Whet Your Palette

In a purple corner building in Mt. Washington, all it takes is a few glasses of pinot to make you the next Picasso. Well, maybe not quite. But the latest social trend combines cocktails and canvases to create a fun night out. 

“Some people are petrified to see a blank canvas,” says Brooke Blumberg, cofounder of Painted Palette in Mt. Washington. “But we show you how to create the painting step by step.” 

For $35, Blumberg and business partner Becca Hauser provide students with a 16 x 20-inch canvas, paint, brushes, aprons, and craft paper, as well as a two-hour lesson on creating a piece of art—everything from landscapes to a Maryland flag. 

Painted Palette, which is BYOB, is just one of many models like this around town (others include Paint Nite and Wine and Canvas) and around the country. 

“We traveled to a studio in Denver to learn all we could before opening up,” says Hauser. Since their studio debuted in September, weekly classes have continued to sell out. “Art is something people enjoy as a stress reliever; they let the rest of the world stay outside,” Hauser says. “And, at the end of it all, you have something to show for it.”