Uncork that canvas

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A little vino may unleash your inner van Gogh at classes taught by The Tipsy Artist.

BY MALENA LOTT

The Tipsy Artist

6-8:30 p.m. Thursday Gallery Grazioso 301 W. Oklahoma, Guthrie tipsyartist.COm 822-0481

In an age when even doodling gets an app, art the old-fashioned way — easel, paint, brush — feels both nostalgic and primitive.

Those who haven’t had art instruction since being yay-high, a blank canvas can be less daunting, thanks to Tiffany Bohrer. Teaching classes as The Tipsy Artist, she helps call up creativity at the dip of the brush via a double dose of inspiration: cut-outs of her own art to emulate and glasses of wine.

That muse of vino is where the “tipsy” part comes in. Bohrer said the intoxicating moniker began as a joke made by her husband.

“The name just stuck,” she said.

“Every time I referred to myself as The Tipsy Artist, I found that people laughed out loud and said, ‘How great!’ I really liked that effect.”

Laughter is a big part of the Tipsy Artist experience. Her mission is “to manifest success and healing through exciting creativity and visual encouragement, creating ‘a canvas of encouragement.’” She began seeing and studying the benefits of wine-and-craft parties as a relaxation technique and stress reducer in 2006.

More than a dozen women, a few men and plenty of laughs filled a recent Tipsy Artist party held at Guthrie cocktail bar Vintage 89.

above Tiffany Bohrer

She offers tips, but rule-breaking is allowed.

She offers tips throughout the lesson, including color and object
recommendations, but ultimately, attendees’ creations are their own:
Rule-breaking is allowed.

The
parties are held at various locales around the metro or in Guthrie,
where Bohrer works as the executive director of Gallery Grazioso, 301 W.
Oklahoma. The setup works no matter the location, from restaurants and
wine bars to private parties at homes, decks and patios.

Local
actor Morgan Brown said that part of the fun of attending a Tipsy
Artist party is seeing how others’ work is wildly different, despite
being created from the same design.

“It’s
not a competition. It’s a common vision, yet solely your own creation,”
he said, noting that fellow men might like to know the female-to-male
ratio is 10-2. “And Tiffany does such a great job of making the
experience fun and exciting. And imbibing on some wine doesn’t hurt.”