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Paradise City Casino
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This cafe and gallery is run by two reporters turned doll enthusiasts and not only can one enjoy and purchase dolls here from around the world, but visitors can also paint their own Matryoshka, or Russian nesting dolls with the help of Jino Kim, 김진경. Jino welcomes guests into the small gallery and patiently teaches those interested how to paint.
The dolls that line the shelves on the walls have been procured from around the world. Guests can sit and talk over coffee or tea with the owners while enjoying the numerous stories or choose to paint their very own dolls to take home. The different tales behind the dolls and their histories and unique styles could give hours of conversation. There are dolls from South America, Africa and Europe. There are old dolls and new dolls. It’s a quaint gallery, but there is a lot inside.
Some visitors are fast and sit for just a couple hours first stenciling the wooden dolls and then painting them while others come for a couple hours for a few days in a row carefully designing the dolls, Jino explained. She first provides books and pictures and examples of Matryoshka dolls in the gallery for inspiration and then hands over pencils and white washed dolls ready to be drawn on. After the penciled outlines are complete, acrylic paints in numerous colors are provided. Two paint brushes of different sizes are supplied first the lighter colors should be painted and then the darker and then finally the outlines, she explained. The good thing about acrylic paint is that it dries quickly and when guests are finished a final coat of lacquer is painted on to make the dolls shine.
Jino recommends visitors come in between 1-5 if you wish to paint. They stay open until 8PM but as the project can take quite a few hours, ours took four, you should head there early to have plenty of time.
Reservations at least a day in advance are required.
The gallery is small and if groups would like to partake in this activity a maximum of 12 people is possible.
The dolls that line the shelves on the walls have been procured from around the world. Guests can sit and talk over coffee or tea with the owners while enjoying the numerous stories or choose to paint their very own dolls to take home. The different tales behind the dolls and their histories and unique styles could give hours of conversation. There are dolls from South America, Africa and Europe. There are old dolls and new dolls. It’s a quaint gallery, but there is a lot inside.
Some visitors are fast and sit for just a couple hours first stenciling the wooden dolls and then painting them while others come for a couple hours for a few days in a row carefully designing the dolls, Jino explained. She first provides books and pictures and examples of Matryoshka dolls in the gallery for inspiration and then hands over pencils and white washed dolls ready to be drawn on. After the penciled outlines are complete, acrylic paints in numerous colors are provided. Two paint brushes of different sizes are supplied first the lighter colors should be painted and then the darker and then finally the outlines, she explained. The good thing about acrylic paint is that it dries quickly and when guests are finished a final coat of lacquer is painted on to make the dolls shine.
Jino recommends visitors come in between 1-5 if you wish to paint. They stay open until 8PM but as the project can take quite a few hours, ours took four, you should head there early to have plenty of time.
Reservations at least a day in advance are required.
The gallery is small and if groups would like to partake in this activity a maximum of 12 people is possible.
Address
22 Sinchon-ro 6-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Phone number
02-332-7525
Payment
Accepts Credit Card
Closed days
Mondays
Price
Doll prices vary.
Painting a Matryoshka doll: W20,000
Painting a Matryoshka doll: W20,000