Grab a paintbrush, open a bottle of wine and kick off your shoes! This is what guided paint events with Ballito’s ‘loopy artist’ Tarryn Schoerie are all about. Oh, and a little good music in the background is essential too!
As she turns up the music, wiggles her hips and swirls her paintbrush effortlessly across the canvas, it’s hard to believe this outgoing, fun-loving painter used to be a shy, timid girl too afraid to speak in front of her class at school. “It’s true,” Tarryn says, “I used to stutter really badly and my knees would literally shake when I had to make a speech.”
But that was a long time ago, and the anything-but-shy 36-year-old wife, mother of two and entrepreneur has come a long way from her humble beginnings in Boksburg where she spent most of her childhood.
Now wearing a new persona as the ‘Loopy Artist’, Tarryn is a bubbly creative who loves sharing her passion for painting and having a good time with everyone she meets.
No stranger to hardship and loss, Tarryn faced some tough challenges when she was young, like her older sister passing away when she was just 10-years-old and her parents divorcing shortly afterwards. Despite it all though, she managed to find her way past her own shyness and working her way up in the restaurant industry. She met her husband, Brian, while working as a waitress at the Mugg & Bean at East Rand Mall at the age of 18. “Becoming a waitress really helped me come out of my shell and find the confidence to speak to people.”
Tarryn studied interior design and marketing before moving to KZN with Brian and taking up a position as a PR and marketing officer for a small estate agency in the South Coast. After that, Tarryn joined her husband in his family’s restaurant business.
She fell pregnant with her first son, Justin, in 2011 and the couple moved to Ballito in 2014 when they were offered the opportunity to open a new restaurant in the area. “The restaurant fell through and that was when we opened 14 On Chartwell. We moved to Umhlanga, but only lived there for a year before moving back to Ballito. I just love living here and we bought our home here in 2016.”
Brian is the manager at the very successful 14 On Chartwell and Tarryn assists with admin and costing for the family’s six restaurants.
When she’s not doing that though, she’s following her true passion of hosting guided paint events. “I’ve always been arty and loved drawing. When I first heard about the Paint Nite concept, I approached them for a job.” Tarryn ran the North Coast Paint Nite franchise for a year before going on her own and starting The Loopy Artist. “I felt I could better meet the needs of my clients by offering more customised events for all types of functions and events.”
A typical Loopy Artist paint event starts with everyone holding a glass on top of their head and saying a mantra, which encourage you to be brave, non-judgemental of others and believe you can actually paint! Guests are supplied with all the necessary tools to create a beautiful ‘masterpiece’ that they can take home and hang proudly on their wall. Tarryn guides you through the painting process, which means you don’t have to have any skill at all – just an open mind and adventurous spirit! A glass of wine helps the creative juices flow, too!
Apart from the fact that she is fun, kooky and a little ‘loopy’, there is another motivation behind the name of Tarryn’s business – she is a self-confessed Jeremy Loops super-fan! She plays his music at every one of her paint events and says she has been to almost every one of the well-known South African musician’s local concerts.
“The main purpose behind my paint events is to encourage people to let go and have fun, while still being able to take home a piece of art they are proud to hang on the wall. I’m all about the ‘fun factor’ and love seeing people come out of their shell and realise that they can be creative, even if they are very hesitant when they first arrive.”
The Loopy Artist caters for a variety of events, usually with a maximum of 25 people at a time. She does kids birthday parties, corporate events, team building and even small family and friend get-togethers. The price of a paint event ranges between R250 and R350, depending on the type of event.
Details: [email protected], 083 233 0215
Text: Leah Shone
