Last night I painted live at a wedding at the Estate at Florentine Gardens in River Vale, NJ.
When I first walked into the foyer of the venue, I saw the bride and groom taking pictures. I stopped in my tracks because this bride was breathtaking. She looked as though she was an actress on a soap opera filming a luxurious television wedding. Throughout the evening I discovered her beauty was matched by kindness and grace. What a pleasure!
     The ballroom was uplit pink, but the ceiling was still a yellow hue. Florentine gardens has high ceilings, tall windows draped with luxurious fabric, and beautiful molding all around the ballroom. It also boasts a juliette balcony above where the band performs. The other amazing visual element to this wedding was the centerpieces. They alternated between tall displays on hydrangeas and roses on some tables, and huge cherry blossom displays atop 4 ft glass vases on others. It set a very romantic, enchanted garden feeling for the reception.
   I love when guests come to see the painting and check in on the progress throughout the event. I'm there to create a piece of art for the bride and groom, but I'm also there as an additional form of entertainment for the guests. The bride and her mother were so enthusiastic as the painting developed, that I think they sent each of their 280 guests over to view the painting. (which actually has resulted in me booking two parties today from guests who loved my work).
   This bride was a girl after my own heart. Her brother told me that after to she hired me he asked her what she wanted as a wedding gift, so she said, "you got me a live event artist to paint at the wedding, all you have to do is pay her" ( I have been known to buy my own gifts for holidays and birthdays and then just hand family members the bill)
I always ask a bride which specific people she wants in her painting ( we all know what happens when we just assume)
The brides parents, the grooms parents, two maids of honor, two best men, and the brides brother made the cut. Below are photos of some of the principle guests included in the painting.

 The bride's parents. I think I really nailed the mom's dress in the painting.

 The bride's two best friends and maid's of honor. It makes my job much easier when the subjects are so pretty.( I will be creating a painting live at the maid of honor on the left's wedding in may)

The beautiful bride and groom. I learned durring the best man's speach that they have been dating since high school. I love learning the couple's story

Wedding Painting NJ

April 2, 2011 was a very special wedding for me, it was my brother's. While I could not paint live at his party, I did wasnt to create a painting for him after the party. My favorite part of the painting is how I captured his new brides amazing flowered amsale gown.

Live Wedding Painting in Long Island

On april 3, 2011 I had the pleasure of painting live at a beautiful wedding on the south shore of Long Island. The location was the Sephardic Temple of Cedarhurst. The groom's mother hired me to create a painting live as the reception unfolded as a gift to the new couple. Throughout the evening just about all of the 300 guests stopped by in awe of the painting being created right in front of them. I learned that the bride is a star in Broadway's WICKED, and the groom a doctor. The most interesting part of their story for me, was that they had met on match.com! I guess the commercials are true.

The back wall of the ballroom opened up when the ceremony ended, and the beautiful chuppah was visible throughout the entire reception. The centerpieces alternated between 4 ft high vases with cherry blossom branches boasting out of the top and with tea  lights hanging from branches, and low arrangements of thick pillar candles surrounded by ivory hydrangeas and pink roses. The cake was 5 layers, with cascading pink roses wrapping one side.

The band was so fabulous, that the couple extended the wedding reception by a half hour. At 10 pm on a sunday night, a packed dancefloor means guests are loving the band!

Showcase at Eagle Oaks

Part of working in the wedding/ Bar mitzvah industry is taking part in event showcases. These are gatherings for future brides and their families to come and meet all sorts of relavent vendors in one place.

Eagle Oaks golf and country club in Farmingdale, NJ is a stunning location for a special event, and they hosted a wonderful bridal show on Feb. 16, 2011. Over 50 Brides-to-be came with family and friends and mingled with photographers, djs, and for the first time, a live event artist. Sometimes at a showcase people do not understand exactly what I do just by glancing over at my set up. Once I explain to them that I come to their wedding and create a painting depicting the scene of the reception or ceremony live, for guests to see, and them to take home at the end of the evening; most want to book my services on the spot.

I'm very pleased to announce that Eagle Oaks Golf and Country Club now has me on their website as a preferred vendor, and I look foward to creating many live wedding paintings there.

NJ Wedding at The Palace

 Last night I had the pleasure of working with a sweet, fun, and truely in love couple. The groom called me in October saying that he wanted to surprise his bride to be with a one of a kind painting created at the wedding. I love when grooms take the initiative to really surprise their brides with my service, because the brides are always beyond thrilled when they see me there painting a picture of their wedding.

    The venue was the beautiful Palace in Somerset Park, NJ. This venue is impressive from the moment you drive up, and does not disappoint as the evening progresses. Flowers were beautiful as they always are when done by Kim at Marquis Florals.The groom had adorable neices who were flower girls in steel grey dresses. I was most amazed that they were up and dancing the enetire night (the reception didn't begin until 9 pm, and I was tired, so I dont know how these little girls did it)

Here is the Bride and groom next to their painting. at the time it was about two hours into the reception and the painting was about 2/3 complete

Live Event Painting Bnai Tikvah

As a live event artist I am usually hired to paint live at a wedding ceremony or reception, and capture the event in a painting while it unfolds. Of the 50 or so parties I do each year, only about 10 are Bar or Bat Mitzvahs, and I love that these parties are often colorful, fun, and have a packed dancefloor. This Pparticular event was a Bnai Mitvah (bat mitzvah for twins) The theme was peace signs, and the entire back wall behind the kid's table was draped in white fabric and uplit every color of the rainbow. The tableclothes were black wich really made the colorful floral centerpieces "pop". The guests of hunor are in the middle in coordinating lime green dresses, and I captured the parents while they slowdanced to the song they danced to at their wedding 15 years earlier.

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Wish Upon a Wedding Painting

Tuesday night I painted at a Fundraiser for the launch of Wish Upon a Wedding, the NJ chapter. This photo is the work of the amazing josh Lynn of Josh Lynn photography, NJ. When I saw this image I could not wait to share it. It captures the entire ballroom as well as how my painting captured the ballroom. Painting live at this event was a challenge, but a very fun one. As a live event artist, I'm used to painting the scene of a wedding reception. Painting the bride and groom durring their first dance, the cake, the centerpieces,etc. This party had no principle guest in the center the whole time, but the painting still came out fabulously!