Art by the Glazz - Sip with a Twist!, Highland Park

Artist Lisa Jones, the founder of Art by the Glazz, has a painting hanging in the White House and one in the Pentagon. Both locales are impressive places for the artwork of any artist to reside, particularly one who “found out [she] liked to paint by mistake.” Lisa began her painting life in her 30s shortly after the death of her mother. A friend convinced her to go to a painting class in the hopes of alleviating Lisa’s depression, and within three weeks of this class, Lisa had three clients who were commissioning work from her.

A few years later, Lisa created Art by the Glazz, originally intending to use the operation as a fundraising tool for nonprofits. Today, a portion of Lisa’s painting classes still benefits art education in public schools, and she stations these informative, fun sessions throughout the Washington D.C. metro area and takes them on tour through New Jersey and Chicago. Throughout the years, Lisa estimates that she’s swapped paint and sipped wine with more than 1,000 people. One memorable student, a woman who had suffered a stroke, hadn’t painted for five years until her husband brought her to Art by the Glazz, where she once again took to the canvas with paint and brush. Most of Lisa’s students arrive to class with no formal artistic training, and their level of fun, Lisa says, “depends on how much [they] let [themselves] go.” It’s easy for her to tell when the class has gone for it. Colorful palette flourishes mingle with laughs, toasts, and even songs, as budding artists recreate a favorite landscape, still life, or parking ticket.