Merlot 2 Masterpiece

Came with a group of girlfriends on a Sunday afternoon and had a good time painting and sipping on some wine. The location is a little hard to find as its’ located behind a Kolache Factory and the signage on the storefront was of a custom framing company. Pretty clever as they also offer to frame your painting once you’re done with the class!
Their policy is BYOB — they supply the ice, paper plates, and napkins.

I visited the Memorial location last week with my sisters. We had a fantastic time. None of us are artistic but our paintings came out great thanks to the teacher. The teacher was very helpful throughout the entire class.
Don’t forget to bring your refreshments. Keep your food items to a minimum or at least items that you can pick up quickly without getting your fingers dirty.
We will be back!

My painting experiences have been pretty great. The instructors are helpful and patient. Booking is super easy and fast online; however, when we attended last time, they advertised this golden ticket where we could come for a Sunday brunch with mimosas and pay less if we purchased it that day so we did. Well, I did not receive my golden ticket via email like my friends did so I called the store only to be accused of being dishonest! After 4 phone calls, they realized they got my email address wrong and corrected it but I did not appreciate being accused of stealing basically. In the past year, I have not seen any special mimosa brunch painting event so I just scheduled a Sunday painting event only to learn that they quit doing them and I paid more for the golden ticket than the Sunday’s painting event cost. Very disappointed!

I’ve been here twice to do two different partner paintings. Both times were completely different experiences!
First off, booking is easy peasy. You should never have to pay full price for your reservation with the abundance of Groupons available. Their website also as a popup generated now and then with a coupon offer, so refresh if you don’t see it. After the discount, this becomes a reasonably priced date or hangout activity.
The selection of paintings vary as the days progress. If they don’t see people registering, then at some point they decide to switch the paintings to something that may be more appealing. When you register, you’ll be able to see the total enrolled in the class. In one class I had 10 people and in another 20.
The place is easy to miss since it’s located in the back of the plaza so drive slow as you’re getting close. The interior is decently sized, sharing rental space with a custom frame shop. Both times my cashier was kind and pointed out the table with the complimentary ice and space for your snacks if you’re wanting to share. You can also take all of your snacks/​drinks with you to your seat but if it’s a full house, you may not have the space. They provide you with aprons (but I would still be cautious and not wear that new white blouse you purchased yesterday), cubbies for your purse/​extra drinks, and all the painting supplies.
I had a wonderful first experience here. The instructor was very friendly, patient, and pushed us in just the right way to get us to finish on time. She encouraged us to paint however we wanted and guided us so that there wasn’t any confusion. I thoroughly enjoyed having her as an instructor.
My second experience was not as pleasing. The instructor this time around was a little too pushy to finish, wanted everyone to paint and shade a certain way to get the «right» effect, engaged in too much self-​disclosure (border line bragging about her professional painting experience), and obviously did this too many times as she followed a particular routine to acknowledge everyone’s efforts. At one point, she got a little lost in keeping track and asked if there was anyone’s painting left that she didn’t show off…
That being said, I would still go back but selectively so as to avoid the instructor I didn’t like as much. Both were helpful in that they would sit with you if you requested it (although the latter invited herself at some point with a friend of mine to show her how it was done). It’s cheap, you get to drink, and get a little memento for the time and money you spent. Do expect them to try and sell a frame but don’t feel pressured to purchase.

My friend surprised me with a painting class recently. She bought it at a discounted price through GroupOn.
It’s located in the same building as Shakespeare pub. There isn’t a clear sign saying Merlot2Masterpiece so be careful not to miss it!
Before the class started, you can chill your beverage. It is a BYOB or bring your own bottle. Just be careful not to get too intoxicated to paint… Well even then, whatever you paint is still art.
The only reason why I give this place 4 stars is because Ginger would speed through some steps. In addition, I couldn’t hear her as well sitting in the back. She should invest in a microphone in my opinion. There were people asking, «What was the step before this and that?» Besides that, there are various levels of artists, who are there to enjoy and have fun. Don’t be shy to speak up or ask your neighbor. I had a couple next to us who were taking their time perfecting their pieces. Otherwise, Ginger was great at leading the class. You don’t have to mimic the listed painting step by step. I added a twist in my painting and loved it.
Would I do it again? Of course! It was a lot of fun. There are other painting classes besides Merlot2Masterpiece. I would compare prices and listed paintings available for the time period.

I ended up not even attending a class because of a conflict. However upon cancelling my reservation the man on the phone was so incredibly rude and wouldn’t even answer my questions. I wouldn’t go there just because that experience was so negative.

Had loads of fun tonight doing the partner painting 3 hour class! Got it at a discounted price through Groupon and would definitely do it again. Ginger is a thorough, fun, and patient teacher and Joe was a great helper attending to the paint needs of all the tipsy novice painters. Overall, my boyfriend and I had an amazing date night and took home surprisingly good paintings!