Sherwin’s Gallery

I received a groupon to this great spot for Christmas, my friend and I booked for 5÷1÷13. It was so much fun! The guy running it was full of great ideas, but never heavy handed with guidance. I got to try a cool new technique with «crackle» medium– it turned out so neat. Also he let me paint two canvases because my original idea didn’t mesh with the style. Now I have two cool paintings.

Have been trying to get a reservation for 3 months for a Living Social deal. No response to emails or voice messages to two email adresses and two different phone numbers. Impossible to set up a reservation — just horrible customer service.

A friend bought a groupon for us to have a wine and paint at this gallery. It was so much fun! A couple of pointers, being a novice painter (if I can even call myself that) —
— Wear pants ladies. If you are gentlemen, wear pants too. I regret wearing a denim dress. The regret was not because that I got paint on myself. It was because I had to squat, sit and kneel way more than I’d expected. I might have flashed myself at one point but I trust that my fellow wine-​and-​paint classmates were not watching or did not catch a glimpse, at all. Not at all. Still, it’s for your benefit. A lot of accidents can happen with the way you move your body after a couple of glasses.
— Tie your hair up ladies and gentlemen. I got my hair in my painting which created that ugly streaks and I almost whipped my own hair on my own face. AND I was sweating. You get the picture. Hair ties are a must.
— Be conservative with the amount of paint you grabbed. They only have paper plates here which is totally fine. I was way too ambitious with getting all sorts of colors that my painting would require. However, a paper plate does not have the dividers that a proper palette board (professionally known as … i don’t know) has. So soon enough all the colors were mixed together and before I knew it, I was using burgundy when I needed vibrant red. No big deal. I was going for ombré. But you need to plan ahead.
— Watch which cup has your wine and which cup has the water you wash your brushes with. I dipped my brush in my wine three times. Needless to say, I had to drink my friend’s beer coz I did not have enough wine to finish my painting with.
— Plan your painting — time wise. They do tend to end the event at 10pm. With a modest amount of drinking, walking back and forth to get colors and washing your brushes off, and chatting with your friends, time runs out very fast. And if you were ambitious like me (please refer to my photo), paintings take a long time to build up the colors and dry.
— Ask for advice. I was being the usual self which I like to describe as shy so I did not ask for advice. My painting turned out fine but I would have had a more pleasant, less intense experience had I asked for some guidance on how to re-​create the painting of my choice.
I took home a painting that I am proud of for a very reasonable price (have not paid my friend CL yet but I paid her with my booze and my love). One of the rare occasions that I feel good about drinking.

This isn’t your ordinary art class where you all copy the same painting or try to paint the same still life. At Sherwin’s gallery, there is a fun and lighthearted atmosphwere where patrons get a chance to innovate and create an individualized work of art with the guidance of a professional artist who has worked with both the Field Museum and MCA. Skip Bottle and Bottega and leave your class with something you can display proudly that has meaning to you.

I had a great experience at the gallery. Different from other painting class, people come in and paint whatever they want to paint. The atmosphere is very relaxing, and Ian Sherwin really inspires you on creating your own art piece. Ian really helped me and gave me great advise, and I am extremely happy about my final piece of an abstract painting. Ian encourages people to enjoy the painting process and you will never feel rushed of finishing what you are working on. Ian even invited me to go back to finish my painting for free :)

What a blast. We had 20 women for a painting party and we all had a fun evening, walked away with paintings we were excited about, and even had time for wine, noshes and catching up. Some of our group had never held a brush before. Ian was amazing — I was stuck for an idea and within three words from him it was as if lightning had struck. He just walked from person to person, sharing tips and techniques and helping us decide where to go with our pieces. Loved it.

I bought a Groupon to go to a painting class with my friend. We had an amazing experience, learning new tecniques, using color, just executing our vision. We painted the Chicago skyline in an abstract, colorful way.
The reason why I couldnt give 5 stars is because after we were done painting, Ian the owner, told us he could get our paintings framed for a really great price. So we left our paintings with him and was told to expect a call in a couple days. Its almost a month later and we have not received a call from anyone! We keep trying to contact the gallery but it seems the phone is constantly ‘off’. No one has returned our emails or voicemails. We would go to the framer but we dont know who it is!
If they could get their act together, I would give this 5 stars but since I am STILL waiting for any response, I had to deduct. But the longer I wait, the more likely I am to want to remove stars and have this part overrule my great painting experience.

Is this still open? We were trying to book a party for 18 people and no one returned our emails or calls. I didn’t even feel like dropping by the store feeling no one would be there. I would never come here, there are many other places that provide great customer service.

Took my gf to Wine and Painting at Sherwin’s Gallery for a Valentine’s Day make up since we were unable to do anything the day of. The other students didn’t show up but lucky for us we had the entire place to ourselves. Mr. Sherwin was so nice, laidback and accommodating to us that we couldn’t of asked for a better experience. As a newbie to painting he was very patient and had amazing ideas to help me along. We will DEFINITELY be going back considering he does other arts and crafts as well. My painting will be going in prime realastate in our place now :-) …G/​F said that that’s fine lol

Ian Sherwin is extremely friendly and helpful! I bought a Groupon for a painting class and we had so much fun. He walked around and helped everyone and even offered to let us come back and finish if we didn’t get to that night. I would recommend buying his Groupon for anyone interested in painting. He’s wonderful.

I was at Sherwin’s Gallery for a Bachelorette party and we had a blast! Ian was so warm and welcoming and open to let us view his art work and get inspiration for our paintings. We had a group of 7 and he helped each of us with ideas, painting techniques, color choices and final touches. It was such a fun night and we all have our paintings to remind us of that night. Thanks again Ian!

I recently attended a wine and painting class at Sherwin’s Gallery. Ian Sherwin, the resident artist and owner, was so friendly and approachable. My friend and I are not artists — we just wanted to relax and have fun and that’s what we did. He gave us ideas and helpful suggestions, walked around continuously, offering feedback and his expertise to all the would-​be painters. I was by far the worst in the group and he made me feel right at home.
If you’re looking for a fun night to paint and relax with some wine and a bit of good music, this is an excellent place to go. You will feel good about your abilities even if a kindergartner can finger paint better than you!
Likewise, if painting is something you have a longing to explore, this class is a great place to start. You get to see if you have the passion and skills for painting first before committing to classes he offers.