About two weeks before Valentine’s Day, my boyfriend and I realized that it was already February. This, of course, meant that Valentine’s Day would be right around the corner. As many couples do, we planned on celebrating by going out for dinner. It didn’t take long for us to realize that many of the restaurants were already booked for Valentine’s Day weekend.

We could’ve just waited until the night of and tried our luck with walk-ins at a random restaurant. Instead, we—and by we, mostly I—decided to switch things up. Thinking that we could go to a restaurant or see a movie some other time, I turned to Google for new date night ideas. Now, as previously noted in other blog posts, I love any art-related events or activities. I’m not much of a painter, but when I stumbled upon the concept of painting as a date, I knew I had found a winner. 

After classes on Friday, there was no need to get dolled up for a fancy restaurant (though dressing up once in a while can be fun). Instead, we would soon be donning aprons. Like myself, my boyfriend is not incredibly well-rehearsed in terms of visual arts; however, we were both very excited for our session at Painting with a Twist. We had signed up for a “couples” event, which entailed creating a complementary set of paintings. By this, I mean the canvases could be put together to form one image. They could, however, also work individually, as there were individuals in the workshop that painted one half of the set as a stand-alone work of art. 

Once we arrived at the studio, we were escorted into a smaller room for the session. Our painting supplies and canvases were already set out for us, so all we had to do was put on the provided aprons and wait for the session to start. For the next two hours, we followed step-by-step instructions with leeway given to make the paintings our own. Painting something such as this was new for the both of us; luckily, no painting experience is needed for these types of workshops, so the paintings were not too difficult to do. We painted our halves individually but occasionally set them side by side to ensure that they lined up correctly. Though we worried about getting the background, colors, etc. to match up, we learned to appreciate the originality exhibited in each other’s work. With a fun, encouraging atmosphere, the paint date night was an exciting and relaxing way to put aside the stresses of college life, spend quality time with a loved one, and connect with one another (and our art).

After getting pictures taken, the couples trickled out the door until only my boyfriend and I were left. We looked up at all the paintings around the room, admiring the variety of sceneries and painted objects. As we were whisked back to our dorm via Uber, we shared smiles over the night and the paintings we created.

Overall, I had a wonderful time. The activity was more expensive than we would normally spend on a date, especially as college students; however, for a unique, fun activity to do every once in a while, it was worth it. Along with fond memories, I now have some awesome art, with both halves currently on display in my dorm room. In the future, we might try a DIY painting date night at home!

FYI: In Ann Arbor, places such as Painting With a Twist and Paint and Pour offer the type of art instruction sessions noted in this blog post.