While winters in Chicago tend to be overcast filled with gray skies, our Chicago DMCers created a very Starry Night using their Activity Fund budget last month. This budget allows DMCers in each of our 13 offices to get together with coworkers outside of the workplace setting and help fulfil one of our Core Values — Have Fun.
On the last Friday of January, us in Chicago ventured into the below freezing weather and made our way to Museica's Sip & Paint.
Upon entering, we were greeted with pre-set canvases on easels in a blue-light lit room; the room truly set the tone for what we'd be painting. Four long tables lined the walls, two on each side — creating a walkway in between. The walkway lead to a countertop where we catered in Empanadas from 5411 Empanadas and brought our own beverages of choice. Following the walkway lead us to a backroom where we enjoyed playing pool and foosball before beginning our masterpieces.
Our Paint & Sip planning queen Hannah Gjovik (left) perfectly planned the night's event down to the catering after having the idea for months.
DMCers getting excited before the painting commenced.
After eating, mingling, and sipping for a bit, it was time to paint. We made our way to our canvases, and the instructors gave each of us our own paper plate of paints: this included the primary colors (blue, red, and yellow) and black.
While the room was dimly lit, each station had it's own overhead light. We were also equipped with three different sized brushes, a napkin, and a cup of water to rinse our brushes. For the less confident artists like myself, I was relieved to find that the canvases were already pre-stamped with the outline of what we'd be painting — the Starry Night. Our versions of Van Gogh's painting had a twist, however, as we would be adding the Chicago skyline to the bottom of it.
As we began, our instructors gave us guidance. We started with painting the background blue with our widest brush. Next, we moved onto the buildings of the Chicago skyline — which we painted black. We moved onto the swirl at the top and then came the stars. Lastly, we added the yellow detailing of the lights and windows to our buildings. These were the basic instructions we were given, but our instructors also encouraged us to incorporate any colors we wanted and to make the paintings our own.
Over the course of the night, some Chicago DMCers revealed themselves to not only be Smart People in the workplace but true artists as well. Regardless of each of our artistic abilities, by the end of the night, we each had a unique version of The Starry Night to call our own. We sipped, we painted, and we conquered the canvases!
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