The House restaurant in Durham is hosting an Affirmation Paint Night this Saturday, Oct. 12 from 7 - 9 p.m. The event is being put on by Paint n’ Sip with Justin Q. Young.
A paint and sip event typically consists of a group painting lesson accompanied by wine or other food and drink options.
Artist Justin Q. Young paints original pieces ahead of time that attendees of the event are taught to paint with step-by-step instruction. Participants can choose between several pictures they want to paint when registering for the event, and take the painted canvas home when they’re done.
The main painting for this event is titled “Affirmations” and features the silhouette of a black woman in a white bodysuit, with words painted on top of her natural hair such as blessed, queen and inspire.
Shanee' Harmon, co-owner of Paint n’ Sip and Young's wife, said the image was picked for this event because of its popularity in other events they’ve done in places like Maryland and Virginia.
“This particular image is always requested by folks who may have missed an event, and every time we bring it back into circulation it’s always an event that sells out,” Harmon said.
The company has many images in circulation and varies them between events, but Harmon believes the overwhelming response to this Affirmations piece can be attributed to the message of the painting, which emphasizes self-love and body positivity.
“We create pictures that aren’t just the one on the flyer,” Harmon said. “All of the canvases have prepared images on them that have been drawn by Justin prior to the event, and they’re able to pick the body image that suits the person who’s picking the painting. It’s the same image, just with a different body size, and they can put any words that they want on their picture."
Attendees will have a number of options for customizing their own work, like choosing different paint colors or adding glitter. They can also choose between different hairstyles, such as an Afro, ponytail or long hair.
