In the spring and summer of 2024, I discovered a new series of events taking place all over Monmouth County and other parts of New Jersey. It’s called J&J Sip N’ Paint, run by Joanie Quackenbush of Bricktown and Jenelle Temes of Atlantic Highlands.
These events include sea glass art classes, canvas painting, wine glass coloring, wreath making and floral mason jar decorating. I attended a few classes over the last couple of months, particularly the sea glass art, and was exceptionally impressed with the creations I made. It convinced me to try and learn more about its founders.
So I reached out to them and was fortunate enough to sit down with them for an interview. It was interesting to hear what they had to say.
Me: “When did you recognize your talent and love for art?”
Jenelle: “I grew up with a very artistic mother and got into it from her at a young age. I also went to Monmouth University to be an art teacher. Then Joanie and I decided to start a business together, so I showed her some of my artwork and shared a lot of my expertise with her. We came up with our business concept based on our strengths: Joanie’s is business / finance and mine is drawing / painting.”
Joanie: “By working together with Jenelle, my passion for art really began to flourish. That’s how our business started to take off. Because of our shared passion for art, our business has been fun and successful.”
Me: “What medium do you like and use the most?”
Jenelle: “Mostly acrylic painting and resin. We get our resin locally, though most of it is imported overseas. It is food-safe so we use it to make charcuterie boards, serving plates and other cool things.”
Joanie: “Definitely sea glass. It’s easy and amusing to work with, and it’s very beginner-friendly. You’re pretty much guaranteed to go home with a beautiful piece of art.”
Me: “What do you find to be the easiest and hardest thing about your process in creating your art?”
Jenelle: “I think the hardest part is coming up with unique crafting/design ideas to draw people to our events. From there, it only gets easier.”
Joanie: “For me, the easiest part is encouraging our guests to produce their works of art, and collaborating with local establishments in planning and hosting local events. It’s a no-brainer: they provide us with the space and we bring them the business.”
Me: “What other artists do you admire the most and why?”
Jenelle: “Honestly an artist I admire more than anyone is my mother. She inspires me every day to be creative, to take risks, and to help educate others about their talents.”
Joanie: “I’d probably have to say my mom too, come to think of it. She always had a passion for floral art in particular. She’s been growing and tending her own garden for decades, which she then turns into all kinds of sophisticated arrangements. These have been displayed throughout my childhood home growing up, and still to this day can be seen at milestone events like my wedding.”
Me: “How do you get your ideas and what’s in the future for you with your art?”
Jenelle: “We come up with our ideas simply based on what we like to do and what we’re into. Joanie and I spend a lot of time together, bouncing thoughts off of one another, until we come up with something we love and know our guests will enjoy. We wish to grow and eventually expand across New Jersey, helping more people bring out their inner artist.”
Joanie: “We continue to educate ourselves with art techniques that are currently trending, as a way to differentiate us from other sip n’ paint groups. We ask our returning guests what they would like to do in oncoming workshops, and what they like to create, and we value their opinions and ideas when brainstorming more events.”
Me: “Can you share a memorable experience you’ve had purely because you are an artist?”
Jenelle: “What’s the most memorable for me is empowering others and sharing our love for art with them. Every event that we host creates its own special memory for me and our guests, which I cherish more than anything.”
Joanie: “Each event is memorable for me too, just from seeing our guests leave with a newfound confidence and set of skills. It’s even more enlightening that our guests feel comfortable enough to keep coming back to learn further with us.”
On a closing note, Joanie and Janelle also offer take-home, do-it-yourself sea glass art kits for $50 each. This is a perfect gift for someone with a busy schedule who finds it challenging to attend events.
For more information on this and how to sign up for classes, visit their website at jjsipnpaint.com.