Das Orange, das Gelb und das Pink auf der knallbunten Sonne auf Aneta Gavriloivs Kittel leuchten, dabei steht sie in einem Tagungsraum des Frankfurter Businesshotels Mercure in der Voltastraße, in den kein Tageslicht dringt – und auch die Lampen sind ausgeschaltet. Aber der Leuchteffekt von Neonfarben unter Schwarzlicht ist genau das, was hier alle suchen: 50 Menschen treffen sich an einem Freitagabend zu einem Workshop unter dem Motto „Neon Brush – Paint in the Dark“.
Dass sich Freunde, Paare und einander wildfremde Menschen zur Feierabendzeit zum Malen im Dunkeln treffen, ist eine Variante der zahlreichen sogenannten Paint-&-Sip-Angebote, die vor allem in den Großstädten seit einigen Jahren zu finden sind. Alle versprechen eine Kombination aus Geselligkeit und Kreativität. Da werden in Bars die Tische zusammenrückt und Staffeleien aufgestellt, zu lauter Technomusik Lackfarben über die Leinwände geschüttet oder eben in Dunkelheit und Schwarzlicht fluoreszierende Farbexplosionen gepinselt.
Das erste sogenannte Neon Brush Event soll es im November 2022 in Paris gegeben haben, heute wird es in vielen deutschen Städten angeboten, seit Ende des vergangenen Jahres auch in Frankfurt. Hier kostet ein Abend 41 Euro, inklusive Material und einem Drink, und er zieht genau wie ähnliche Angebote in Spanien, New York, Brasilien oder Mexiko jeden Monat neue Teilnehmer an. Ins Leben gerufen wurde die Veranstaltung von Fever, einer in Berlin gegründeten Veranstaltungsvermittlung.
Canvases are primed black
They now immerse themselves in the atmosphere of pop music and darkness, which is supposed to bring a special sense of relaxation when painting. The light in the room is just enough to see the brushes and your own hand; the black paint that has to be in front of you is no longer so easy to see. An hour and a half without the stress of everyday life sounds good to many people. But this can also cause stress, because for participants who don’t draw and paint a lot anyway, time goes by quickly, especially since the layers of paint have to dry for a few minutes each time.
In the first step, most of the artists prime the canvases with black paint rollers, each of which they take on one at a time. Next to the table with the hard-to-see black paint, there are stencils and pencils, as well as a color chart to estimate how the different colors contrast with each other.
There are no specifications regarding the motifs, everyone paints according to their taste and ability, but you can be inspired by examples, some participants came with a fixed plan of what picture they wanted to create that evening.
Colors look different under normal light
For the others, the workshop leader Aneta Gavriloiv, who is studying art herself, briefly explains at the beginning which techniques can be used on the canvases and how easy they are to implement. She shows example motifs: a variation of the famous Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh, hearts in the retro style of the 1980s, a simple lettering and another canvas with abstract shapes and colors such as circles, dots and boxes are on display for inspiration.
“You can shine your cell phone on your canvas from time to time so you can see how the colors behave under normal light. The colors look a little different there,” she says. From now on, the cell phones in the room will light up again and again. For those who prime their canvas darkly, Gavriloiv recommends three thin, black layers of paint, each of which needs to dry for five minutes.
The bright colors – orange, yellow, green, blue, pink and white – would stand out better on the black background. Because of the black light effect, you have to be careful not to confuse the colors white and blue, but all the other colors can be easily distinguished. Only the black has disappeared from time to time on the tables protected by black tarpaulins.
Cheshire Cat as inspiration
According to the course leader’s experience, especially after the Corona period, many people have been looking for creative activities that go beyond the after-work drink or just partying. “Painting has something meditative about it for me,” says Gavriloiv. This is evidently also being passed on to the participants this evening; they seem to be overcome by an inner calm. The course leader praises dark painting as a stress reliever that is suitable for couples, for a meeting with friends or as a shared experience on a bachelor party.
Everyone discovers their own artistic style here. One group had already found it that evening, and you can see that they are experienced artists. Many paint abstract shapes with the bright colors, while those who are good at it paint realistic ones. One woman lets a glowing jellyfish float in the depths of her black canvas sea, another has taken the Cheshire Cat from “Alice in Wonderland” as inspiration.
After an hour and a half, the pictures are finished and more or less successful. Back in the light, their luminosity can only be guessed at, but everyone proudly carries their works home in a paper bag.
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