Let’s Paint: We’re More Creative Together

The finished school project.

I usually try to keep my teaching & blogging paths separate, but I’ve made an exception for a new local creative company that’s made a huge difference in my own classroom—and school! After finding Paintillio on Instagram and loved their paint by number concept that could involve many students from the school I teach at. I connected with owners Jess Devenport & Lyssa Kayra and we came up with an exciting partnership that resulted in the creation of a custom canvas featuring our school’s raven logo and the White Rock Pier.

Students hard at work.

The Painting Party Begins

We were SO impressed with the high quality of brushes, paint, canvas apron, and numbered canvas. It’s everything we needed for the project and was easy for even the most non-artistic person to contribute. Participating in this painting process had a calming effect on many students, and we often had three working on the canvas at a time. When it was finished, we shared the canvas at a school assembly and students proudly added their signatures to the back. It’s now hanging in the entrance of the school as the first thing students, staff and parents see when they enter.

Although it’s also very popular at weddings and bachelor parties, I highly recommend Paintillio for any community organization or workplace for team building and create a beautiful customized artefact.

Photo: Paintillio

The Interview

To begin with, Jess is originally from Hamilton, Ontario and moved to Vancouver as a tree planter who wanted to live amongst the mountains and ocean! Lyssa is originally from Kyoquot, BC. She moved to Vancouver to be more involved in the arts scene.

Jess & Lyssa said, “We’ve been in business since June, 2017. We’re brand-spankin’ new! When we’re not Paintillio-ing, we are checking out local art shows, hiking in the mountains, boating in the ocean or traveling around the globe.”

Paintillio is the brain-child of Lyssa, who used to draw these custom paint-by-number paintings as wedding gifts. She says, “People were crazy about them!” Jess saw a business opportunity right in front of their faces and bam! Paintillio was created. They say, “We are bringing people together to create fun and meaningful experiences through art – everywhere!”

Celebrate, Create & Collaborate

Paintillio helps people come together in a group setting; to celebrate, create & collaborate. Some people also use Paintillio as a source of art therapy. “We believe everyone is an artist and that by coming together to create something meaningful, everyone benefits.”

In addition, Jess and Lyssa are “pro-environment! To do our part, we have a recycling program in place for our kits. Once someone has completed their Paintillio, they can send the jars/any extra paint back to us with the pre-paid fedex stamps we include and we’ll recycle everything!”

They are best friends who get to work together creating happiness for other people! They say, “That’s 100% our favourite part.” Their biggest challenge right now is keeping up with the paint mixing: “We mix all of our paint by hand to match each individual order. We’re hoping to do some crowd funding in the near future to build a paint library!”

Customers purchase custom-paint-by number experiences from their own photos. They sell an all-in-one kit with everything you need to complete a painting with a group or on your own. “We’ve had corporate and individual clients, a number of schools and many, MANY weddings! Big or small, we’ve got you! What keeps our customers coming back is the fact that we can create a Paintillio kit from any photo and it’s an interactive, fun and unique activity.”

Community Involvement

Next up: Paintillio has been out and about in the community most notably at UBC, the Vancouver Dragon Boat Festival, The Creekside Community Centre, The John Howard Society of the Lower Mainland, Hudson’s Bay, Red Gate Arts Society, Indochino, and the Vancouver Wedding Fair. They say, “We have a number of VERY exciting collaborations coming up for 2018.”

Photo: Paintillio

Furthermore, stay tuned for the Vancouver Mural Festival this summer! “We’ll be aiming for the Guinness Book of World Records most contributions to a painting by number. Also, watch for us during Vancouver Pride Week – we’ll be out and about creating public art!”

Website: https://paintillio.com/

Facebook: https://Facebook/paintillio

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paintillio/

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