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After leaving work, many in Buenos Aires are heading out to have a few drinks with their friends and then paint their own work of art, thanks to the new phenomenon of "Paint Night" at assorted venues around the city, reported EFE Monday.
Tomas Stigwardt thought up the formula whereby anyone can create their own work of art in just two hours without having to go to an art class or have any previous knowledge of how to paint.
"There's a lot of technique and following concrete steps. You can be better or worse in the kitchen but if you follow the recipe you're going to achieve a satisfactory result," the art professor told EFE.
Paint Night started in Boston, Massachusetts, and works like a bank of artwork where artists all over the world upload their artistic endeavors, which teachers then select and reproduce in bars and nightspots for a group of previously-registered participants.
The participants get a "template" of a work of art and then people can paint it as they see fit, much like coloring in a coloring book.
"People are looking to create their first painting and for something nice to emerge. Others are using it as an 'after office' recreation ... and that makes the experience very diverse," said the artist, adding that anyone can do well at it if they want to.
The initiative, which has already captivated more than 3 million people around the world, has been thriving for the past two years in Buenos Aires, especially among women.
"It's two hours with music, refreshments, sometimes food, and a lot of art, which constitutes a real relaxation therapy" after an intense workday, the owner of one Buenos Aires bar hosting the event every six weeks, Carlos Cantini, told EFE.
Paint Night is a rotating event, making the rounds of different bars and establishments around the Argentine capital, although on this occasion it was being held in La Flor de Barracas, a historic nightspot in the southern part of the city.
"The truth is that it's very, very entertaining," said Graciela Estevez, one of the participants who never fails to attend the regular event with her friends.
Organizers say that there have been many participants who, once they see the benefits of the experience, have made painting a part of their routine leisure activities.
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