Paint & Chat Birthday Party at the ACM + Glowing Review
What's next on my art journey? Paint instruction birthday parties! In late April 2026, I buttoned up my painting smock and led a group of 17 on a painting journey, filled with classic techniques (the back-and-forth-really-quickly for blending) to more surprising elements (flicking a toothbrush across a canvas for a starry night effect).
![]() |
I wanted to post a review I received from Missy, the organizer of the birthday party, who was gracious enough to send me an email post-event.
Review of Molly as a Painting Instructor
I just hosted a birthday surprise painting party with Molly as the instructor—what a fun time everyone (17) had. Party was held at ACM which is a wonderful space to hold an event; from start to finish, it was a smooth, easy process.
Christine (community liaison for ACM) suggested Molly lead the class and thus our adventure began. I wanted the theme of the painting to be based around a Bob Ross (google if you don’t know who he is) landscape and she sent me a few examples of past works so I’d feel comfortable with her as the teacher. Molly went out of her way to prep for the class—she hosted a test-run with 10 people to hone in on: the pacing of instructions; demonstration of techniques; choice of color palette; and which equipment (brush sizes) would be most suitable.
Molly and her assistant Lisa (also a painter) set up the room; refilled supplies as needed; and cleaned up! We had a 2-hour window for the class which allowed for the paintings to be done in segments. She had a clear pattern of instructions: telling us what we’d be painting; which color to use; which brush to use; the technique to use; and then she demonstrated on her canvas so we could watch her do it. She had posted color photos of the final product around the classroom so everyone had a visual nearby to use as a reference. Both she and Lisa would walk around the room offering advice and answering questions. She also built breaks into the session which made it fun to walk around the room and see how everyone was doing.
Everyone had a blast--friends were psyched about the idea but hadn’t expected to enjoy it as much as they did.
One last thing worth mentioning, Molly was an excellent communicator—she answered emails/texts promptly along the way and worked well with Christine to manage the logistics for the party. I can’t recommend Molly (and Lisa) enough, you’ll certainly get the result you’re wanting. Honestly, I had complete confidence in Molly to pull off the class and she did with flying colors.
