Painting Workshop: Canvas or Door Hanger

Lea Beach

I started making cards, stationery and letterhead when I was in grade school. I’d sell a set with an envelope for 5 cents. I always wanted to be an artist. I was always drawing or painting something. Finally my parents let me enroll in classes by mail. After graduating high school I attended a junior college for Commercial Art where we drew everything free hand and used many mediums. I worked as a Commercial Artist for an ad agency, a department store, a distributing company, a real estate company and then at Dex Yellow Pages creating ads for 21 years until I retired in 2022. All the while I worked free lance for ad agencies and individuals under the name Beach Productions. I created drawings of the exterior of beautiful new homes from the blue-prints including the imagined landscaping. I branched off into painting on clothing. I would take a piece of clothing apart and put it back together—differently—turning a simple sweatshirt into a jacket with adornments! I also painted on jeans. Some of my inspirations came from high-end fashion in New York and Las Vegas at the M.A.G.I.C. conventions. I had attended several paint and sip classes when I said to myself “I can do that!” A friend of mine strongly encouraged me and now I’ve been holding paint and sip classes since October of 2022. My inspiration is joy. It gives me joy to share painting with others and then to see their joy after creating something wonderful. My goal as a paint and sip instructor is to help everyone, regardless of their talent or knowledge level, create something they will be happy to take home or give as a gift. If you’re not happy—always let me know, I’ll help in any way I can!