Live Event Painting
IMG_8719-2
Photo taken March 2018 as goal for live event painting was set.
Almost exactly one year ago, I set a goal that within one year, I would
be doing live event painting. If you're not sure what that entails,
it's exactly what it sounds like; painting by invitation in front of
event-goers as part of the entertainment. Most often, it's done at
weddings and fundraisers, especially when the venue has significant
charm, like at the Henry Ford Museum in historic Dearborn, Michigan.
The staircases at the museum are beautifully ornate and well suited for
getting amazing photographs of the bride and groom in full wedding
attire. A live event painter might paint that scene or a sweeping
panoramic view of the reception ballroom as the bride and groom enjoy
their first dance. The artist chats with onlookers while they paint and
answers questions about their methods and life as an artist. The
painting might include good likenesses of the couple's parents and that
eccentric spinster aunt or the zany cousin everyone seems to have. I
don't think I have the courage for painting that intense just yet. Good
grief! I can hardly chew gum and walk at the same time! My most
successful pieces are done with nobody around,.. no music even. And
besides, my style is somewhat minimalist, focused in on one to three
items in a painting. Still, I am deeply intrigued by the concept.
Until I'm ready to go that large, there are other ways to do live event
painting that are more suited to a recluse like myself. My first big
opportunity came when The Artist's Society Of Dearborn members were
invited to participate in "Arts In April", a month-long event where
artists are scheduled to paint in or near participating businesses and
historic locations around Dearborn when foot traffic is expected to be
heaviest. It gets the public out after a hard winter and gives artists
a chance to showcase their skill. When I was invited, I calmly
indicated that I would indeed be interested while inwardly doing the
happy dance. So On April 26, from 6-8pm, I will be painting in front of
the prestigious Padzieski Gallery at the Ford Performing Arts Center.
I'd love to see you there if you're in the area.
Now...here's where it gets good. Having procured that gig, I was
emboldened to check out other events in Michigan where I might be able
to paint and came across the Traverse City Chocolate Festival. My
immediate thought was how would they use a live painter at an event
designed to sell chocolate? Probably wouldn't. Still, what did I have
to lose? It was worth asking. Long story short, I will be painting
something dark and decadent on this coming Sunday afternoon in Traverse
City with the smell of fresh warm chocolate wafting about. I'm gifting
whatever I paint as a door prize for festival goers and I'm being
gifted with two tasting tickets, so Wes can walk around and sample
chocolate for two hours while I paint. Now this may seem to some like a
let down after getting invited to paint at the Padzieski Gallery. But
when chocolate is involved,.......all bets are off!
chocorange
"Chocolate-dipped" Oil on Canson paper
Like what you see? I do commissioned work, so let me know if there's
something significant to you that you'd like memorialized in an
original oil painting. Contact me
.
Sent from:
{{FASO_DOMAIN}}
{{AM_COMPANY_NAME}}
{{AM_COMPANY_ADDRESS}}
{{AM_CSZ}}
{{AM_COUNTRY}} Artful Mail by FASO
Learn More about ArtfulMail
unsubscribe from this newsletter