Jackson Free Press

Painting with a Twist, a "paint-and-sip" franchise that combines painting classes and wine, opened a new location in Flowood on Thursday, Feb. 2. The business is located off Lakeland Drive at 161 Market St. in the Market Street Shopping Center.

Cathy Deano and Renee Maloney started Painting with a Twist in Mandeville, La., in 2007 under the name Corks N Canvas. They changed the name in 2009 after opening four locations in the New Orleans metro area. The franchise currently has more than 330 studios in 36 states.

Painting with a Twist classes feature local artists guiding groups in painting on 16-inch by 20-inch, 12-inch by 12-inch, or 36-inch by 24-inch canvases, using paint and brushes that the studio provides, all while enjoying wine. Subjects include landscapes, abstracts and cityscapes, renderings of animals, iconic buildings and florals. After a session, participants can take home the paintings that they completed.

Mississippi entrepreneurs James Crowder and Mike McDaniel own the Flowood studio as well as another Painting with a Twist studio in Hattiesburg. The two decided to bring Painting with a Twist to Mississippi after Crowder attended several classes while living in Pensacola, Fla.

The Flowood location offers private parties for all types of special events and has space for up to 60 people, with one large room that can hold 40 and a private room that seats 20. Painting with a Twist of Jackson-Flowood will also participate in monthly fundraising events called Painting with a Purpose, which will raise money to donate to local nonprofits such as Habitat for Humanity.

The Jackson studio is open Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is available for parties every day. For information on pricing or to book an event, call 601-398-1927 or visit www.paintingwithatwist.com/jackson-flowood.

Art Lovers' Soiree at Fischer Galleries

Fischer Galleries is hosting its annual Valentine's event, Art Lovers' Soiree, on Thursday, Feb. 9, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The event will take place at Fischer Galleries (736 S. President St.) and will include a pop-up art gallery from Art Space 86, featuring seven artists currently showing in the Mississippi Invitational Exhibition at the Mississippi Museum of Art. The featured artists are Michael Richardson of Gulfport, Joey Rice of Ocean Springs, Bill Jackson of Drew, Nate Theisen of Jackson, Megan Hitt of Ridgeland, Jaime Erin Johnson of Starkville and Jerrod Partridge of Ocean Springs.

Art Lovers' Soiree will also feature a self-portrait show from local artists Susan Russell and Alison Kelly, indoor and outdoor "light painting" displays from T.J. Ledger, jewelry from Anna Jolly Burnett and romance-themed books for sale from Lemuria Books.

For more information, call 601-291-9115 or visit Fischer Galleries' Facebook page.

MDA's Entrepreneur Center Named 2017 Delta Entrepreneurship Network Fellow

The Delta Regional Authority, an organization that the U.S. Congress established in 2000 to help create jobs and build communities in the eight states of the Delta region, recently named the Mississippi Development Authority's Entrepreneur Center as a 2017 Delta Entrepreneurship Network fellow.

The Entrepreneur Center is located in downtown Jackson and helps establish and train local small-business entrepreneurs. The Entrepreneur Center offers training in areas such as financial and loan assistance, marketing, seminars and webinars, retail management.

As a Delta Entrepreneurship Network fellow, the Center will work with similar organizations in other states to provide more resources for local entrepreneurs and will participate in a special segment of New Orleans Entrepreneur Week 2017.

In 2016, the Entrepreneur Center conducted 1,500 client consultations, helped create 619 jobs and generated more than $18 million in new investment. For more information visit MDA's website at www.mississippi.org.