Everybody remembers the handmade ornaments they brought home from school as a kid. Made out of clay or yarn, they usually included the year of origin somewhere on the ornament, so those decorating the tree in years to come could remember who made them and when. But why does this creative effort stop after childhood—why can’t adults get in the spirit of the season and get creative?
Wine and Design in Orcutt is all about keeping the creative spirit alive in everyone, especially adults, and offers an upcoming class that lets visitors take home two glass ornaments they get to hand paint.
Local artist Jennifer Sherlock leads the class on Dec. 17. She usually leads demonstrations of how to paint on canvas or wine glasses, but working with the ornaments is a lot like painting on wine glasses, she told the Sun.
“It’s not the same as painting on a canvas; sometimes the paint doesn’t want to cover, or if it starts to dry it can start to sheet, so we help people with that,” Sherlock said. “And so far, nothing has broken in a class yet.”
The class includes two ornaments that guests get to paint, Sherlock said. The glass orbs are much smaller than a canvas, so they don’t take as long to paint. Offering two ornaments also allows guests to explore different themes, she said.
Holding the ornament’s hanger with the fingertips of her left hand, Sherlock rotated it as she painted with her right hand. Her painting hand was caked with white and blue as she created a snowy
landscape scene.
Wine and Design provides enamel paints instead of acrylics for painting on wine glasses or the ornaments, explained owner Lauren Lowe. The right supplies mean a piece that will last, she said.
“Enamel paint will stick to the glass better, and it can be baked and then it’s permanent,” Lowe said. “It also doesn’t need a polyurethane spray or any other kind of spray that would hold or secure it in place, whereas acrylic would chip off the glass.”
Couples can come in and share the two ornaments for the same price Lowe said, but they would certainly be done sooner. The class runs from 2 to 4 p.m. so visitors can take their time on each ornament, she said.
The two ornaments also allow for a contrast in styles. Sherlock demonstrated both a wintry landscape complete with pine trees and a snowman, but she also painted pine bows adorned with a big red bow. The colors and themes are connected.
“Definitely for something like this [landscape], you want cool colors like blues and greens,” she said, “but for things like stockings or Santas we just use vibrant reds and white for snow and snowflakes.”
The class on Dec. 17 is the last chance to enjoy an ornament painting session at Wine and Design during the holiday season because the place is booked with private parties, Lowe said. Wine and beer is always available to enjoy while creating as well.
Lowe will also have some warm mulled wine ready for the ornament class, she said, all to get the creative juices flowing for those hoping to decorate a unique bobble for their tree or to give as
a gift.
“I think it would make an excellent gift because it’s homemade, it’s something that you’ve taken your time on,” Lowe said. “It shows appreciation for someone that you would take your time to do that, and art is always something special.”
Arts Editor Joe Payne’s tree is small this year, but not too small for a hand-painted ornament. Contact him at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Dec 15-22, 2016.