YEE: Pinot’s Palette

Like always, Katie B. did not disappoint.
Snacks, drinks, and activities make for a perfect night for me but Pinot’s Palette made my night memorable. What put them over the top in my opinion would be the awesome staff. They were funny, personable, calm, informative, and much more.
I loved that the event felt intimate even though there was a good chunk of us there. My fellow Unilocalers were extremely friendly and easygoing.
Overall it was a great night to test my art skills, or lack there of. I wouldn’t mind stopping by here again especially for a girls night out.

Great event!
The studio is a great size with plenty of room to unleash your inner art beast.
There were ample amounts of appetizers from fruit, cheese, crackers, cakes and other goodies. Also the wine was flowing making the night even more magical.
The painting itself was simple but the steps were very well laid out. There were times I was doubting the overall success of my painting but after realized my «mistakes» created a lovely unique finished product.
The instructor had a great sense of humor and we followed along with great ease.
Overall fabulous event. Katie B knows how to really mix up the events where its not all one particular type of event. And we got super cute little goodie bags filled with candies. Yay!
That’s Katie and thanks PP for hosting us!

(Attended 03÷26÷14 W @ 7:00pm): Painting a pretty picture while drinking pinot grigio!
I was ecstatic when I received my confirmation into the YEE: Pinot’s Palette event literally in my workplace’s backyard! What a way to spend an evening after another long and stressful day at the office — actually allowed to let my creativity shine, mingled with fellow Unilocalers (I finally met Unilocal friends Cassandra Y. although I didn’t realize until I got home, Rick R., and I made a new friend in Troy H.), and snacked on complimentary wine from Barefoot Wines and various snacks.

Evening’s Event — An intimate crowd of barely 40 painters each with varied hidden artistic talents, we each grabbed an apron off the wall and tied them on ready for the paint to fly! Before we sat in front of our blank canvas, we gathered snacks that ranged from desserts, cheeses, crackers, wines, sodas, and waters. At the end of the evening there surprisingly was a swag bag for each of us!
The evening’s piece of art that we painted was a city skyscape (presumably New York City). With a mixture of black, blue, dirt red, mustard, red, and white acrylic paints dabbed onto a white paper plate, fledgling Monets and Picassos were eager to color the canvas technicolor. Here was my pièce de résistance which was now proudly displayed in my pad.
FYI…the normal cost was $ 35.00 which included the studio time, all materials, and of course the finished painting.
Service — From beginning to end, all was fabulous! Stephanie and Kathy, the two female co-​owners, couldn’t have been more gracious. Brian, our teacher for the evening was playful yet professional with us and reassured the crowd to make sure and have fun! His instructions were easy to follow and went at a good pace. Brian’s sidekick Paul, kindly assisted has he went around and gave more paint if needed and made sure we were all well. And our beautiful bartender Catherine was ever so heavy and generous with her wine pour; cheers to you, Catherine!
Parking (Free) — There were plenty of stalls throughout the outdoor mini mall of Granary Square. I doubt this place would ever get filled, but I believed free street parking may be available.
Atmosphere, décor, ambience — For all intent and purposes, once you walked in there was no doubt this was an art studio. Prepared canvases and easels were propped-​up as if they were at a military attention and your weapons (i.e. three differently-​sized paint brushes and water cup for dipping) were placed at each side. There were three long tables that accommodated about 7 people on each side for a total of 42 spots. The first table was used for refreshments and swag while the other two for us artists. We sat in simple yet backless chairs.
There was a stage where the artist taught, and a bar area at the back of the studio.
As you’d imagined there were plenty of paintings and examples that hung from the wall. Lighting was simple and mostly electric, but it appeared plenty of natural lighting could shine through the front glass wall. There were no TVs, but there was background music which we all chair-​danced and shimmied to.
Attire — Totally casual, so I would’ve normally been in a t-​shirt, boardshorts, and flip-​flops but I came directly from work.
Overall, the YEE: Pinot’s Palette event was another stroke of genius put together by local girl Katie B. of the SCV. Many thanks again to the wonderful staff who welcomed in with open arms: co-​owners Kathy Guccione and Stephanie Sewell, artist extraordinaire Brian, helpful artist assistant Paul, and the quite lovely Assistant Manager/​Bartender Catherine. I’ve noticed within the past five years that an influx of such businesses have opened up everywhere, and I’ve personally attended one particular business — Wine and Canvas — in Old Town Pasadena. I honestly didn’t know what took so long for this concept to catch on! My only concern would be how differentiate from business from another. I found complete value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (total paid experience was around $ 10.00 which was basically my tip). Come on…“paint, drink, and have fun!” And, although the event was complimentary, they accepted my credit card of choice… AMEX!

Thank you SO much, Katie, for inviting me to this event! I feel very humble and grateful for the opportunity to join with fellow Unilocalers in getting our paint on.
I’m not an artist. I’ll be the first to admit that my talents are lacking in that area. And yet somehow through the fantastic, clear instructions and demonstrations that Brian gave us, I came out with a REALLY decent painting! I’m currently trying to decide whether to hang it in the living room or bedroom — I’m really very proud of it! Although I pretty much followed Brian’s lead step-​for-​step and didn’t get too creative on my canvas, I gained so much confidence in my hidden artist, and I think that’s really the takeaway that Pinot’s Palette wants you to have. I am for sure planning on coming back so that I can practice my painting and broaden my artistic horizons! Hooray for the discounted price they gave us!
And the «light» refreshments? Fan-​freaking-​tastic! Fruit, cheese, salami, cheesecake and a RIDICULOUS carrot cake that I somehow have never tried before at Stonefire Grill? Katie, you are seriously the hostess with the mostest!
Oh, and don’t forget about the wine! I don’t drink and don’t pretend to know anything about wine, but everybody seemed to enjoy it thoroughly.
Again, THANK YOU Katie and Pinot’s Palette for putting on such a great event. I loved it and am always very grateful for the opportunity to join other Unilocalers for a fun time.

What a great Event! Katie did an amazing job settling it all up!
I am not the artsy person, but I thought I’d try it out. I am defiantly more of a tom boy. I was quite nervous about the actually painting something that didn’t look like a kindergartener did it. Walking in everyone was so friendly and helpful, they made everyone feel right at home, which helped put my mind at ease.
They had two long tables set up with stools and easels on both sides. Up front and center was the instructor, Brian with his easel, which made it easy to watch what I should be doing. Brain was a great instructor. I have no artistic ability and he did a great job explaining, so that everyone could have a painting that looks great.
The wine helps a ton ;) If you are a little nervous, the wine helps you let loose and let those creative juices flow. They also had snacks, cake, salami, crackers, fruit and almonds. It was a great mix of food to eat while painting.
This is defiantly a places id go back to for a girls night out or just to have a mother daughter date with my mom. The places isn’t too hard to find, it’s right on mcbean in the strip mall with ralphs and starbucks. There is a ton of parking that is free, which is a great bonus. The walls are all decorated with lovely paints that you can come in a do at one of their classes.
Thank you eveyrone for putting this on! It was a ton of fun!

Had sooooo much fun last night! Def has been by far one of my fav Unilocal events.
Thanks so much, Katie and the crew at Pinot’s Palette!
So your canvas, paint (acrylic-​I guess it dries faster), and brushes are provided for you in the beginning of the class. Then you have awesome instructors such as Brian, who by the way was not only talented but funny and entertaining, showing you different techniques and such. It was very easy to follow along and the music playing in the background just made it that much more fun for the group. Our particular class was around 20 (which is very intimate) and I think you really get to have a good time with the people around you even if you decide to do it on your own versus bringing a friend or date. My favorite part at the end of the night was being able to just see everyone else’s painting and just admiring how though we were all taught and shown a piece of art work to replicate, by no means did everyone’s come out the same… that’s the beauty of art… it truly is in the eye of it’s beholder. Thoroughly enjoyed it… felt like a big kid in Kindergarten all over.

Came in for a Unilocal Event (my first, thanks Katie!) and was extremely impressed. The owners and staff know what they are doing, and do it well. Whether you typically enjoy painting or not, you will enjoy yourself here.
I would not consider myself an artist by any means, but had a great time… Picture an art class where drinking wine is not only allowed, but encouraged. I personally was fortunate enough to be in a class full of friendly people, but I can’t imagine anyone would ever come here unwillingly, or with a bad attitude. My guess is you could expect to be in a room full of happy wine drinkers, regardless of when you go.
The class lasted about two hours, and was great from start to finish. Everyone in the class attempts to replicate a finished art piece displayed in the front of the room. An instructor starts his own replica from scratch, and talks the class through it step by step, so everyone could follow along. You will not be judged or ridiculed, no matter how bad yours turns out (speaking from personal experience). Again, everyone is just there to have a fun, relaxing night, and could care less whose painting turns out the best.
What sets a night here apart from most other places, is you are able to take something home with you, other than a future hangover. I was able to hang my painting up in my bedroom with little to no resistance from my wife. Being able to bring home a painting that you yourself created, while having great conversations and wine, helps to literally make it a night to remember.
The night was free for us (again, big thanks to Katie!), so I can’t accurately rate their pricing just yet. I definitely plan on coming back with the wife on a regular night, and will update my review accordingly. Until then, I highly recommend Pinot’s Palette for a fun, unique night out.

This has to be the most «creative» YEE event I have ever been! Thank you Katie for making this event so successful~
The Venue: What an lovely store! Love all the paintings on the wall~ So inspired and make me just want to pick up the paint brush and PAINT! Even though the store is not too big but they fully used all the space. My favorite — the wine bar! If they had that when I was 5 years old, I would go to my art classes every week! hahaha~ JK! Guess where I found more paintings? YES, IN THE RESTROOM! Too bad, I didn’t have my phone with me or else I would snap some pictures too! :p
The Service: The owners and the staffs are SUPER sweet! We feel soooo welcomed! Our instructor, Brian, and his assistant, Paul, are just fantastic! They make the whole painting process… painless! Step by step… easy instruction!
Not only they teach you how to paint, they also can frame your masterpiece for you. One stop shopping!
The Food/​Drinks: Thanks to Pinot’s Palette for providing all the wines! After a glass of wine, I feel like I am fully inspired and ready to paint!
Thank you Katie for bringing all the food to go with the wine~ She is a pro party host! Cheese, crackers, nuts, fruits… and the desserts! Everything goes so well with the wine. Unilocal always makes sure we don’t go home hungry! THANK YOU!
The Parking: The store is situated in a big plaza. Big parking lot… parking (FREE!)
2 hours of FUN time, great music, food, wine, painting & lots of laughter! Can’t get better than that~

Once again another great Unilocal event! Paint and wine with delicious treat go hand in hand to create our great masterpieces. Our instructor was great! He took us step by step, line by line, color by color to help us create a great skyline with a Unilocal sun. It was fun with each of us having our own perspective and our own form. Did all our pictures turn out like our instructors? Nope, but we all had a great time. It was great meeting Rick and Jeff as well as other great Unilocal peeps.
Great times and great fun!