Things to Do in Adelaide: Painting Class at Vintage Van Gogh

Spent an artsy Sunday afternoon at Vintage Van Gogh (1/71 Goodwood Rd, Goodwood SA 5034) with friends and thoroughly enjoyed exploring our creative sides. I chatted with Vintage Van Gogh’s co-owner, Adam Rankin, to learn more about his flourishing business.

Hey Paolo: What inspired you to start Vintage Van Gogh?

After seeing a friend open a similar business in New South Wales, where “paint & sip” as a concept is already massive, we thought we can bring the idea here in South Australia. Joe Royle and I are huge fans of all kinds of art, from live music to visual art. But getting started with something like acrylic on canvas can be intimidating and we wanted to change that. Opening the studio for BYOs (bring your own food and alcohol), keeping class sizes small, and ensuring that our lessons are easy to follow for beginners are all conscious decisions to make that barrier for entry as low as possible. 

Hey Paolo: What are the typical classes/workshops that you offer?

We have a growing list of famous and original artworks that are taught in each class. We run a few public sessions per week which you can join alone, with a partner, or with a small group of friends, as well as private events for larger groups.

Hey Paolo: How do you help local artists through your business? 

Although our focus is more on making art accessible to the general public, we’re always open to collaborations with artists and we also participate in the Goody SALA festival every year. Fingers-crossed, Fringe Festival will be going ahead next year too because we would love to host a few events in the festival gardens.

Hey Paolo: Can you customise the workshops? What are the most special/unique classes and events you’ve held so far?

We can and we often do. Favourites so far have been paintings of wedding bouquets for hens nights, surprise portraits of the birthday boy or girl, and of course, life (nude) drawings which are always a blast. I think my personal favourite so far is the “faceless portrait” style painting that we’ve done for a hens.

Hey Paolo: What should you bring to a class?

Just your preferred brand of liquid inspiration and any nibbles you want to bring along for the session. The only thing you need to prepare for is three hours of good music, painting, and fun with a bunch of likeminded people. Don’t stress if you’ve never painted before. The usual level of experience is year 8 art class. 

Hey Paolo: How has the arts scene evolved in Adelaide these past few years?

Adelaide has obviously always been an incredible nexus for the arts with the Fringe and surrounding festivals throughout Summer. We’ve only been around for a year and a good chunk of that has been taken up by COVID, but it’s been super exciting to see the increase in enthusiasm for visual art and we’re hoping that in 2021 we can participate in that community in a bigger way.

PHOTOS FROM OUR PAINTING CLASS AT VINTAGE VAN GOGH: