Wine & Design trend introduces a new way to be creative

Arts and crafts aren’t just for kids. They can be for adults too — just add a little wine.

Wine & Design is a franchise that allows people to pay to take a class in which they paint a scene on a pre-sketched canvas. They are taught how to paint by artists — no prior experience needed.

Roslyn Sloop-Troutman is the owner of the Chapel Hill branch of Wine & Design, which opened in March 2012. She said she attended a class in Raleigh and had so much fun she approached the owners to ask if they would be willing to open up another location.

She settled on Chapel Hill.

“I thought it was a fantastic idea,” she said. “People have so much fun.”

There are currently 70 locations, with seven in the Triangle alone and more coming soon.

The Wine & Design franchise offers regular two-hour studio classes as well as private parties, kids’ summer camps and team-building activities.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their own beverages and snacks, and those who are of legal drinking age can bring wine or beer. All supplies, including the canvas, paint and paintbrushes, are included in the price.

Sloop-Troutman said the Chapel Hill location is very active in the UNC community. They have partnered with many different organizations, including sororities, UNC Health Care and the Carolina Union Activities Board.

The Old Well and Paint Your Pet are two of the most popular designs, which are usually scheduled every month.

Krystal Watters is a freelance illustrator who leads classes through their paintings. She said it is important for the instructor to be able to break down the instructions in a simplified manner.

“Being able to paint is important, but it’s just as important to make it simple,” she said.

Taylor Libby, director of human resources at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, has attended about eight or nine Wine & Design classes.

“I’m not good at it, but it’s a great stress reliever,” she said.

Libby once took part in a team-building activity with her colleagues.

“None of us are artists,” she said. “We’re accountants and HR people.”

They decided to decorate their new office space with their paintings.

“It’s just fun,” she said. “I’m always proud of what I come out with.”

@MariaMullis2017

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