When you’re in your forties, birthday celebrations traditionally fall into two categories: mundane (dinner out) or massive (expensive party or girls weekend). A close friend wanted to keep it low-key this year, but I still insisted we celebrate her. We decided to try something different: Neon Brush, a black-lit painting experience on the Westside.
Located at the Westside Cultural Arts Center, 760 10th Street Northeast, a warehouse-style building distinguished by the colorful geometric shapes painted on it, Neon Brush is a self-led creative “workshop” in the dark. (Limited $10 parking is available in an adjacent lot.) Doors open 15 minutes before the ticketed start time; this allows for time to choose a seat, pick your canvas (black or white), and grab a drink at the bar. No pre-designed cocktails are available, but all basic liquor drinks can be purchased, as well as beer, wine, water, and soda.
The room is spacious and somewhat sparse. Tables of six and eight are set up with paint brushes of various sizes and smocks to protect your clothes from paint spills. Participants are asked to pick their paints (yellow, green, hot pink, black, and white) from tables at the front. There’s not much instruction. You can paint whatever you want, although some themed examples are provided. (In October, the theme is Halloween, and the space was decorated with skeletons, glow balls, neon signs, and other fluorescent decor.) All session are limited to ages 21-and-up. Pay attention when you register: Select sessions are labeled “erotic” and intended for sensual paintings of body parts.
Fever, the company producing Neon Brush, launched it in Spain and has since expanded it to Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. “We observed a growing trend in creative and artistic engagement and immersive unique events,” says producer Ashley Alvarez. “We put a spin on sip and paint and now it’s paint in the dark.”
My friend and I had fun chatting while we unleashed our artistic sides, though we later discovered our paintings looked much better under a blacklight than they did in the sun. The session lasted 90 minutes, but we were done in 60 and left wondering what to do. (We ended up leaving to grab a drink at Miller Union nearby.)
Overall, the experience was fun but felt a bit unstructured. It could’ve benefited from additional instruction, a creative cocktail list, and more painting options. For those looking for something new to do, tickets are available for two sessions (6 p.m. and 8:15 p.m.) on Fridays and Saturdays one weekend per month through the end of the year. Standard admission costs $31 per person, and group pricing is available for $28 per person.
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