Carnegie Institution of Washington Live Painting of Wedding Reception

Carnegie Institute of Science, Live Wedding Reception Painting, 24x36" by Patricia Bennett

Yesterday I painted this lovely wedding reception at the Carnegie Institute of Washington in Washington D.C.  Congratulations to the bride and groom and to their families!


Process:
As the building would open at 3:30pm and the architecture was complex, I visited the space a week in advance, thanks to permission from Ana Lojanica, without whom this would not have been possible.  I took numerous photos and drew sketches to discover how to depict the space on my canvas.  After emailing the bride my version, and getting an okay, I painted a practice sketch to see if my vision "worked" (In order to fit the space on the canvas, along with the dome, I vertically compressed the ceiling.)  And then after a more detailed drawing sketch, I painted that directly onto the canvas.  When I arrived, the architectural structure was in place, and I added to it from life, adjusted colors and so on.

Address of the Carnegie Institute of Washington: 1530 P St NW Washington DC 20005