If you ever wanted to unleash your inner Van Gogh (while keeping sanity and ears intact), but felt a little self-conscious about picking up a paintbrush, So You Think You Can Paint might be your ticket to an artistic awakening.
Basically, it's a free-for-all paint party in Wynwood, and everyone is invited.
See also: Painting With a Twist: Get Drunk and Paint Your Own Pet
The event is all-inclusive regardless of ability. So even if the dogs you draw look like deformed dinosaurs, you're still welcome.
"Masters mix with amateurs, curators blend with observers and even non-artists are inspired to participate," say the ladies of Viophilia. "By breaking down the individual roles of artist, spectator, and consumer, the environment influences the final work through a collaborative experience. In short, the idea is to let go of labels and inhibitions and freely express yourself."
The gist is this: large scale wood panels and canvases are hung around the room (plus floor coverings for easy clean up), plus supply stations are stocked with paints, brushes, water, palettes, and paper towels.
Then, attendees can take the materials and run with 'em. The aesthetic progress is posted via social media (Facebook and Instagram), and the end result is a mural mash-up of sorts; a collaborative effort between an eclectic mix of paintbrush-wielding participants.
Viophilia itself is a collective, founded in 2012 by Ivette Cabrera, Francy Freixas and Natalia Molina. Basically, it consists of an exhibition space and five live/work artist studios, so the digs are designed to be creativity-inducing.
"The idea for So You Think You Can Paint came about from a trip to San Francisco. I attended one myself held at Club Six curated by Jay Frost," explains Cabrera. "The event was filled with all kinds of artists and spectators, some artists collaborated on pieces together and others stood back and watched art pieces come alive. What made the event interesting was the lack of pretentiousness; it was just a collaborative effort from artists of all ranges and mediums freely expressing themselves and creating one of a kind pieces together that never would have sprung about otherwise."
You can check out a video from their last event for an idea of what to expect. Oh, and get excited: they're planning an even larger scale collective paint-o-rama for Art Basel.
The event runs from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Saturday at Viophilia, 164 NW 20th St., Suite 101-102. Admission is free. Attendees are welcome to bring extra supplies (but no aerosol). You can find Viophilia on Facebook and Instagram @Viophilia.
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