This great portable travel cup is what every whiskey painter and artist need. An exclusive Whiskey painter cup that folds down, has a top and a chain to attach to your belt or bag. Easy to clean and a great addition to your watercolor travel kit and palette. Holds up to 3 oz of water and you can use to drink from or to have water ready to add water or your favorite beverage.

A “Whiskey Painting” is a miniature watercolor, no larger than 4” x 5”. Yet, that is not all that it is.

The tradition reaches back nearly 60 years to a man named Joe Ferriot. Joe travelled extensively for the business he owned at the time, from Akron, Ohio, across the country. Joe was also an accomplished artist who longed to be able to create the watercolors he loved while on the road. He also enjoyed relaxing in a bar at the end of the workday.

Being a resourceful man who longed to enjoy his two favorite pastimes without the need of hauling his easel and paints along on road trips, not to mention into his favorite bar, Joe came up with a unique solution – from which the idea of “Whiskey Painting” was born.

To carry his painting supplies with him when he traveled, Joe created a small palette out of an aspirin box, divided with plastic strips to hold his paint, and used a screw-together brush (much like a tiny pool cue) that would fit within this small box. He also placed strips of watercolor paper, cut to about 4″ x 5″, into the box, allowing him to fit all of his painting necessities into the pocket of his shirt.

At the end of his business day, Joe would retire to the nearest “Watering Hole” to relax, enjoy the company of others while away from home, and imbibe of an adult cocktail or two. There, he would remove his improvised painting kit and, delighting the bartenders and patrons alike, Joe would proceed to produce one of his miniature masterpieces by repeatedly dipping his brush into his glass of whiskey.

Joe would then give away his latest Whiskey Painting. It goes without saying that Joe he would become an instant celebrity among the patrons of the bar, making many new friends – and rarely having to buy a drink afterward! His mini paintings, which he dubbed “Whiskey Paintings”, soon became a highly prized commodity!

A member of the Akron Society of Artists, Joe encouraged his fellow members to follow his example of creating miniature watercolors from their drinks when they would share a libation following the Society’s meetings. After completing their mini-paintings, all would be placed in a hat from which each member would draw one; completing their evening of revelry and heading for home with a fellow artist’s painting in hand.

And so – a movement was born that persists to this day – promoting the practice of painting in miniature, as well as the fellowship and camaraderie that can only be found in a friendly neighborhood bar – through the practice of Whiskey Painting.