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Paint Night Event Returns To Community Center
Paint 1
Participants in the Sip n Paint event at the Riverbank Community Center get a little advice from Lisa Cook, standing at the rear, owner of Pinots Palette, a Modesto company that specializes in this type of experience. The painting program was held on Saturday, March 17, and featured an original piece of art. Ric McGinnis/The News

Painters and sippers converged on the Riverbank Community Center on St. Patrick’s Day this past weekend. Not to drink green beer, but to learn, step by step, what could be created on their easels. And they sipped some California and Italian wines to help their brush strokes take shape there.

Another project hosted by Pinot’s Palette of Modesto and the Riverbank Parks and Recreation Department was enjoyed by 14 participants on the evening of Saturday, March 17. The ‘paint, drink, have fun’ activity brought together painting instruction with wine tasting. A similar activity was held in early November last year.

And proceeds from the wine bar went to the Riverbank Historical Society. Board member Rich Holmer and president Kristen Platts poured for those who wished to sip while they painted.

Over the course of two hours, art enthusiasts learned to create a layered painting featuring a scene of trees.

The local Pinot’s Palette franchise site, at 3440 McHenry, Suite E-6 in Modesto, is owned and operated by Lisa and Jim Cook, one of hundreds of locations across the country, including Canada. There are 24 sites in or coming to California soon, alone.

There are two locations in the Sacramento area, with five in the San Francisco Bay Area, with the majority in Southern California.

The evening's instructor was Norma Austin, who took the painters, essentially stroke by stroke, through the creation of their assignment, starting with a grey background and going through the many other colors to completion over the two-hour event.

A completed version was available for reference, and Austin’s example was also on display as she created it, alongside the work of those in the class.

Lisa Cook also contributed tips and advice to participants as she wandered through the work area.

Cook and her husband opened their shop in Modesto last fall. It has two salons, a large and a small, available for these kinds of painting parties, in addition to presenting them at other locations.