New art studio/wine bar hopes to spice up Fridays in Puyallup

Regina Rollis has done everything from working on fishing boats to loading and unloading cargo out of military aircraft while serving in the U.S. Air Force.

But there is one thing that has remained a constant in her life throughout what she calls “gypsing around:” her role as a painter of primarily oil and acrylic mediums.

While Rollis and her husband were living in Spokane finishing their degrees, a friend of hers opened a Paint and Sip-type establishment in the eastern Washington city. She knew someday she would open her own business, featuring the painting instruction accompanied by wine or another beverage business model.

“I fell in love with it,” she said.

When Rollis and her husband moved back to Puyallup, she began looking for a job using her degrees in interior design.

“I wanted to do something creative, and I love to teach people art and how to paint,” the Puyallup resident said. “I decided I’m just going to jump in and open an art studio.”

Rollis turned down jobs in aerospace and interior design to open Arts and Corks Studio & Wine Bar in downtown Puyallup nearly six weeks ago.

“My mission is to teach people that they are artists,” she said. “They just haven’t practiced or been taught. Everyone has that 5-year-old coloring with crayons on their mother’s wall in them.”

“My goal is to teach them how to paint, so when they do it again, they can get the brush to do what they wanted.”

In addition to opening Arts and Corks Studio & Wine Bar, Rollis is introducing First Friday, a regular monthly event where businesses stay open late for local artists and art galleries.

“It creates a community where people can come down and get together,” Rollis said. “We won’t have classes on First Fridays, but we will be open as a bar for drink and draw. We’ll have art pads, pencils and crayons out, so people can come in and drink wine and draw.”

April 1 is Puyallup’s First Friday event put on by Rollis, and so far Johnson Jewelers has come on board to stay open late with Rollis for the event.

“Art events in Puyallup are so sporadic,” Rollis said. “There isn’t a regular event that people can count on. First Friday will help rally the downtown area and provide a good reason for people to come downtown and meet local artists.”

First Friday is slated for 5 to 11 p.m. April 1 at Arts and Corks Studio and Wine Bar, located at 105 S. Meridian in Puyallup. April 1 also serves as Arts and Corks’ grand-opening event.

For Rollis’ paint and sip-type classes, classes typically run for $35 for two-hour classes. Arts and Corks sets up the classes with easels and paints, provides aprons and instruction and cleans up once the class is over.

For more information on Arts and Corks Studio and Wine Bar, visit http://artsandcorks.com/ or their Facebook page, at https://www.facebook.com/ArtsAndCorks/.

This story was originally published March 14, 2016 at 4:44 PM with the headline "New art studio/wine bar hopes to spice up Fridays in Puyallup."