Review: Merlot & A Masterpiece in Bloomington, IL

There is a place in downtown Bloomington called Merlot & A Masterpiece where you can learn how to paint. I convinced my husband to go with me, but I think it's more of a girl's place. The first thing you do is go to their website (merlotandamasterpiece.com). Go to the 'Class Schedule' tab to see all of your choices. They're open Monday through Saturday and usually offer 2-3 classes per day. Pick the painting that you would like to learn to paint on a date that works for you. From there, you can buy your tickets and reserve your seat. The price for one ticket is $38. They provide the canvas, paints, paintbrush, smock, and teacher. You bring your own wine and snacks. They do have wine glasses, a wine opener, and even a bucket of ice if you want to chill your wine.

When you first get there, you pick out your smock, put it on, and pick out a place to sit. When I went, there were 24 stations set up. The instructor shows you step by step how to paint the specific painting for the class you signed up for. She made it easy for us. I walked around the room at the end and I didn't see a single bad painting in the room. And there were plenty of people that weren't artistic (like my husband). If you're having trouble though, the instructor will come around to help you. We were there for about 2 hours. It was great fun and I'll definitely go back.