Paint and Drink Wine at ART by KJC
Looking for a way to switch up your hangout routine with friends? ART by KJC is a great alternative to your usual bar meet-ups — and you can still drink your face off!
Located directly above the popular bar Hanko 60 in Ximending, ART by KJC provides budding and experienced artists a space to paint. The studio is fully equipped with all the materials you need, and it even serves alcohol to help lubricate those creative gears. Boozy painting is a surprisingly fun activity with friends, and it’s also a great date option!
We called ahead to book a session on a Saturday afternoon. With very few expectations, we were excited to discover a professional and well-equipped space upstairs from one of our favourite bars in the city.
The shelves were packed with paint bottles of all colours and brushes of all sizes. There were also paintings on display throughout the studio, clearly the work of skilled artists. Slightly intimidated, we were eager to start drinking.
We’d been anticipating a classroom setting with instruction from an experienced painter (since we had no idea what we were doing), but it turned out to be a more relaxed activity. We were given a brief rundown from the very lovely organizer who spoke great English and then had free reign to paint to our heart’s content for up to 4 hours.
At this time, you can also choose the size of canvas you want to paint on. The starting price is NT$650 for the smallest canvas, and the cost increases all the way up to NT$2000 for the largest.
We were also provided with a few binders to flip through for inspiration. Beginners are encouraged to choose one of the examples to replicate. We weren’t feeling any of the ones we saw, so we decided to search on our phones for an image we could agree on.
We ended up going with a simple representation of the Taipei skyline as a starting point.
Our stations were all set and ready to go!
By leaving a review of ART by KJC on Google, we were entitled to a free drink to get us started. Our creative juices were instantly flowing.
The first step was choosing our paints and brushes from the huge selection provided.
Armed with wine and paint, we set off on our artistic pursuits. Working off the same image on our phones, we each ended up taking a wildly different approach to painting the Taipei skyline.
What transpired was a hilarious few hours of failing miserably at creating art. The whole time, the organizer was circling (and no doubt judging) while offering his assistance if we needed anything. We ordered multiple rounds of wine, and though we didn’t venture into cocktail territory, the option was on the table after Hanko 60 opened at 8pm (and they make GREAT cocktails).
When we finally accepted our artistic shortcomings after multiple hours, the organizer wrapped up our completed paintings and sent us on our way. Look out for these masterpieces on the open market!
What’s the vibe?
Pleasant and professional studio to unleash your creative genius with the help of alcohol. It’s just upstairs from one of our favourite bars, Hanko 60, which gives the space an extra buzz after it opens at 8pm. You’re given free rein to paint for up to 4 hours using the paint, brushes, and canvas provided. Keep the drinks flowing and the brush stroking.
Worth it?
Yes! None of us are painters and it isn’t an activity we’d normally choose, but we had a great time drinking and laughing at our terrible attempts to create art. It was a fun experience that was totally worth the NT$650 we paid for the smallest canvas size.
Would you go back?
We’d definitely consider going back in the future to redeem ourselves!
Visited: September 2018
| ART by KJC |
| Hours: Sun - Thurs: 2pm - 10pm Fri & Sat: 2pm - 11:30pm |
| Phone: 02 2382 1919 |
| English Address: No. 60, Section 2, Hankou Street, Wanhua District |
| Chinese Address: 萬華區漢口街2段60號 |
