Brisbane Painted for the Beagles and Raised $2,000 in One Night

Some paint and sip nights are about hens, birthdays and getting through the work week. This one was about Penelope and Bert, two beagles asleep on the same couch right now, the rescue who brought Bert home before Trent and James did, and the chance to fill a room with people willing to paint a pup and put their money where their easel is. Brisbane showed up. The beagles won. Here's how it went down.

We asked Beagle Rescue Queensland if we could run them a night

This one started backwards. Most charity nights happen because a cause asks the entertainment, not the other way round. We flipped that. Trent rang Beagle Rescue Queensland and asked them if we could throw a Paint Juicy night for them. They said yes faster than a beagle hears a fridge open.

The plan was simple. Brisbane turns up to Everton Park Bowls Club. Tickets are $59 with $30 of every single one going straight to Beagle Rescue Queensland. Pre-sketch a beagle canvas so guests can focus on personality and colour rather than tricky proportions. Run the night the way we always do, big, loud, singalong-heavy. Hand over a cheque at the end. Done.

Penelope, Bert, and the older little gent who brought us to BRQ

The reason we made the call in the first place is currently snoring on his favourite cushion at home, mildly offended that nobody's offered him cheese in the last forty minutes. His name is Bert. He's an older little gent, retired from any duty more strenuous than supervising the pantry. He shares the couch (and the household budget) with Penelope, the first beagle in the family, who runs the place with the quiet authority of a small but very determined hound.

Trent's the animal-mad one in the house. Always has been. The kind of person who can't walk past a dog without crouching down to introduce themselves and absolutely cannot leave a rescue's website without "just having a quick look." Penelope was the first beagle home. A few years later, Bert came along from Beagle Rescue Queensland and the household officially became a two-beagle operation. The fundraiser was always going to happen at some point. It was just a matter of when.

The team at Beagle Rescue Queensland were unbelievable from the first phone call. Patient. Kind. Honest about Bert's age, his quirks, the medications he was on, the things he'd grow out of and the things he'd absolutely never grow out of. They didn't just hand a dog over. They made sure the dog was going to the right home, and they made sure the home knew exactly what they were signing up for. That's the standard every rescue should run on, and it's the standard Beagle Rescue Queensland actually delivers on, every time.

So when this whole thing got built, it wasn't really a debate. They gave us our boy. Filling a room and running a night for them was the bare minimum.

Nikita, James and Lotti ran the room

Three hosts on the floor, one room, no shortage of energy. Nikita was on the painting walk-throughs, talking the room through every step from blank canvas to finished beagle. James worked the floor, made the rounds and did the bit where he reminded everyone halfway through that they were halfway to a finished pup and halfway to making a difference. Lotti was on the mic running the singalongs, the music and the cheeky between-step banter that turns a paint and sip into something else entirely.

$2,000 raised for Beagle Rescue Queensland

Beagle Rescue Queensland is an all-volunteer, foster-based charity that's been rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming beagles and hounds across QLD (with regional hubs in Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville, Cairns and northern NSW) since 2015. Every dollar covers vet care, food, transport between foster carers and the surprise medical work that comes with rescuing dogs whose backstories nobody fully knows. They run on volunteers and they run on donations.

Help Beagle Rescue Queensland help more beagles

One night, $2,000 raised, but the work doesn't stop when the easels get packed up. Beagle Rescue Queensland is going every single day of the year. Vets to pay. Mouths to feed. Older beagles like Bert who need ongoing medications. Puppies who arrive at foster carers in not-great shape and need months of love and a lot of vet visits before they're ready for their forever home. None of that is funded by ticket sales. All of it is funded by the public.

If you've got a beagle, ever loved a beagle, ever pat a beagle in passing on the footpath and thought "you are perfect," here's the easy bit. The rescue takes donations. They take goods. Grain-free kibble, beds, blankets, crates, toys, harnesses, leads, feeding bowls, in-date worming, flea and heartworm treatment. All of it goes straight to dogs in foster care.

What is a Paint Juicy night, exactly?

Three hours, one canvas, a lot of singing, no art school energy. We bring everything: easels, canvases, paints, brushes, aprons, the lights, the sound, the lot. You bring your group, your favourite drink and a willingness to belt out a chorus when the moment calls for it. We're 100% mobile, which means we come to the venue, set up around you and pack down at the end.

Most public sessions are $59 per person. Bottomless sessions at licensed venues are $99 and the venue handles the food and drinks. Most events are 18+. A handful are 12+ with a paying guardian along for the ride. Nude life drawing and bottomless are strictly 18+ for obvious reasons.

Want to host your own charity paint and sip?

Charity nights are one of our favourite things to run. The format works because it's loud, it's social, it's high-energy and the money side is built into every ticket without anyone having to do a separate raffle, an awkward auction or a guilt-trip speech. People show up for a good night out, they get a great one, and the cause walks away with real money at the end.

Private bookings start at $700 flat for the first 10 guests, then $65 per extra head. Minimum 10 paid seats. Custom artwork is an additional quoted fee, which is exactly what we'd do for a charity-specific canvas like the beagle. Whether it's a fundraiser for a rescue, a school, a community group or a family member who needs the love, we'll come to your venue, run the night and structure the donation split however works for you. Send us your details and we'll come back with a quote.

Three states, one mobile paint and sip team

Paint Juicy is a 100% mobile paint and sip business covering Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory. We've hosted 42,000+ guests, we're a Best of Queensland Experience winner every year since 2022, and we hold a 4.8 rating on Google. Brisbane is one of our home markets and charity nights like this one are why we love working in it. If you're elsewhere, find your nearest session below.

For Bert, for Penelope, for the rescue who brought our family together, and for every beagle still waiting on a couch to call their own.
Trent & James