Paints & Pints uses art and alcohol to encourage self-love

Olivia Balcerzak
Sat, 25 Mar 2017 00:04:46 +0000
Arts & Life, Events, Fine Arts, arts, fine arts, lineage, lineage brewing company, paints and pints, visual arts

An Ohio State student is encouraging others to stop and smell the roses through painting as a form of self-love.

“People don’t take enough time out of their week or their day even to just, like, be and do something fun, do something creative that takes them out of their normal daily routine,” said Ali Rutowski, a graduate student studying social work.

In an effort to change that narrative, Rutowski will be hosting the “Paints & Pints: Fresh Cut Flowers” at Lineage Brewing Company on Sunday.

Paints & Pints is a monthly event that Rutowski said she brought to Columbus six months ago as a way for people to de-stress by painting while drinking a couple of beers. ?

“Paints & Pints is different from other painting classes in that it offers a little more than just painting tips,” Rutowski said. “I try to incorporate therapeutic techniques that are tried and true into my session while still making it a ton of fun.”

Among those techniques is deemphasizing the end product.

“Enjoy the process, don’t worry about what it looks like, it really does not matter,” Rutowski said. “What matters is what you’re doing right now like sitting in your body and experiencing this thing, looking at the colors, feeling the way the paint feels on the canvas.”

Rutowski said her experience working at Little Fish, a brewery in Athens, Ohio before coming to Columbus inspired her to choose Lineage as the venue for this event.

Jessica Byrne, event coordinator at Lineage, said when Rutowski asked to use the space, she was more than happy to provide it for her.

“I think we have such a nice place and the lighting is so nice,” Byrne said. “Ohio weather can be a little gray this time of year, so hopefully the sunshine will be shining through our windows.”

Despite the extensive seating available, Byrne said the calming nature of Rutowski’s classes have filled every seat.

“I think Ali does a great job of making people feel comfortable and trying something new,” Byrne said. “I’ve seen several people, novices and people painting for the first time just kind of getting excited about it and having fun, it seems to be relaxing for them.”

Rutowski said she has already begun spreading Paints & Pints to Little Fish and hopes to extend the event to other breweries around Athens and Columbus.

The painting workshop is open to all ages starting at 2 p.m. and ending at 4 p.m. on Sunday at Lineage Brewing Company located at 2971 N. High St. Tickets for the event are $35 and may be purchased on the event page, which can be found through Lineage’s Facebook page. Paint, brushes and canvas will be provided and people can take their paintings home. There will also be food and refreshments, but only those 21 years old and up may purchase alcohol.