The Chuppah Ceremony in Paint

Chuppah Ceremony at Woodholme Country Club, 11x14", Patricia Bennett

This is a preparatory painted sketch and will be added to the live event painting as part of the studio portion.
The bride lovingly gives the cup of wine to the groom to drink as the families look on in delight.  (There was enormous joy in the room.)

Red, Pink, White Roses, Patricia Bennett

Red, Pink, and White Roses, 16x20, Patricia Bennett

These are near the Carriage House at Cylburn Arboretum.

This painting will be on view at:

 My 2nd Open Studio on Sunday September 8, 2 to 5pm: 5600 Wexford Rd, Apt 1, Baltimore, MD 21209, phone: 410-243-0170.

And:

The Vollmer Center at Cylburn Arboretum, November 1, 5 to 7pm.

Wedding Painting at the Woodholme Country Club

Wedding Reception and Ceremony at the Woodholme Country Club, by Patricia Bennett

 Painting a Wedding at the Woodholme Country Club, August, 24, 2013

Patricia Bennett beginning the wedding painting at the Woodholme Country Club, photo by Fleur de lis

Yesterday I had the privilege to paint a beautiful and joyous wedding celebration.

Chuppah before the Ceremony at Woodholme Country Club, photo by Patricia Bennett

Chuppah painting in progress, before the Ceremony, by Patricia Bennett

I began in the room with the Chuppah, and spent a few hours capturing the mood.  I saw it suffused with light.  There were candles on either side of the aisle and scattered rose petals.

Patricia Bennett in front of her started painting of the Chuppah at Woodholme Country Club, photo probably by Woodholme staff.

Due to space constraints, it wasn't possible for me to paint the ceremony.
At each event I find that unexpected things happen and flexibility is crucial to success.  I did photograph the ceremony, and found the most memorable moments to be when the bride gave the groom the wine to drink.  And when the flower girl threw the petals into the aisle.

Woodholme Wedding Painting Live, Patricia Bennett

My remaining work is to paint in the ceremony.  And add the bride and groom to the lower left, with a couple other family members...

To be continued...

D is for Disco Girl

Disco Girl, 11x14, watercolor on paper, Patricia Bennett

This was painted at the Zoll Studio on Tuesday.  The lighting was very strong.

I enjoyed painting the dots.  And I tried to give her a lot of texture in her hair.

At Stephanie Bradshaw's to meet the Bride for Woodholme Country Club Wedding

Getting Ready for the Wedding on Saturday August 24, 2013 at the Woodholme Country Club...

Stephanie Bradshaw's Studio, photo by Patricia Bennett

Today I went to Stephanie Bradshaw's studio to meet the lovely bride, her parents, and her sister to discuss their Saturday wedding and reception.

They like the wedding painting below the best, and want this style.

Wedding at the Four Seasons, painted by Patricia Bennett

The atmosphere was very stylish: Stephanie was dressed in gold with large chandelier earrings.  Three cute little dogs chased each other back and forth across the floor. (The bride's dog is good friends with Stephanie's dog.)

We discussed the wedding colors, the schedule, the flowers, and the important details.

It will be really amazing, I'm thrilled that I get to depict the wedding on canvas in five days!

Portrait of Girl and Dog

The Portrait is Done!  

A Girl and Her Dog, 16x20, Patricia Bennett

I gave the portrait to the Client on Saturday.  I don't give people's names to protect their privacy, thus, "the Client".  I am very lucky to have painted such a lovely little girl.

Patricia Bennett and the Client with the Portrait at the Framers

We took the portrait to Framin' Place in Mt. Washington, and the Manager Mark Thompson found the perfect frame in two minutes.  It is about four inches wide, gold, with a linen liner.

A Plant at Cylburn

Cylburn Plant, 11x14, Patricia Bennett

This was done in watercolor at Cylburn Arboretum today.  The plant has small pink flowers and is fleshy with giant floppy leaves.

Also, I checked on the Cylburn Artist in Residence Show invitations being made by Alan Gilbert and Nancy Gilbert.  My show is November 1 at the Vollmer Center on Cylburn Arboretum's grounds.  Over twenty-five pieces of my work will be on exhibit.

Nancy Gilbert was very patient and cheerful.  I was concerned that the image on the card front of my Cylburn Maples painting looked drab, but it is different on her monitor.  Fingers crossed that the image prints out well, as there will be 1,000 of them.

Bigger Pink, Red, and White roses

Roses in Progress, 16x20, Patricia Bennett

These are almost done, I want to create a slightly romantic atmosphere.  Flowers that are not cut are very nice.

Nicole and Dots

Nicole and Dots, 11x14, watercolor, Patricia Bennett

Done at the Zoll Studio last night (August 14, 2013).

I find dots very fascinating.  Edouard Vuillard is one of my favorite painters, and he used lots of dots.  I'm not sure why he used dots.

Someone in the class asked me if I was inspired by elementary particles.  Hopefully not, as that is in my past.  My senior thesis was based on particles called excitons which can only be seen when they die: they emit a dot of light.  I bombarded a chilled silicon wafer with laser beams to coax the excitons into a droplet...  Kind of strange, but documented with a computer spectrographic program.

Nicole had an amazing tattoo of birds and fish on one leg.

Materials: Utrecht brand professional watercolors, nice brushes, archival paper, pencil, pink eraser.

Red and White Roses

White and Red Roses, 12x12, Patricia Bennett

These are some roses from Cylburn's lovely rose gardens.  I wanted to get the colors close to Fantin Latour's pink, red, and white roses.

As I painted the white rose, I thought of Lovey Young.  She passed away too soon, and loved roses.

Portrait almost done, cylburn drawing, roses started

Portrait in progress, 16x20, Patricia Bennett

 The portrait is almost done.  I am doing finishing touches to her dress and and dog and so on.  I decided against the flower in her hair.  Her face is very lovely to look at and a flower would be distracting.

White and Red Roses in progress, 12x12, Patricia Bennett

Roses from Cylburn Arboretum.  This photo does not do the painting justice!  It's white roses near pink, near deeeep red, with strong greens.  The feeling is after Fantin Latour.  In progress.  

Cylburn Lions in pen and crayon, 12x16, Patricia Bennett

Done on location today at the lovely Cylburn Arboretum.  The weather is great, especially in the shade of the black walnut tree next to the mansion.  This was Cylburn's last day of Summer Camp.