Thirtieth Birthday Party Live Painting at Oakdene in Baltimore County, September 10, 2016

Thirtieth Birthday Party Live Painting at Oakdene in Baltimore County, September 10, 2016, painted by Patricia Bennett

I was really thrilled to paint this, honored to be hired.  If you look closely you can see a horse on the right.

A lovely dinner with Beck n Call servers, Beck n Call is owned by Tammie Monaco, who is in the painting on the right.  And the food and wine were provided by Wit and Wisdom, who are located at the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore, with their Sommelier present to explain the wines and spirits.

Linens provided by Dulaney Noble's Gala Cloths, and flowers organized by Stiles Colwill, owner of Halcyon Antiques.

Process: Before the event I visited the space to determine with the host where the best place for me to set up would be.  I needed to be out of the way of the dozen servers and wanted to center the focus on the star of the event.  Centering the mantle seemed like the best option.  I chose to leave out several feet of the room so that the view outside could be seen; Oakdene has a stunning view.

After the event I placed a missing important guest on the left of the host and added their dog, Pippa.

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!