I came at the very end of 2009 as a single mother. I didn’t know anybody, it was very difficult, I didn’t know the language. But I came here because I wanted a stronger Jewish identity for myself and my son. We learned together, I lived in Ramat Beit Shemesh at the time, I started teaching art to people in RBS, my business quickly grew, I ended up meeting my husband here after being in Israel for almost three years. The most amazing thing is that my whole family lives here now, my parents and my sister made Aliyah, all through Nefesh B’Nefesh. It’s amazing, I’m married, I just had a baby and I have a thriving business.
Painting evenings and painting parties are very popular in the US and I brought that concept over here to Israel. We’re growing very quickly and it’s just such a pleasure doing something that I’m so passionate about and that it gives people confidence. People walk away from these events saying “I never thought I could paint,” and “I didn’t think I was creative.” It’s an amazing, amazing feeling, and hopefully I can continue doing this for a very long time. My goal is to have a location in Israel that people can come to, not just us going out to the different locations. What we do is go out to people, bring the paint party to them. Bat Mitzvahs, birthdays, any Simcha, so that we’re all hear and living the dream.
Something I would tell people is that there is never the right time, and it’s never the wrong time to make Aliyah, Your’e never going to be financially secure enough to come here, I came with nothing, not a penny to my name, I didn’t have a degree, I didn’t speak Hebrew and I did it! And anybody can do it , but you have to believe, have Emunah (faith), keep that connection with the land and the people, and you can make it here, Hashem will help you.
Paint Party Events™
What we do: Established in 2013, Paint Party Events™ is the first painting party company to bring the popular “Paint and Sip” revolution to Israel. Paint parties are two hours of interactive, skill boosting, confidence building, entertaining fun for everyone. www.paintpartyevents.com
About the founder: Nina Brenner is an Art & Drawing Instructor with an MA in Gifted & Talented Education. Paint Party Events’TM humble beginnings started in 2009 when Nina, CEO of the company, made Aliyah with NBN to Israel from Florida. She came to Israel as a young single mom and she created a name for herself with private art workshops for Anglos in Israel. What began as a passion for art and a desire to teach quickly grew. In 2010, with her inspiring ambition as a guiding light, Nina pooled her resources and opened Paint Party Events™ in which she employs a unique method to guide all budding artists, no matter their skill level. To date, the Paint Party Events™ team is comprised of professional graphic and website designers, marketing management, party assistants, and Hebrew speaking instructors for Israeli crowds.
What is a Paint Party? Seated at a table with a personal easel, each participant receives their own canvas, brush, and paints. After voting on one painting, the fun begins. From the very first trace, we are there to gently guide everyone with every brush stroke, every color choice, and every technique. Food, music and wine are just some of the extras found at a paint party. We work in a step-by-step process, ensuring that everyone is always on track with the group. More often than not, the majority of the participants are inexperienced painters with little confidence. After just 2 hours, every party member leaves with an unexpected boost of self-assurance (as well as a beautiful, professional-looking painting which they created all by themselves). While they may not have believed it, each and every person is capable of producing beautiful artwork with just a little guidance.
What we’ve done: Since our launch, more than 1,500 participants have painted with us in over 100 parties in 20 different cities throughout Israel. Parties have been held for all occasions: ladies’ nights out, team building events, bat-mitzvah events, birthday parties, and so much more. We also proudly announce that a partnership with Taglit-Birthright Israel (Mayanot) is currently in the works, introducing Paint Party Events™ to hundreds of tourists from all over the world.
Who knows us? Paint Party Events™ has been covered by a range of popular online publications based in Israel: Breaking Israel News, The Jerusalem Post (coming March 18th), and Fun in Jerusalem, all of which reach an international audience.
