Margaret Salt Mclellan has worn a lot of hats over the years — both real and virtual.

One of the real ones you might see her in would be a chef's hat. Mclellan has been cooking in restaurants and at catered events for 40 years, and has participated in culinary competitions all over the U.S.

She also makes wedding cakes; she's a pharmacy technician; she's involved in the seafood industry, creating seasoning packets for lobster roll kits and compound butters; she's a ServSafe instructor for the National Restaurant Association, and she's an ordained minister.

She can be found at Sheepscot Harbour Village Resort on weekends cooking for weddings.

And now Mclellan has added another profession to her resumé: a paint party instructor.

The impetus for McClellan's new business, Picasso Paint Party, came to her during a recent weekend of festivities for her son's wedding. She was invited, along with other family members and friends of the wedding party, to attend a paint party organized by her new daughter-in-law. “It was a blast,” she said. “We drank jello shooters. I called the girl who sponsored it and told her when I got back to Maine I wanted to start doing them.”

According to McClellan, the closest paint parties to the Boothbay/Wiscasset area are in Portland and Bangor.

The parties aren't for established, or even talented, artists. They're for anyone who likes the idea of picking up a brush — maybe for the first time — and putting some paint to canvas. And judging by the number of first-timers who go on to become painting enthusiasts, there's a lot of hidden talent out there. You'll never know if you don't try.

And lest anyone is hesitant to pick up a paintbrush for the first time, the wine that often accompanies the classes will help overcome insecurities. The parties are generally held in someone's home, a restaurant, or a private hall. “If it's in someone's home or any place that allows alcohol people are encouraged to bring their own wine, beer or whatever drinks they choose, and snack food,” Mclellan said.

Participants start by choosing a particular painting from a gallery on McLellan's Picasso Paint Party Facebook page. “The paintings to choose from are all pretty simple,” she said. “They're designed so that someone with no innate creativity could paint them.”

Mclellan will supply the canvases, generally 12 x 12 or 16 x 20, and either apply a stencil with an outline of the basic components of the painting, or let participants paint freehand.

She'll then set up an easel at the front of the room and begin her own painting for the party-goers to watch and help get them started. “Then I, or an assistant, will walk around and offer suggestions and keep them supplied with paint as they need it,” she said.

Whether participants choose to use a stenciled canvas or do their painting freehand is a matter of personal preference.

People can book the parties for their homes, VFW halls or community centers, and McLellan is looking into the idea of planning paint parties at local restaurants — a good plan all around — for the partiers and the businesses.

McLellan will supply all necessary items — folding chairs, easels, paint and brushes. The fee ranges from $25 to $40 per person for two hours of painting, or one for children.

She'll also do corporate parties for team-building for around $30 per person.

McLellan said she will schedule as many parties as people want. She likes a minimum of six people and a maximum of 12 to 16.

When McClellan decided to start her paint parties, it wasn't because she was lacking something to do. It was because she loved the idea of getting a group of four to 12 people together for a fun, relaxing couple of hours. She stresses that people don't have to be talented or creative to enjoy a paint party.

“Paint parties are a popular, trendy thing for people to do right now. They're springing up all over the country,” she said.

After all, what's not to enjoy — women (and men), wine, paint and gossip. Picasso himself might have signed up for one of these parties. He loved all those things.

Call 207-687-8042 or go to Picasso Paint Party or Margaret Mclellan's Facebook page.