What is the name of your business?
What region of Arkansas do you operate in?
- Most bookings are in the Central Arkansas area, however I do book all of Arkansas and include up to 2 hours travel time from Benton in each of my Wedding packages. I can travel to surrounding states and outside of the 2 hour radius after discussing travel arrangements with the Bride or Groom to be.
How would you describe your style?
- My style is very flexible and I welcome all styles that the Bride and Groom wish to see. My passion and preferred style is in the abstract, highly textured paintings that represent the overall feeling and character of the wedding when working with acrylic paints, however the light and airy watercolor paintings are something that I always enjoy the opportunity to create since it provides an almost dreamlike wedding capture of light and color.
- Though arriving 2 hours in advance is ideal (preferably more time for Expressions requested on certain guests), I only need about 30 minutes to get everything set up to start live painting. I have been able to produce finished-looking paintings over the course of a 3-hour reception with less than an hour to set up before the event. Sometimes additional studio painting is included if I feel that more time was needed to complete my vision.
How do you capture a whole scene with so little time?
- Since ceremonies are so short and captivate 100 percent of your guests’ attention, it is ideal for me to arrive as early as possible so I can paint the background before the ceremony. I usually paint as much as I can during the ceremony itself but also take photos for reference. Following the ceremony, I like to stay for the reception and finish your painting by working from my photos so that guests are able to watch the ceremony painting’s progress while they’re enjoying the party! If I am capturing a reception scene, I typically pre sketch the scene, and start painting at the start of the reception so guests can view the start to finish of the process.
Do you have a mission statement?
- “Life is about creating oneself” in every thing I do, I imagine a way that I can create beauty and turn it into something that all can enjoy.
What do you hope to accomplish for your clients?
- For my clients, I envision the moments they pause from their busy lives for that one second to reflect on their wedding capture and relive that extraordinary moment when time did not exist because they were in each other’s arms. I hope to present them with a keepsake that they can cherish forever.
What do you think is the most important thing to accomplish in a wedding?
- Often times, a wedding is a blur after all the entertaining and visiting...I think it is important to offer the couple a keepsake and a unique wedding experience for them to reflect on and remember the feeling of that special day for years to come. The canvas is not only a keepsake but a conversation piece that all of the family can reflect on and tell stories about their memories of that special day.
What is your favorite part of what you do?
- Getting to relive my own I do’s through the ceremony and experience the love I see in each couple eyes is definitely an amazing part of what I get to experience, however getting to take that love and energy from the couple, as well as their guests and express it in a painting is by far my favorite part.
What challenges have you had to overcome in the pandemic?
- The pandemic has created a sense of uncertainty on weddings for sure, with many cancellations and reschedules, I have had to learn to navigate in a way that suits my clients and my family best. I have however, been able to use the down time to focus on my photo recreation services and on my hand painted shoe business which has flourished during the pandemic.
What are the challenges that come with painting something live?
- Outdoor venues prove to be challenging with constant changes in lighting and weather, however the biggest challenge, but one I enjoy, is making sure I capture the couples vision of what they were wanting their painting to capture. I help simplify this process by offering a questionnaire at the time of booking so I can get a good feeling of the weddings atmosphere and a better idea of what style and elements they are wanting captured.
What do you think any future clients would want to know about you?
- If anyone is interested in learning more about what I offer or even would like a to learn a few pointers on painting, please follow me on social media for some of my free painting lessons from time to time. Or come check out my blog for some life stories, recipes, and behind the scenes snippets. Anyway I can bring a little creativity into your life, you can count me in!
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