Sisters-in-law Amber Van Ma’iingan and Katrina Hiebert have been hosting paint parties since July 2015. The idea for Painting On The Prairies came to Van Ma’iingan after hearing about other popular paint party nights across North America.
“Katrina was the first person I approached with my idea about being my co-artist and co-instructor, because I knew she was a wonderful artist,” said Van Ma’iingan. “So we both started painting, and as soon as we had 3 paintings we started setting up parties.”
If you attend a Painting On The Prairies party, you don’t have to bring anything. Van Ma’iingan and Hiebert supply canvases, easels, paint, brushes, and anything else you might need. All you have to do is show up ready to create.
Van Ma’iingan and Hiebert walk the clients, step by step, through a painting chosen ahead of time. The paintings are specifically chosen with beginners in mind. An art degree is not necessary. The whole evening is structured more like a party than an art lesson. “We encourage creativity and fun and want people to relax and let loose,” Van Ma’iingan says.
People are also encouraged to make the painting their own by changing up colours and elements as they feel comfortable. At the end of the night, everyone leaves with their own artwork. “The best part is how different yet beautiful everyone’s paintings always turn out,” says Van Ma’iingan.
The success of Painting On The Prairies is certainly growing. “People love it for different reasons,” says Hiebert. “From some I hear it’s because it’s relaxing, from some because it’s exciting. But overall I believe that people love being creative. Coming to a party, we give them the tools and the time to indulge in some creativity.”
Van Ma’iingan continually hears from clients how therapeutic painting is. “It is a social activity that gets people interacting and laughing, and in the end you feel lighter because you painted away all your stress and anxiety from the day.”
The two instructors are both capable artists themselves. Hiebert has been painting for nearly 20 years. She decided to pursue it when she was in elementary school when she spent her allowance on a canvas and a multipack of paints. Van Ma’iingan has been doing mostly pencil portraits, but in the last year she switched over to this new medium.
The transition from artist to teacher came naturally to both women. Hiebert says she enjoys the energy and excitement that’s in the room, and the challenge of breaking down the creative process, and Van Ma’iingan says it’s her favourite part of the business.
“I love teaching,” says Van Ma’iingan. “I am a very social person and no matter how tired or stressed I feel before a party, it is the people and the teaching and the interacting that give me a boost and soon I feel like I am leaving behind all my stress and anxiety.”
The parties can take place anywhere from a restaurant to a café to a home or an office. Private parties are usually smaller, with 10 to 15 painters, and public parties have grown as large as 30 people. Tickets are generally $35.
