Studio Elie

Excellent Art Lessons! Great community of artists - great location!

Excellent Instruction! Quality Instructors! Very Fun time at the Painting Workshops and Paint & Sip events! Highly recommended.

Imagine being surrounded by people you love, wine, fruits, light snacks and an eclectic mix of relaxing music... As you create art. Well that is what this experience is.My family and friends book this studio with Elie at least once a year for a private lesson. Even though Elie is the real deal -- as far as being an accomplished artist -- he knows how to teach, guide and assist every skill level novice with painting.The place is on a busy road, and the studio is cozy in a little strip of spas, dance studios and other small businesses. Elie sells his artwork out of this location too. The drinking policy is bring your own bottle and refreshments. We love this part because we know we can bring whatever we like, but I am unsure why the name is "Cafe." He doesn't provide beverages of any kind. The important part is that we always leave here with a smile and fun memories we shared. What a joy it is to own something which you created, that brings to mind the happiness you experienced each time you see it again.

I found Cafe Elie after buying a Living Social deal for a wine and painting class. I came with a group of friends and we each brought our own wine and came ready for laughs and a unique and memorable experience. It was! Elie (pronounced Eel-ee) is the owner and is originally from France. He has been painting and showcasing his art since he was a teen. He now spends his days enjoying the arts (mostly painting) and sharing his talents with others. His shop is in an unassuming strip mall (on Main Street in Cornelius, near Davidson, just past Habitat for Humanity and just before Carolina Cones and the YMCA). He provides all kinds of classes, painting, drawing, sketching, etc. He provides private lessons, as well as group lessons, and my favorite (I'm not an artist!), the Sip and Paint classes.He occasionally offers Living Social or occasional deals, but if you call ahead and have a group coming, he might give you a good deal (hint). On Thursdays and Fridays at 7pm he hosts these BYOB (or BYO-wine) events. He provides the easels, paints, brushes, decent sized canvases, and everything else you could need. Plus I believe he sells/serves coffee and espresso. The class lasts 2-3 hours. On his website, you can see which paintings he'll teach you to paint. They look intimidating but he makes it look easy and you always leave with a great piece of art made by you!!On Wednesdays and Saturdays at 4pm, he hosts 2-hour BYOB classes, they're shorter and less expensive, but smaller canvases. I'd recommend the ones on Thursdays and Fridays.He also has a brand new high tech giclee printer. For those that don't know, this is basically a printer that can print anything on canvas and in a quality that most would genuinely think is an original painting. He can even do this with photographs in excellent quality on canvas... And at a great price.He sometimes seems to go fairly quickly to keep pace, but he walks around and helps when it's needed. If you need more time or help, just ask. I went back tonight with my husband and it was like our own private class, with wine and plenty of laughs and smiles.I'm planning on going back with a group of friends from my neighborhood. Trust me when I say we have no artistic abilities and can get a little silly at times, but we had a blast and were all pretty impressed with our final product. I highly recommend it!!!

I have no painting background and could not even consider doing this, but started my painting adventure with a snowman at Painting with a Twist (PWAT) in Huntersville, it then led me to Studio Elie (used to be Cafe Elie). Sadly, PWAT closed it's doors on Saturday, December 21st and had a liquidation sale on Sunday, December 22, 2019. It WAS a great place to go. Unfortunately, they closed, as did the one in Mooresville, which leaves fewer choices for painting in the Huntersville/Cornelius/Davidson/Mooresville area.Two months after painting a snowman at PWAT, and based on wonderful reviews from a neighbor and a co-worker - and seeing their paintings - I decided to try a Sip and Sketch at Studio Elie. I loved it and signed up for weekly lessons. Am going on my third year, now, and my neighbor is going on her seventh year! Love, love, love it! And, I, like so many others, NEVER thought I could paint anything and have it look presentable. That is not true. Elie explains things and guides you along. I highly, highly, recommend his studio, if you are looking for a night out with friends and want to have a good time, and if you are looking for on-going lessons. He provides both. You won't be disappointed. It is a local award-winning studio. Studio Elie, is in Cornelius, on Route 115N between Restore and Carolina Cones. So, if you're looking for another place to get your painting groove on -- this IS the place to go! You can sign up for a Sip and Sketch, and/or sign up for weekly lessons, if that is what interests you more. This is a GREAT studio and has offerings for oil, acrylic, watercolor and drawing lessons, and Sip and Sketches, for all ages and proficiency levels. Check out Elie's Studio Elie FB page, and web site. His Sip and Sketch sessions for January are posted. All are on Friday evenings at 7:00 p.m. and are $35.

My experience started out great. My daughter and I went through a Living Social deal. Elie was the instructor and did great at the beginning. Great instruction and demonstration. However, it started going downhill when he spent a bunch of time helping some ladies (who by the way had had a little too much wine). I asked three times for more paint but never received. Next thing I know the 2 hours were up and he was done. However, there were parts of the painting he never gave any instruction for, so I felt I left with an unfinished painting. I couldn't even finish on my own without instruction because I didn't have enough paint. Unfortunately I left feeling very disappointed.And, by the way, he does NOT have a coffee shop. You cannot buy any coffee, or espresso from him. He told us that he just provides that for his regular students.