Amy Steffen of Merrill is debuting a unique, new business to the area, Gallery on the Go with Amy, leads a step-by-step painting class and participants go home with their finished artwork.
“Even people who have never painted before can leave with a decent piece of art,” she said. “You don’t have to have any art experience at all. I pretty much lead you through the whole process step by step.”
Steffen’s mobile art studio can do public venues as well as private parties, partnering with businesses or individuals. She will travel to the site with easels, canvases, paints, aprons and all the equipment to make paintings.
The sessions last about two hours, depending on the amount of socializing the painters do.
“It’s a great way to get people together and have a fun event,” she said.
She does the set up, and clean up, too.
“The mess is mine, you just get to have fun,” she said.
Steffen personally does all the teaching. The cost is $26 per person and the host or hostess paints for free. The host also gets to choose a painting that their guests will paint from about 100 options. Each guest will leave with a finished 11×14-inch artwork that they created themselves. The available paintings can be viewed at www.galleryonthego.net. For those who want to have a repeat party, the gallery is constantly changing.
Gallery on the Go is meant to appeal to men, women and children. It has been used with civic groups, homeschool groups, afterschool programs and youth groups. Kids’ birthday parties run $170 and that price includes the birthday child plus 10 guests.
As a home party, Gallery on the Go with Amy provides entertainment without a sales pitch.
“I’m not selling anything,” Steffen said. “I’m just there to accentuate the party and make it successful. It’s an easy way to have a party.”
Steffen would like groups of at least seven people and currently has a limit of 11, but has plans to add more equipment to handle larger groups.
“I’m hoping to be able to do something bigger like team building for businesses with 30 to 40 people,” she said.
Steffen came to Merrill over two years ago when her husband transferred with Church Mutual to the Merrill office. She had always run her own businesses in Colorado. With two daughters in college, she decided it was time to start a new venture.
In planning her business, Steffen opted to not pursue having a commercial venue.
“Being mobile, I can go anywhere,” she said.
Gallery on the Go originated in Steffen’s native Colorado about four years ago and is now in nine states. The company is part of the growing “paint & sip” industry. She was the first in Wisconsin to sign on with the company. The only other representative of Gallery on the Go in the state is in Madison.
Steffen expects to travel up to two hours to facilitate painting groups in the northern part of the state.
She did her first party on Friday and plans to officially launch her business in January.
Steffen encourages others to become a Gallery on the Go gallery guide.
“You don’t have to have an art background,” she said. “You just have to have the personality to do presentations.”
For more information or to book a party, Steffen can be reached at 720-434-9430 or [email protected].