Item Photo By OWEN O’ROURKE
Karrie Brawn is the manager of the Muse Paint Bar in Lynnfield and an artist too. Behind her are some of the paintings that customers use as models for their paintings.
By BRIDGET TURCOTTE
LYNNFIELD — MarketStreet Lynnfield patrons can soon add painting to the long list of activities available at the diversely entertaining shopping center with the addition of Muse Paintbar.
“We are experiencing an exciting growth year,” said co-owner Stan Finch. “Opening at MarketStreet Lynnfield signifies a smart and thoughtful expansion to an area just north of Boston that will appreciate Muse’s unique combination of entertainment and art.”
Muse Paintbar is located at 1130 Market St. Another location recently opened at Assembly Row in Somerville. There are a total of 14 locations across the East Coast, including four in Massachusetts.
Muse Paintbar allows guests to create a painting with detailed guidance from a local artist. Meanwhile, guests can enjoy beer, wine and appetizers designed to be easy to eat while painting.
Muse offers menu items such as hummus platters and french bread pizzas, according to Finch.
“It’s all stuff that we make on site,” he said. “It’s easy to eat with your hands, so you can eat with one hand and either paint or drink with the other.”
The paintbar is geared for both beginner painters and advanced artists.
“The key concern everyone has is that they’re not talented enough,” said Finch. “People are surprised with how (the painting) comes out. You do not need to have any prerequisites. You just have to come in and have an open mind and want to have fun.”
In addition to regular sessions, Muse offers special events such as couple nights, family days and private parties for events such as bachelorette parties, girls’ night out, children’s birthday parties, and corporate team-building sessions.
The cost for a session ranges from $29 to $45, depending on the type of event. Kids sessions and family days cost $29 and will be offered during school vacation, as well as Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
One special event in the works is a Paint Your Pet session.
“You send us a photo of your pet and we will sketch it out for you,” Finch said. When the guest arrives, the canvas will be prepared with an image of his or her pet.
Wine glass and vase painting classes will also be available. One to two regular sessions will be offered each evening.
Finch said guests should show up about a half-hour ahead of time and expect each session to last between two and two-and-a-half hours.
“Once a session starts, the instructor walks everyone through 10 to 15 steps,” said Finch. “You can paint whatever you want. You don’t have to follow step by step. Some people do, but other customers might have more artistic experience and want to deviate from script. They’re more than welcome to do that. “
The Lynnfield location has a public studio that holds 40 to 45 people and two private studios to host parties of up to 30 people.
The space spans 2,500 square feet and is among shopping, dining, and entertainment establishments at MarketStreet Lynnfield.
When selecting the Lynnfield location, the founders went to work to create the optimal environment, said Finch.
“We go to great lengths to create what we think is a great atmosphere,” he said.
The bricks used at the bar are originally from old mills in Western Massachusetts and recycled barn wood from Maine is used in the tables.
“The business was formed as a business school project, where a lot of my classmates were looking to go into banking or finance, and I wanted to do anything but that,” Finch said. “I was working with my marketing professor at the time, who is my co-founder (Ray Weaver), and we talked about what we could do that could be more fun and also leverage some of the collective skills we had.”
Finch said he and Weaver, who had been his professor at Harvard Business School, had both been to events similar to those offered at Muse Paintbar and thought the idea sounded like it could be a lot of fun to pursue.
“First, and foremost, it will be fun,” he said. “We will wake up every day and know that we are going to make people happy.”
“Muse allows local artists to share our passion and create art in a fun, relaxed atmosphere,” said co-founder and lead artist Vanessa Leigh. “Art can be intimidating, but we break down barriers by providing simple directions that allow people to gain confidence. By the end of the session they’ve had fun and can take home an original work of art.”
Regular sessions can be booked by going to the Muse Paintbar website, www.musepaintbar.com and selecting the Lynnfield location. Guests can scroll through the online calendar to view the paintings offered each evening and sign up online.
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected].