By Hand painted scenes of Long Beach’s own Queen Mary came to life alongside jazz music, beverages and snacks at the University Student Union’s Southwest Terrace on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
Hosted by ASI’s Beach Pride Events, the “Paint and Sip” event invited Long Beach State students to enjoy cookies, coffee and tea while painting.
Once students arrived, they were guided to their seats by Beach Pride Events assistants and given step-by-step directions on their painting by instructors from the Long Beach based social art studio, Brushstrokes + Beverages.
Students were also given all the materials needed like brushes, paints, aprons and the canvas that they got to take home.
The instructor of the event, Ivan Zuno, took students step-by-step in creating a painting of the Queen Mary at night with fireworks.
Zuno has worked for Brushstrokes + Beverages for two years. His studio art experience, however, spans over 20 years of paintings like portraits, landscapes and oil painting.
Zuno said that his favorite part of his job as an instructor is watching people create their own unique artwork.
Attendees were provided this Queen Mary landscape painting for inspiration on Nov. 12 at the “Paint and Sip” event hosted by ASI’s Beach Pride Events outside the University Student Union. Photo Credit: Angelina Azcué
Fellow instructor Kir Geracitane assisted Zuno in walking around during the event to offer advice and tips, along with refilling paint to students.
Brushstrokes + Beverages started as a mobile business in 2012, where they offered different social events at restaurants and wine bars.
Since 2014, the business has had a location in Downtown Long Beach, where they host daily paint and sip activities with different art prompts each day.
The “Paint and Sip” series this semester at CSULB was planned by Zoe Wong, a fourth-year marine biology major and event assistant for Beach Pride Events.
The first of the three prior events in the series was on ceramic painting, and the following two were on guided canvas paintings.
Wong’s main role in planning these events is getting the vendors approved on campus through contracts, handling insurance and buying materials.
Attending her first ever ASI event, third-year psychology major Jamie Washington said that she found the event through the Beach Event portal on the student center.
Though she came alone to the event, Washington said she ended up making friends with the people sitting near her, and that she hopes to attend more in the future.
“It was a very fun vibe and I liked talking to other people working who I didn’t know,” Washington said.
