I would like to preface this whole blog with a disclaimer: I am not a painter, or a good one at that. There’s a reason I am more of a photographer when it comes to the visual arts and it honestly shows with my work. However, just because I am bad with the paintbrush doesn’t mean I do not enjoy painting. I love being able to mess around with the paintbrush and not worry about dealing with what the audience has to say because I am my own audience.
Sip & Gogh, according to the website, was an aspiration of the owners to “provide a cozy venue for those who wish to explore their creative side while enjoying a good sip of choice beverages with fellow enthusiasts, family, and friends”. It is a place where customers can “create personal and collective experiences that promote creativity, self-development, and social bonding”. They want people to “paint with their hearts and see beauty in all things”.
I wanted to go to Sip & Gogh because that’s where I feel like I can paint to my heart’s desire and just have a drink and a snack while doing so.
I booked my Sip & Gogh session on the morning of the 20th of March for a whopping price of 1000-1200 PHP depending on when you book. When I arrived at the Century City Mall branch of Sip & Gogh, I couldn’t help but notice that the entire place was empty save for one of the employees. Turns out, most people who go to Sip & Gogh are usually working adults and are most likely busy during the time I booked. So, for this particular painting session, I was the only participant who signed up.
The participants of the session were supposed to paint the very famous and universally beloved “Starry Night” by the one and only Vincent Van Gogh but, due to me being the only participant as said prior, I was offered to paint any premade painting in their branch which was a nice gesture. So, after looking at their selection of paintings, I went with one of their beginner pieces which was a shimmering lake with trees.
I was given three brushes, a palette filled with acrylic paint, a cup of water for the paint and the brushes, a piece of cloth to clean my brushes, some snacks and a bottle of water alongside my own canvas.Painting the piece itself was a fun process. It was nice being able to exercise my hands and fingers and paint without a care in the world. By the end of the session, I made a pretty decent painting based on my standards and was wholly satisfied by my time in Sip & Gogh. Once I told the employee I was done painting, they graciously offered to help dry my painting and, after it dried, carefully packed it into a paper bag.
Overall, my time in Sip & Gogh was really fun. It was a really lighthearted excursion that, honestly, would’ve been even better with friends. If my friend group ever wanted to do something in Manila, I would definitely suggest this activity to them.
