“So … do you paint with the wine?”

Many people have entered the new Kirkland business Palettes and Pairings and asked the question, confused by the businesses’ logo and imagery that show artist palettes and wine, said Elizabeth Shriner, the store owner.

But the store actually provides customers with a casual environment to enjoy wine and paint with acrylics.

Customers paint, drink, eat and laugh about work, family and life while being instructed on how to make the particular painting of that night.

Palettes and Pairings is a new kind of art business for Washington state. The store owners and customers agreed that they had not heard of anything like it in the Pacific Northwest.

“Basically, what we’re trying to do here is make art accessible to everybody,” said Shriner.

Many art classes are expensive and have multiple sessions, she said. Instead, she is trying to provide a different atmosphere. This is why they use acrylics instead of oil or other kinds of paints. Acrylic paintings can be finished in one night, she said.

This is also why Palettes and Pairings provide all the brushes, paint, canvases, palettes and smocks.

Amanda Seward, Shriner’s mother and partner, said that most people have been appreciative of this simple and casual creative outlet.

“What a hunger, a thirst, a human being has to express themselves creatively, and I think that’s why this has been received so well,” she said.

Many of the customers seemed to agree with Seward.

“I finished the painting and hung it. It was just so amazing. I’m like, I made this,” said Lynette Miller, a returning customer.

Shriner also noted that the business is unique because it provides a new kind of night out for people. Palettes and Pairings is something different to do on a Friday night rather than go to a restaurant, bar or the movies.

“It’s a fun place to get together with girlfriends, have a glass of wine, eat appetizers, and I get to paint my little niece a picture,” said Kelli Vandanacker, who is also a returning customer.

The idea to start the business came to Shriner when a friend brought her to a similar business in Denver called Sipping and Painting. She had never seen anything like it in the Seattle area and wondered why.

“I came home and I said, ‘Guess what? We’re opening a business.’”

About two months later, on Valentine’s Day of this year, the store opened. Everything came together about as easily as she could’ve hoped, she said.

Shriner and Seward both still work full-time, in the hospitality and real-estate industries respectively, in addition to running their store.

“We’ve always been looking for something we can do that was enjoyable, but wasn’t a regular 9 to 5,” said Shriner.

Despite their day jobs, Shriner said that Palettes and Pairings is quickly becoming their main job.

Both mother and daughter have casually painted for a long time. They began by stenciling in their kitchens, but got braver and eventually moved on to murals, said Shriner.

Shriner also used to paint designs on leather clothing to give her an edge in horse shows, which she participated in when she lived in California. “In horse shows your attire is almost as important as the horse you’re riding,” she said.

When she was growing up, Seward took many painting lessons with her mother (Shriner’s grandmother), who also painted a lot.

Shriner says they only have two rules at Palettes and Pairings:

1: Don’t put your paintbrush in your wineglass.

2: Don’t drink the paint water.

Palettes and Pairings is located at 504 Parkplace Center, Kirkland. For information, call 425-889-5100 or visit palettesandpairings.com.

Christopher Andersson is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.