Acrylic painting classes paired with wine are offered at this art studio on the second floor of the Main Mall in downtown Durango.
The class is run by mother-daughter duo of Karen Roberts and Jadi Dietsch, who share a long-standing passion for art and its power to bring a community together.
“Our motto is, ‘Paint, sip and be happy,’” Roberts said. “We are not a serious technical art lesson. We want people to come in and relax – whether you are a beginner or someone who paints all the time.”
Picasso & Vino is designed to be accessible to everyone, regardless of skill level. Whether you’re the Second Coming of Van Gogh or can barely draw a stick figure, the classes are meant to be fun, welcoming and inclusive.
Class prices range from $38 to $42, with a glass of wine available for about $9. Prices may be higher for special events featuring guest artists.
Classes typically run about two hours, with Roberts and Dietsch guiding participants through a painting using step-by-step instructions.
“It gives friends and family a different outlet with each other that they don’t normally get,” Dietsch said. “It’s really fun to watch people connect, doing something creative with each other.”
Picasso & Vino’s wine bar isn’t particularly sophisticated, Roberts admits, but it’s something she and Dietsch plan to develop further. What the studio lacks in wine selection, it makes up for in affordability, offering some of the most competitive wine prices in downtown, Roberts said.
They emphasize that the wine bar isn’t meant for getting drunk; rather, it’s there to help people relax and ease into the creative process, especially those who may feel nervous or unsure about painting.
“We want to quiet that self-critic and just get people in the zone of doing something for themselves without worrying if it is good or bad,” Dietsch said.
Roberts and Dietsch have both loved art their entire lives. Roberts traces her passion back to childhood, when she painted a sketch of Elvis Presley on velvet that her mother gave her. She remembers being drawn to the smell and texture of oil paint on canvas.
Dietsch got into painting in high school and eventually traveled the globe creating murals. After starting a family, she settled down and joined her mother in the paint-and-sip business – an experience that brought them closer than ever.
Picasso & Vino has also made efforts to engage youths through its Big Picture program. The concept is to have students collaborate on large art projects that help develop teamwork skills.
“Our latest project was for the Chama Valley School District in New Mexico where we had each child create on a small canvas a part of a mascot, and each part would come together to form a big picture,” Roberts said.
She and Dietsch hope to keep leading art projects that engage the community.
“I know there is a lot of chaos going on in the world, and people are tense,” Roberts said. “This just gives people a chance to get away from their screens for a while and relax.”
ckabot@durangoherald.com
