‘I went to my first paint and sip session in Northampton – is this popular trend worth the hype?’

Since 2019, Paintvine has brought people together through creativity and the business is described as “the UK’s leading paint and sip experience”.

With thousands of events hosted across the country, Paintvine provides a fun and welcoming space for anyone to explore their artistic side.

It was only recently when Paintvine’s popular events landed in Northampton, with fully guided and beginner friendly sessions hosted at The Optimist in St Giles’ Street.

Paintvine’s creative officer Yusef Shennawi previously told the Chronicle & Echo: “We believe everyone has creativity in them. That’s why every session is taught step-by-step by a friendly, local artist – making it easy for complete beginners and fun for those with a little more experience.

“With brushes in hand and a drink nearby, this is the perfect way to spend an afternoon with friends, a partner or even solo. No pressure or judgement, just creativity, connection and a canvas to make your own.”

And that is something I can totally vouch for, having attended the ‘bouquet of flowers’ session hosted at the heart of the town centre on Saturday June 28.

Though I like to think I have a creative streak in me, I have not put a paintbrush to a canvas since I was at school and it is not something I think to pick up in my spare time.

Having been kindly invited along by Yusef and the team, my friend and I did not know what to expect – but we went in open-minded and ready to take on whatever was thrown at us.

It was immediately warming to see a variety of different groups in attendance. There was a large group of women who already socialise together elsewhere, joined by a further four groups of two. These spanned friends, family members and couples, showing this really is an activity for everyone.

We were taken through the steps by local artist Chloe Osborn, known as C.E.O. Artist, who was accompanied by her mother to ensure the afternoon ran smoothly.

Chloe is an abstract artist from Northampton and has been creative in everything she has done throughout her career, having previously worked in the fashion industry.

After having two sons, Chloe decided to take her creativity into her own hands and work as an artist. She is delighted to share her skills through Paintvine and to see others enjoying art too.

It was daunting to be faced with a blank canvas and a variety of paints that did not remotely represent the colours of the flowers we were trying to recreate. However, Chloe led us through patiently and gave us the confidence to interpret the art in whatever way we wanted to.

The room was filled with smiles, laughter and camaraderie as we trusted the process and the fact we were going to get to an aesthetic end result.

All of our paintings looked completely different but we all shared the view that having a couple of drinks while trying something new was an enjoyable way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

I would highly recommend trying out a Paintvine session as, in my opinion, this trendy pastime is worth the hype. Even if you are apprehensive about the quality of what you might create, it is the sense of enjoyment from joining a community of like-minded individuals that matters.

The next Paintvine event at The Optimist is planned from 2pm until 4pm on Saturday July 5 and is priced at £32 per person.

All materials are provided and at the end, attendees have a beautiful piece of art to take home and proudly display. There will be food and drinks available to purchase from the venue in addition to the session price.

For more information on Paintvine’s upcoming events in Northampton, visit the business’ website here.