Painting at Brightside Gardens

Painting set-up for Hercules, Patricia Bennett at Brightside Gardens

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of painting at Brightside Gardens.

Hercules in progress, at Brightside Gardens, painted by Patricia Bennett, 24x24"

Brightside Gardens are privately owned and meticulously maintained and have a wonderful theme of Greco/Roman mythology (along with genuine sculptures).  The gardener showed me around some of the 53 gardens and explained which trees would look like fire in the fall.  There are many maples, some will be orange and some flaming red, and there are the amazing pergolas, which will be a mixture ranging from yellow to orange.  The leaves have not really changed yet, so I have a few weeks to get ready!  On my list to paint is Stiles Portager (even though it doesn't seem to have fall colors, but it's lovely), the River Styxx (which has brilliant maples), and I need to paint the Roman Sarcophagus.

Hercules at Brightside Gardens, Patricia Bennett

Stiles Portager, sketched by Patricia Bennett at Brightside Gardens

September 13 Wedding Reception at the Baltimore Country Club

September 13, 2014 Wedding Reception at the Baltimore Country Club, painted by Patricia Bennett

Congratulations to the couple!

Painted Wedding Reception at the Antrim at Taneytown, September 6, 2014

Wedding Reception at the Antrim in Taneytown, painted by Patricia Bennett, 24x36"

September 6, 2014: A beautiful day in Taneytown at the Antrim.  The Antrim is a hotel with stunning rose gardens, fountains, a croquet lawn, and a pool.

At 2pm, after coordinating with Elizabeth, the wedding planner, I painted the rose gardens and picturesque landscape from under the overhang at the entrance to the pavilion.  At 3 the skies darkened and there was an hour-long storm with lightening bolts and wind gusts.  I painted through the storm.

When guests finished cocktail hour in the rose gardens, I followed inside to the reception area and set up next to the sweetheart table.

The result is a montage of the wedding event.  Their wedding cake is on the far right, and I got a nice view of the bride dancing with her mom.

Congratulations to the couple!!

Painted Wedding & Reception at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club, July 20, 2014

July 20, 2014 Wedding and Reception at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club, painted by Patricia Bennett

The Chesapeake Bay Beach Club is located just off of the Bay Bridge.  Throughout the day, the view of the water from the club was stunning.  The staff were really helpful and very pleasant.

The wedding took place next to the water.  Then the guests went up to the deck for cocktails.  I moved into the Tavern Ballroom, painting the couple's sweetheart table and the balls hanging from the ceiling before guests arrived for the reception.

Flowers and decor were by Intrigue, they were lovely deep reds, and the photographers were from Baltimore.

Congratulations to the couple!

List of Vendors:

Flowers and decor: Intrique (based in Annapolis)
Catering: Chesapeake Bay Beach Club
Location: Chesapeake Bay Beach Club
Band: New Solutions Entertainment  from Perkasie PA Joel Chodoroff,
They were great!
Photographers: Belle's Dream from Baltimore MD. Rachel Kim and Steve Lee

Painted Wedding and Reception in Glyndon, Maryland, June 7, 2014

Wedding and Reception, Glyndon, Maryland

Patricia Bennett painting live in Glyndon, Maryland, photo by the Loop band

Congratulations to the couple!!  I had the privilege of painting their wedding June 7, 2014.  I think that the word fairy tale describes it.

Most of the painting was done on location and some was done in the studio.

How the painting was created: People like to know how this was done, and if it was prepared in advance.  So, I'll briefly describe the process.

I arrived at 3:30 pm with a blank 2x3' canvas, and saw the venue for the first time.  I met with the planner (Stephanie Bradshaw) and couple earlier and heard it described.

It was an enormous green lawn with one space for the wedding ceremony, and another lower space with an amazing tent, complete with 12 chandeliers and an grand entrance for the reception.  At the ceremony space, I chose a location that had shade.  Then, I walked to the tent and talked to the planners about where to set up there.  It was crucial that I have access to electricity b/c when the sun goes down I need light.  Luckily, there was a free 50 foot extension cord connected to the generator.  Next, I drew simple sketches in a notepad to design the painting.  Then I covered the canvas with the lovely view: the green grass, the blue sky, the clouds, the trees, purple flowers.  After this preparation, the event officially began, and it was an intense 30 minutes of capturing the ceremony...  This is my favorite part, and most importantly painted the beautiful bride as she stood next to her future husband.  After the ceremony ended, the guests moved to the pool house for cocktails, and I carried my easel, tables, etc... over to the reception tent to begin painting the tables and flowers and chandeliers.  The flowers were breathtaking, especially the blush peonies next to the blue hydrangeas.

How to combine both the reception and the ceremony into one painting, and indicate the amazing tent.  A few strips of drapery over the sky worked well.  Then, I painted the reception below the ceremony, scaling fairly accurately.  The closest tables got the most detail because I literally cannot see other tables when people are sitting down.  I made sure to add the fabulous band.  And the final part of the wedding, the sparklers at midnight, I put in the upper right corner.

There was a moment when the planner rescued me: it was dark, and the extension cord didn't work!  She tracked the cord over to the generator and plugged it back in.

The band, the Loop, was awesome.  Stephanie Bradshaw and her girls were fabulous, and the band was fabulous.  The catering staff was great, and they brought me coffee at the end when I was exhausted.  I make it through the last couple of hours on coffee:)  And I wish the couple every happiness, they are so charming and lovely:)

List of the Vendors mentioned:

Event Planner: Stephanie Bradshaw
Band: The Loop

Painting of a Wedding reception next to Boordy Vineyards!

24x36, acrylic on canvas, painted by Patricia Bennett

This was a stunning wedding reception.  It was on the family property.  I had to choose between beautiful huge trees and the tent.  However, the tent itself was a work of art (it's amazing how they put them up), and had giant lanterns hanging in it.  As it was the solstice, I chose the lanterns: they look like suns or moons, and showed the corn rows and the striking yellow house and some hints of the magnificent trees under the tent.

The cake was carefully constructed by Jason Hisley, the owner of La Cakerie.  He spent several minutes leveling the table and examining the cake from every angle.

Congratulations to the bride and groom!

Wedding and Reception at the Engineers Club, painted by Patricia Bennett May 25, 2014

Wedding and Reception at the Engineers Club, painted by Patricia Bennett May 25, 2014

Congratulations to the Bride and Groom!

I arrived at noon to begin painting.  The mother of the bride showed me where the ceremony would be and explained the set-up for the reception: the wedding and reception were in adjoining rooms, so I could paint both, I just needed to move my easel about 50 feet.  The bride wanted the focus to be on the celebration, so I placed the ceremony on the far right, rather than centering it.  We found a nook in the courtyard where I could set-up to paint the ceremony and the coordinator quickly moved a giant potted plant for me.

Next, I did a few sketches in my notebook to decide on composition: how to combine the wedding with the reception space, and how to make the rectangular room fit on the canvas.  Then I began with the reception room: absolutely gorgeous and covered with gold leaf.  An hour before the wedding ceremony, I moved my easel into the courtyard, also stunning, and painted the Chuppah.  After painting the ceremony, I moved my easel back into the reception room and painted through the rest of the evening.

Really really great party and celebration, very joyous, great food.  The Event Planner was Mango Productions, Rachel Fineberg did a great job.  The coordinator for the Engineers Club was also great: very helpful, very efficient, friendly.

The Engineers Club is stunning and used to be someone's house/palace.  The House of Cards TV show is filmed there sometimes.  It has to be seen to be believed!