A newly-opened "paint and sip" experience at Dubbo has met "excellent" demand, says the entrepreneur who's celebrating his project coming to fruition.
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Pinot & Picasso Dubbo franchise owner Chris Christodoulou reports of a buoyant start for the business launched on March 20.
The venture has made its home in a Macquarie Street property left vacant since the closure of Easy Living Shoes in October.
Mr Christodoulou said on Thursday that sessions for March had all but sold out, and April bookings were flowing in.
He'd also had "a handful" of inquiries for private sessions.
"The demand has been excellent... better than expected, to be honest," he said.
The franchise owner said they had been coming to Dubbo every weekend and working hard to prepare for the launch, and to see the studio open was "a little bit surreal, and relieving".
Mr Christodoulou said the transformed space had impressed their landlord.
"He flipped out, he said 'I remember looking at this store and it was an empty old shoe store, and in a month, you guys have turned it into this amazing studio'," he said.
Brushes were first put to canvas on the afternoon of March 20, before a grand opening that night.
The occasion revealed the mural by Dubbo artist Gill Pedrana that graces the studio wall.
Her work's subject is local threatened species the squirrel glider, and Mr Christodoulou said it had "turned out beautifully".
"Gill was there and she was the star," he said.
People come in and say, I'm not an artist, I'm not comfortable, and by the end they have the greatest fun.
- Pinot & Picasso Dubbo franchise owner Chris Christodoulou
Dubbo mayor Ben Shields had also attended the opening, staying for the duration of the session, which was great, Mr Christodoulou said.
The business has already recruited two regular hosts and interviews for two more were planned for the weekend.
The self-proclaimed "worst artist that ever existed" said the sessions were not about coming up with an actual Picasso, but for guests to enjoy themselves and have a go.
"People come in and say, I'm not an artist, I'm not comfortable, and by the end they have the greatest fun," Mr Christodoulou said.
"...by the end of it, I think people are surprised by the quality of their work, to be completely honest, because it is a step-by-step process, as long as you have some inkling of how to use a brush and how to mix colours, the actual process to do the painting is by the numbers almost."
The studio is also holding non-alcoholic kids sessions in the holidays.
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