The Berlin Celebration Committee said this would be the first of several painting nights it has planned.
The key to painting is to not be afraid to get a little messy. If one wanted to paint Berlin, for example, it’s good to blend a lot of blues with a lot of greens, and to not be afraid to let the colors get a little sloppy.
These were some of the helpful tips attendants of the Berlin Celebration Committee’s first “Celebrate Berlin” painting class learned. On Friday, March 31, residents gathered at the Berlin Community Center for step-by-step instructions on how to create a painting.
This week’s painting: a train track covering a long expanse of green grass before disappearing into a line of trees in the distance.
Alysia Mackenzie, a painter and Berlin resident, taught the class. Her business, Art by Alysia, hosts painting parties where attendants work on their paintings and receive helpful tips while enjoying food and drinks.
“I get to socialize, hang out with people and do what I love,” Mackenzie said. “What’s not to love?”
The Berlin Celebration Committee said this would be the first of several painting nights it has planned. Committee chair Jeannine Schumacher and committee member Bill Bansch were in attendance. Schumacher even made a painting of her own.
“We’re trying to make Berlin small town America,” Bansch said about the direction he and Schumacher want to take the committee. “We’re trying to create memories for children. They grow up and remember certain things from when they were young.”
This particular event was not for children, though. The event was BYO drinks for ages 18 and up.
Mackenzie, who said running these classes is her dream job, said Berlin residents chose to paint the railroads because it reminded them of the borough.
Painters started by painting the sky at the top of the canvas and working their way down, gradually adding in elements such as the train track and the trees.
Berlin resident Fran Wingate enjoys painting in her spare time. She said she had attended painting classes before, but this was the first in the area.
“I’m glad to have something like this in Berlin,” Wingate said.
Wingate says she enjoys living in Berlin for the “oldness and history” of the area. She raised four children in the area.