Abby Hoover
Managing Editor

Dimitri Pink, owner and artist at The Tipsy Red Fox, is the newest member of the Northeast Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber celebrated The Tipsy Red Fox with a ribbon cutting and reception on Wednesday, October 27.

Pink started The Tipsy Red Fox in 2013, but has been painting for years. He hosts painting parties for up to 12 guests in his studio in the ArtsBlock building at 2300 Independence Ave. A Bring Your Own Beverage (BYOB) event, parties are welcome to bring a favorite bottle of wine or beverage, and their choice of snacks to enjoy during the session.

“Then if people want to do larger groups at their event space, they can procure that space and I’ll come to them,” Pink said. “So like Cerner’s done that where I’ve come in. I’ve done large parties up to 75, but I’ve got enough stuff to do 200.”

His studio is a more intimate environment, so it’s great for date night or families, Pink said. The larger groups are more step-by-step, but he can give small groups more individual attention.

“I’m a very good interviewer,” Pink said. “So I’ll be like Tim Ferriss, if you know who that is. I have some interesting questions that I ask, especially the couples, and I try to make sure that I’m asking them some things that maybe they hadn’t thought of, that generates some good conversation while they’re drinking.”

Pink’s style of painting for a crowd is “edutainment,” but leans more toward entertainment.

“That separates me quite a bit, and I do impersonations,” Pink said, dropping his voice a few octaves and then switching to a higher pitch.
On his website, thetipsyredfox.com, parties can specify the occasion, for example a bachelorette party versus a family, and Pink will adjust his characters accordingly.

“I’ve been involved in Arts KC pretty much since I moved in, and we’ve been doing the discounted rate for Arts KC folks in this neighborhood, especially for the children,” Pink said.

Born and raised in Iowa, Pink moved to Kansas City in 1996 to attend the Kansas City Art Institute.

“I’ve paid $80,000 to learn how to do this and I’m transferring those skills to people, versus some of my competitors,” Pink said.

While classes are always fun, how technical the instruction is depends on the preference of the party.

“Sometimes they just want them to have a place where they can just be kids again,” Pink said. “When you put paint in front of a kid, they don’t ask for your directions, they just get in the paint and go for it. Some are starved and want to be able to do that. Others are a little more timid, they’re actually shaking, because somebody told them when they were a kid that their sister was the artist, so they’re just they’ve got this trauma going on. It’s my job to be part psychologist and help them through that and get them to just make their own strokes. Especially if they’re starting again, just give them an environment where they feel safe.”

Soon, Pink hopes to host virtual painting parties for his followers across the country – and across the world – as well as creating a portfolio of online tutorials.

Classes are typically two hours, and parties can choose from hundreds of designs, and The Tipsy Red Fox works with all experience levels. Visit thetipsyredfox.com for more info and to book your session.