Lake County >> Diana Liebe was relaxing at an Italian restaurant in Mendocino County, sipping on wine and dabbling in acrylic paints, when it struck her: Lake County needed something similar. Liebe, a lifelong watercolor artist, took the idea to a number of wineries around the county and it wasn’t long before she became the first — and only — artist to teach watercolor paint and sip classes.
Liebe knew right away that she had something good on her hands. The sip and paint classes would bring in more business to local establishments while also providing a new activity for the community. Case and point: the last class she held at the Saw Shop Bistro in Kelseyville completely sold out.
“It’s good for our county,” Liebe said. “It helps the wineries.”
The classes began this past May and now Liebe teaches a few times a month around the county. She regularly holds wine and watercolor classes at the Lake County Wine Studio (LCWS) in Upper Lake and the Saw Shop Bistro. She also hosts classes at various wineries around the county. She’s pretty much game for whatever comes her way. “I’m completely open to hosting them wherever,” Liebe said. “It doesn’t have to be a winery. It can be a restaurant, it can be an art gallery.”
In fact, Liebe is hosting one of her upcoming classes at Riley Street Art Supply in Santa Rosa. She had to jump through a lot of hoops to get the necessary permits to serve wine at a normally alcohol-free location, but the effort was worth it. The class is a fundraiser for an after school kids program in Santa Rosa. A portion of the class fee will go towards the program.
Other artists are offering something similar, like Anna Sabalone, who leads paint and sip classes at the LCWS in a variety of mediums from acrylics to colored pencil to charcoal. The majority of Liebe’s classes, on the other hand, are watercolor, with a few silk scarf painting parties thrown in as well. She thinks her classes are highly attended because of the medium. “I’m the only one doing it in watercolors,” she said. “That’s why it’s so popular here in Lake County.”
Liebe can’t think of a better way to spend her time. “It’s just so much fun and I’m really enjoying all these different people that I meet,” she said. “What I enjoy most is just showing people a good time … It makes me so happy to make other people happy.”
A good way to describe one of Liebe’s sip and paint classes is user friendly. She picks paintings that she knows won’t be difficult for attendees to reproduce and she has a teaching credential, which makes her more than prepared to guide the class. But people rarely show up riddked with anxiety. Sip and paint classes are all about having a good time, after all. “I think they’re popular just because people like to get together and do something that’s fun to do and it’s not very expensive and it’s creative,” Liebe mused. “I think people like to create but they like to have someone show them how to do it and not be stressed about it.”
Of course, there’s no forgetting the “sip” part of sip and paint. “Wine has something to do with it, too,” Liebe added with a laugh.
Liebe isn’t just about the teaching though. She’s been an artist since her second grade teacher pushed her into it. After that, her parents continued to support her artwork, which won many a fair prize when she was a child (Liebe still has some of those ribbons, too). With an artist for a mother and a father who worked in education, it was almost inevitable that she would pick up not only an art degree, but a teaching credential as well.
For her own artwork, Liebe doesn’t have to look far to find inspiration, which comes from “what God put here on earth,” she said. “Just the beauty of nature.”
When it was time for school, the Mendocino County native went off to Dominican University in San Rafael to obtain a degree in Fine Arts. During school she took many art courses, including clothing construction. Now, on top of her watercolors, she weaves, stamps, paints and implements a number of artistic techniques to alter fabric.
However, watercolor is her number one priority when it comes to her artwork, at least at the moment. “A person can only do so much and I’m really, really involved in these sip and paint classes,” she said.
It can be hard to make a living as an artist, but through her many classes, including a Wednesday beginning watercolor class at the Main Street Gallery in Lakeport, Liebe is fortunate enough to be able to pursue her passion. “I love doing what I do, I really love it,” she said. “It’s just a dream come true.”
Those interested in taking a sip and paint class from Liebe can find her regularly at the Saw Shop Bistro and the LCWS. And for those who really want to set something up, Liebe said they can ask a local winery to contact her about organizing a class. “I would be happy to talk to whatever winery is close by,” she said. To contact Liebe call 707-245-7512..
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
