Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

'Paint and Sip Studio' Brings BYOB Art Classes to Upper West Side

By Emily Frost | May 11, 2015 10:45am
 The studio offers two-hour painting classes for all levels of experience.
Paint and Sip Studio New York
View Full Caption

UPPER WEST SIDE — A new studio that lets painters pair booze with their brushes debuted this month, offering classes for artists of all stripes.

Paint and Sip Studio New York officially opened on May 7 in a 400-square-foot space across from Zabar's in a building that used to be an art school. 

Classes include a two-hour lesson by an art instructor, as well as use of an array of art supplies and a canvas participants can take home.

The studio also has a license so that anyone who takes a class can bring their own haul of wine and beer to drink during the experience. 

Students can browse classes online, with a slew of both nighttime and daytime offerings, based on their schedule or which painting is being taught. Participants in all classes paint the same picture, which is determined in advance and listed on the site. 

The venture is the first for Upper West Sider Yaffa Cheslow, a corporate lawyer who got involved in art classes at the 92Y as an adult and developed a passion for them. 

Cheslow used her knowledge as a attorney to build the business quickly — in roughly four months — by negotiating with the landlord, establishing an LLC and applying for a liquor license from the state with relative ease, she explained.

"What I missed is feeling like I’m bringing joy to the world and helping other people have a good time and be happy," she said.

Cheslow upgraded the space on the fourth floor by adding hardwood floors, new lighting and a fresh coat of paint, among other interior tweaks.

She loves that the building initially housed an art school, with its large windows and high ceilings acting as reminders of that past. 

The studio might eventually serve its own wine and beer, but for now Cheslow knows the BYOB policy appeals to people who simply want to kick back and relax while doing something artistic. 

"We play oldies and new hits music," she said." People sing along while they’re painting. They get up and they start singing."

Many of Cheslow's friends and neighbors weren't familiar with the paint-and-drink concept, which reinforced her confidence in opening the studio in the area, she said. 

"The Upper West Side needs this," Cheslow explained. "There’s so many people who want to go do something that's not necessarily [going to] a bar."

For the month of May, two-hour classes cost $35. The price rises to $50 after that. Discounts are available for large groups and private rentals are also available. The studio is located at 246 W. 80th St., studio 16, fourth floor.

Subscribe to DNAinfo's Upper West Side podcast: