Group Painting Class Offers Evening of Art, Food and Fellowship

Walking past Fleur De Lis Gift & Home in downtown Redlands on Saturday evening, July 12, a group of painters swept their brushes across their canvases in unison. For a short time that evening, Monica De LaPaz’s shop on State Street was turned into a painting studio as her group of friends, all but one of them amateur artists, created their own work of art, while a small crowd gathered outside the shop to watch. De LaPaz played host that evening to her first Purple Easel painting class event, inviting friends to gather, no experience necessary, for a night of beverages, snacks and painting. With all painting supplies provided by Purple Easel, the group of 30 women that night were led by a professional artist for two hours as they painted “The Blue Lady,” a Victorian woman shrouded in shades of blue looking contemplative underneath a winter tree. “I think it’s really a neat experience,” De LaPaz, who has owned her shop for nearly five years and is also an interior decorator. “I am not a painter at all but it’s so neat… I look at (my painting) by myself in my room and I’m really proud of it. You get that sense of accomplishment for something you haven’t done before.” For the last year, De LaPaz shared, she had been searching for an event to host at her store. “I always wanted to do something fun,” she said. Having moved in February to the new location on State Street from a previous 600-square-foot space on Cajon Street afforded De LaPaz the space necessary to host an event such as this, she explained. Purple Easel, which hosts events like bridal showers, girls-night-out, birthday parties, private parties, corporate events and more, was De LaPaz’s first group painting class experience; her guests had an hour-long meet-and-greet, and brought their own food and drinks for the evening, potluck style, with coffee and water provided by De LaPaz. “It was really neat to see… the smiles and happiness on their faces, and women meeting other women. I met some great women who I wouldn’t have met otherwise,” De LaPaz said. She explained she would like to host future events such as this for her customers and friends. “I used to be in pharmaceutical sales… the community has been really wonderful, supporting a small business. Now it’s fun to be able to give back,” De La Paz said. She shared that she would like to offer other artists who work with various mediums to the shop to host any future events, and open the event up to men, as well. “You can have a date night, or if you just want to have a glass of wine or beer and paint… you don’t have to do it at home. You don’t have to clean up and worry about getting paint on your carpet.”