Media Experiment: Uncork your Muse

Participant observing at Muse Paint-bar.

It was 4 pm on a chilly Saturday afternoon when I made a visit to Muse Paint-bar in Gaithersburg, MD. When I was greeted by the therapeutic scent of paint that stirred up my inner-artist and the sound of cheerful conversations, I knew I was going to enjoy my break here. Plus, there was beer and wine to sip and enjoy.

Decorated on the wall were amazing paintings from past classes that were available for sale starting at $45, with the name of the artist on the side of the canvas. After befriending and getting permission from the employees, I started taking field notes of the studio for the next hour. During the hour of observation, I had the freedom to walk around and observe the class and the studio.

Out of this observation session where I was in a studio full of artists, I was hoping to see how often someone would pull out their phones to take pictures of their paintings — and also to find out how a paint-bar works since I've never gone to one before but have always wanted to try it out. At the end of the hour I noted that during the 10-minute breaks in between the class that some people were taking a before-and-after shot of their paintings and some were simply taking photos of their work-in-progress. Being in this environment where I can move around had enabled more freedom to observe artists at work.