A pair of feet brush across the electric blue floor of ARTini’s Art Lounge as paint is brushed upon a blank canvas. Surrounded by wooden easels atop paint-splattered tablecloths, Kate Cook prepares to create her newest work of art. Coffee mug in hand, she looks toward the wall filled with canvases she has created for the Athens community since 2011.

“Ever since I could hold a brush or pencil, I’ve been doing [it],” Cook said.

Cook, 50, is the owner of ARTini’s, an art lounge in Athens where visitors paint to create their own masterpieces. With over 1,000 paintings in its library, stencil design options, resin classes, wooden signs and pottery, ARTini’s has numerous activity options for visitors to choose from. Food also adds to the fun: artists are allowed to bring whatever food and snacks they wish, and ARTini’s sells an array of beer, wine, sodas and bottled water.

Originally from Hendersonville, Tennessee, Clark immediately moved to Atlanta after graduating from Middle Tennessee State University with a fine arts degree. After meeting her husband and relocating to Athens, Cook worked as an office manager before ARTini’s came to fruition.

Cook recalled a friend recounting her experience at an art lounge in Denver, Colorado, explaining how fun it was and encouraging Cook to start a similar business in Athens. Although she was hesitant to open her own business at first, Cook decided opening ARTini’s was a pursuit she was eager to undertake.

“I was like, ‘I can do this. I can be my own boss. I can make this happen,’” Cook said.

Cook said she enjoys being able to provide the community with the opportunity to spend their time creatively. ARTini’s provides classes to artists of all ages, showing children how fun art can be while also serving as a reminder for adults.

“Kids get [art] because they want it,” Cook said. “You lose it as you get older, because you have other responsibilities and everything else tells you to be perfect…adulting gets in the way of just having fun.”

Ava Keenan, a senior psychology major at the University of Georgia, said her view of creating art changed after a visit to the art lounge.

“I think I look at [art] a lot more open minded,” Keenan said. “I’m not usually a very artistic person, or I wouldn’t consider myself to be, but being able to kind of put myself in that space, it kind of opened it up. You don’t have to be a professional to enjoy something like that.”

Emphasizing enjoyment and fun, Cook said she hopes visitors will take fond memories away from their experience at ARTini’s.

“I get that people are scared of it because, again, they want to be perfect,” Cook said. “But, it’s just about getting in here and throw[ing] that aside and hav[ing] fun with it.”

Sage McCamley, a senior finance major at UGA, said the lounge provided a “fun, collaborative environment” where she enjoyed her time..

“I thought it was nice to kind of just put your phone away, kind of step away from work, school, all that kind of stuff and just sit there and listen to good music and paint,” McCamley said. “I think it’s a super fun activity that also kind of differs from what a lot of Athens has to offer.”