It was a very full house for the Wednesday 11June Coffee House, featuring instruction & supplies for T-shirt painting. It didn’t HAVE to be a T-shirt.  As was clarified by Bobi, “You can paint a peace sign on a leg of your jeans, a dolphin on your bathing suit, a tank on your tank top . . . whatever you want!” She and Susan Irving guided the 21 attendees through the process – it was much easier than we’d thought!

It wasn’t long before folks were hands-on.

Folks were focused . . .

They quickly adapted to using stencils

and other particular tools. A sponge for making dots!

The room became fairly quiet as folks worked.

Newer member Telbisz did creative work with sponges.

Rose worked complex magic with a simple stencil.

Future member Marc-William was engrossed, and stylish.

His mother, Jessica, transformed a felt carry-all. Not the only bag there.

Janet added delicate detail to a blouse.

She later added a daisy to Trevor’s collar, in situ!

Ellen worked on a shirt & overalls.

Understandably there were many T-shirts, too. Stencilled & free-handed.

Of course we like our events to be inclusive: this is how Laura responded to the event in a literary fashion.

Paint, T-shirt, Stencil and much more.

I must confess, I was not super excited about going to our coffee-house this week. 

First, I’m not a painter. Second, I have no vision of what I could do. I had the intention and purchased a black V-neck at St Vincent, my go-to-store. On Wednesday evening, the T-shirt stayed on my shelf, I chickened out. I would participate as a keen, curious observer and, on the side, finish a piece of writing. 

From 11 to over 80 years old, most of the participants had a precise idea of what they wanted to accomplish that night: bring life to a T-shirt, give a jean jacket more personality, polka-dotting a tote bag or, on the spot, add some poetry to a plain shirt’s collar with a daisy. 

I marveled at the assurance of the painter’s hand with the brush, the stencil or the sponge. The movement was determined and direct. Au contraire, for others, the movement was skittish and spontaneous. The outcome always interesting.

Painting on a piece of clothing for some was a piece of art, a statement or a show of love. It was wonderful and insightful to witness. 

My piece of writing did not make much progress.
My black V-neck will stay bland, unless…
 
 
Peinture, T-shirt, Stencil et bien plus. 

Je dois avouer que je n’étais guère enthousiaste à l’idée de la rencontre cette semaine. D’abord je ne sais pas peindre. Ensuite, je n’ai aucune vision pour cela. J’avais quand même acheté un T-shirt noir à St Vincent, mon magasin préféré. Mais le soir venu, je me suis dégonflée, le T-shirt est resté à la maison. Je participerai seulement en tant qu’observatrice avisée et curieuse. De plus, je devais finir un texte sur lequel je travaillais en ce moment. 

De onze ans à plus de quatre-vingt, les participants avaient une idée précise de ce qu’ils souhaitaient accomplir lors de cette soirée : égayer un T-shirt, donner de la personnalité à une veste en jean, décorer un sac avec de jolis pois, ou ajouter de la poésie au col d’une chemise avec une marguerite. 

J’ai été très impressionnée par l’assurance de la main du peintre maniant le pinceau, le stencil ou l’éponge. Au contraire, les gestes d’autres artistes étaient plus spontanés et incertains. Le résultat toujours intéressant. 

Peindre sur un vêtement ou du tissu, pour certains, c’est créer une œuvre d’art, ou une affirmation ou encore une preuve d’amour. Quel bonheur et quelle inspiration de le constater en direct. 
Mon travail d’écriture n’a guère progressé.
Mon petit T-shirt noir va rester insipide, à moins que…


She did her research!

Our next Members’ Coffee House will be in the September. See you there?

Photos by Milo Smith,