Cathy Deano and Renee Maloney opened Corks N Canvas (now Painting with a Twist) in New Orleans. Since then, the popularity of the concept 鈥� which mixes booze and brushes 鈥� hasn鈥檛 slowed. In fact, it just keeps growing.
In 2014, Painting with a Twist, now just one of several paint-and-sip franchises in the U.S., reported a 37 percent growth in sales. Pinot鈥檚 Palette, a similar company, has expanded to 100 franchise locations in 31 states since its 2009 launch, .
And D.C.-based is soaking up the success, too.
In 2012, Michael Clements opened ArtJamz in Dupont Circle after spending years painting in his apartment 鈥� often with a glass of wine 鈥� after long days in the office.
鈥淚t was really therapeutic for me,鈥� Clements said.
Similar to a gym, ArtJamz provides customers with all of the equipment necessary, including paint, paint brushes, canvases聽and glitter. There鈥檚 no need to worry about making a mess, and Clements says if the creative juices aren鈥檛 flowing, a wall of books and a bartender are there to help ignite the spark.
In the past four years, Clements has expanded ArtJamz to two additional D.C.-area locations, including a studio in Brookland and a 1,000 square-foot space in Crystal City, Virginia. ArtJamz also hosts pop-up events at parks and museums throughout the District.
Clements says he鈥檚 not surprised that 鈥減aint-and-sips鈥� haven鈥檛 fizzled out as a fad. He thinks they鈥檙e just what society needs to counteract its reliance on digital devices.
鈥淚f you look at just how much phones and iPads and everything have infiltrated our daily activities over the past five years, I feel like people now are going back to just using their hands more and getting crafty,鈥� Clements said.
鈥淭he more digital we get, I think the more analog activities people will yearn for. Besides that, art is universal. It鈥檚 in us and it鈥檚 something all humans can do.鈥�
ArtJamz鈥� business model differs from most others out there. Clements offers classes that focus on a specific technique, but you won鈥檛 find sessions where 30 participants carefully follow steps to reproduce a Renoir. They鈥檙e let loose to make their own masterpiece.
鈥淚, personally, don鈥檛 want to have somebody tell me what to do 鈥� go step-by-step with art,鈥� Clements said. 鈥淎nd for us, as staff, it鈥檚 so fascinating to see five people come in and create five different paintings that are unique to them.鈥�
While that approach works for Clements, others are finding great profit with instructor-led painting parties that range from $25 to $50 a person, including Alabaje Francis, the owner of in Adams Morgan.
He opened his studio in 2011 after attending a party with his wife at another paint-and-sip establishment, and already has plans to open three more locations in the next year, including one in Ashburn, Virginia.
Francis says he wanted to build a business that brings people together in a stress-free environment. His mobile van travels to homes and businesses to reach those who prefer to stay put.
Merlot鈥檚 Art and Muse Paint Bar are other wine-fueled painting studios in the D.C. area 鈥� and Clements said, don鈥檛 be surprised if you see more pop up in the future. He doesn鈥檛 see this particular sector of the creative community crumbling any time soon.
鈥淧eople have always painted and created, so I don鈥檛 see that going away,鈥� he said.
Even if you don鈥檛 have an artistic bone in your body, he said聽you can still enjoy spending some time in front of a blank canvas.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not about creating the perfect painting, it鈥檚 really just about getting off your phone and putting your brain on the sofa and just relaxing and enjoying the process. And I think that there鈥檚 a lot of power in that. And I think people need that now.鈥�
