Wine-and-paint bar provides art opportunities for novices
Painting, wine, live music – Studio Cellar has it all. The rustic floors and string lights lend a distinctive atmosphere to the Vista’s newest artistic venue, cozily nestled on the corner of Lady and Lincoln streets.
A giant calendar covering an entire wall shows what paintings aspiring artists can choose to learn each day. A long oak bar flanking the opposite wall showcases the wide variety of drinks artists can sip on while they learn.
Patrons with no painting experience can follow along with one of the seven instructors in a class or follow step-by-step instructions for a self-paced experience. There is also a paint bar where patrons can free-paint whatever they want instead of following the painting-du-jour. Visitors can also dine on appetizers from the neighboring Blue Marlin while they work.
“We wanted to dig into our inner artist,” said Olivia Lockheart, who was with a group celebrating her friend’s new job and painted a pier at sunset. “The staff is really helpful in letting us accomplish our artistic dreams.”
The group stumbled upon Studio Cellar while walking to Starbucks, a phenomenon experienced by many of the visitors to this new business.
The painting choices are targeted at women – Chanel bottles, Louboutin shoes, pink flowers – but there are many gender-neutral and masculine-themed paintings as well, including idyllic landscape images of southern seas, cityscapes and the State House. There are also many famous pieces patrons can recreate by artists like Vincent van Gogh, Andy Warhol and Edgar Degas. All supplies are included in the price of a class.
Opened Feb. 1, Studio Cellar has already made an impression in the Columbia community. With live band and DJ nights, the gallery offers a unique experience for the city. When visitors are finished painting they are invited to stay and sip on more wine and enjoy the space.
The wide-open space is able to handle large groups or couples and allows pre-registration or walk-ins. Date nights, bachelorette parties (complete with a live model) and fundraising nights with themed paintings round out the events Studio Cellar has hosted in the past six weeks alone.
“I’m doing what I love to do and not working for someone else. I get to turn my passion into a business and share that passion with other people,” said owner and founder Charlotte Gaskins.
Gaskins, 26, has been painting her whole life. In addition to taking summer classes at the Savannah College of Art and Design throughout high school, she graduated from the Art Institute of Charlotte with a focus in painting. Gaskins decided to open her own wine-and-paint bar after visiting a similar business in Michigan.
She hopes to expand the business to major city centers like Atlanta, Charlotte and Charleston in the next five years, she said.
Studio Cellar is located at 912 Lady St., and it’s open from 5-10 p.m. on weekdays and noon-11 p.m. on weekends. USC students can get a 10 percent online discount with the promo code “gococks.”
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