By Exildah Smith
University of Washington communications intern

At the newly-opened Embellished in downtown Edmonds, you don’t need to be an experienced artist to breathe life onto a blank canvas. They are experts at helping even novices like me release their inner creativity.

I joined a small group of eight people last week participating in the Batman painting session, to commemorate the new release of “The Dark Knight Rises” at the Edmonds Theater.

According to co-owner Joan Duce, Embellished is all about pure entertainment. It is a place to come and have fun while you “paint a little, wine a bit, and laugh a lot,” she said.

On the night of the Batman painting event, they served cupcakes topped with batman décor to match the theme of the night, along with strawberries and a choice of red or white wine, soda or water.
While we waited for the session to begin, the room exuded a warm and calming atmosphere, filled with some chatter and laughter. Each table had a blank canvas and to the right of the canvas were four paint brushes, along with water to clean the brushes with.

At 7 p. m., Duce introduced the instructor of the night, a young vivacious woman named Gabrielle Guarnero. After she was introduced, each person chose his or her work station, armed with the color pallets of the night, which included black, white, yellow and blue.

As I sipped my wine and chatted with a woman and her nephew sitting at my table, I quickly found my creativity awakening as I stroked the paint brush on my canvas. I looked up to acknowledge the people who peered at my painting, while keeping a close eye on instructor Guarnero. As I transformed the blank canvas into a work of art, my inner goddess began doing the happy dance. I found the whole act of painting quietly exhilarating, and the best part was I got to keep my own artwork, which is now proudly hanging in my living room. Oh, what a thrill!

According to Duce, anyone is welcome to walk in and pick a picture they would like to paint from the samples on the wall, and then go back when that picture is the painting theme of the night.

Among the upcoming events at Embellished are a singles’ night on July 26 and the official opening and ribbon cutting by local dignitaries, which is scheduled for Aug. 16, the night of the August Art Walk.