‘Black Girls Paint’ Enjoys Girls Night In at Canvas By U

As I sat down to create my second masterpiece on canvas, I was so excited to be able to, once again, find a theme that satisfies my passion for fashion. The evening’s theme was Little Black Dress. The majority of the old crew was back together again, sans one diva, Michele, who joined us for our first class: Fashionista, but had a late night at the office and couldn’t make it.

We had a new inductee in the Black Girls Paint crew, Chari, a wife and mom who had a hard time convincing her 19-year-old daughter, via text-message updates, that she actually drew her cocktail dress free hand. We were joined by 20 plus other sisters from around the city.

I felt like a seasoned artist and that it was taking Stacy Abston, Canvas by U’s owner and instructor, entirely too long for me to get started on my crimson-colored, Vera Wang-inspired, floor-length gown. She was a hoot when she jokingly warned me to stay on course and not move too far ahead of the class. I obliged and proceeded to the blow-dryer to speed up the drying process.

When the painting was complete, the gown was adorned with a puffy strap on the shoulder “for sophisticated drama and feminine detailing,” for which Wang is known, and a luxurious train. I named it “Haute Chocolat.” Betsey Johnson’s protégé, Talking with Tami, assigned hers the title “Glam Girl,” and Chari dedicated hers to her husband, “T-Baby.”

The great thing about being an artist is there are no boundaries. –yvette caslin