Ethan Anderson
LV Life Editor
On the southeast corner of The Packing House in Claremont is The Whisper House, a cocktail bar with a quaint outdoor patio that hosts various events.
On Monday evening the Whisper House hosted a Spring Time Paint N Sip, where friends came together to share some laughs, drinks and to satisfy their creative itch.
“Claremont has a very artistic-type environment,” Whisper House general manager Valerie Lopez said. “We thought we should really get involved and saw it as an opportunity to connect with the community.”
The Whisper House hired paint instructor Quilainne Wheeler, who showed up with a bubbly, comedic approach to guiding 22 participants through the painting process. All while cracking jokes and making everyone feel comfortable, she put participants in the proper head space to create.
“It’s not about the painting, it’s about enjoying yourself,” Wheeler said. “Life has got so many different things going on in it, and we use so much of our time and energy on day to day life that sometimes we forget about ourselves.”
Participants were guided by Wheeler, better known as “Q,” in painting an Easter Bunny with a top hat and a carrot resting atop its hat. Painters were also taught the process of mixing paint to create completely different colors.
“The painting experience gets me out of my daily routine,” insurance worker and participant Veronica Adame said. “So it gives me something new to do and it gets my head off daily activities.”
The Whisper House patio is small and has a fireplace, sandwiched between two muted toned sofas. Warm light pours out of fixtures that hang over the tables, illuminating the canvas. Each table had a canvas and various sized brushes for precise painting.
The fire and mobile heaters produced ample heating for the space, keeping conditions comfortable as the sun set. Nestled against train tracks, occasionally a train came by blowing its horn, startling guests and making many smile.
Waiters and waitresses tirelessly brought out food and drink for the participants, who indulged in wings, nachos, french fries and cocktails.
“We have a really talented bar manager, and he’s always creating new cocktails every week,” Lopez said. “We make our own syrups and bitters in-house, we’re always trying to use fresh ingredients, we are known for our cocktails.”
Guests paid $50 per ticket through Eventbrite, and were given the necessary painting supplies including a canvas, one signature cocktail and raffle tickets that were drawn throughout the event for various prizes.
There were three raffles total, each prize was inside a gift bag that all included a bottle of wine. One bag had an easter bunny themed notepad and pen. The next had a wine glass tumbler and pink bunny ear headband. The third gift bag had another wine glass tumbler with a bunny ear headband, only this one was yellow.
Several colors created the easter bunny: blue, pink, orange, green, and black to outline and make features like the mouth and eyes.
This is Whisper House’s second Paint N Sip, the first being Galentines Paint N Sip on Feb. 5.
“I like the small atmosphere, the just closeness, and vibe of this whole place,” Insurance worker and participant Marchela Llamas said. “It’s just very welcoming, inviting, and engaging.”
When everyone was done with their paintings, they all got together with their creations for a photo behind the fireplace.
“Q” then chose a winner for first and second best bunny painting, where she chose the paintings that had original features added on, the winners won Whisper House gift cards.
Ethan Anderson can be reached at ethan.anderson@laverne.edu.
Ethan Anderson is a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations. He is the LV Life editor and a staff photographer for the Campus Times, and a staff writer and photographer for La Verne Magazine. He has previously been a staff writer for the Campus Times. As a lifelong student-athlete, he has picked up valuable skills that he seeks to apply in his career in public relations, and ultimately make an impact.
