Wedding Paintings

 I've continued to create wedding paintings for couples over the past year.  These are incredibly rewarding to me.  Most of my personal art winds up on the rack in my studio and is rarely seen.  Some artworks find new homes and are appreciated by others.  But wedding paintings are very personal stories from a very important day in that couple's lives.  If I do my job right, these paintings will be appreciated from day one.  They'll be hung on the wall and the subject of discussion for years, they'll be handed down to children, and then maybe those children's children, and in a century or so, somebody will be saying "that was great-grandma and great-grandpa when they got married way back in 2025".  And that really floats my boat.

So here are a few wedding paintings from the past year:

 Nick and Nicole

They had a beautiful wedding at a castle in the mountains of western North Carolina.  For their painting, they wanted just the two of them, the mountains, and something of the castle.  As normal, I took a lot of photos for reference and one group really stood out.  The way they held each other spoke beautifully of their passion and tenderness.  So I used one photo for the basic pose, plus two others for various bits, plus others for the mountains and castle.  No single photograph could ever have created this image.  

 

Manisha and Dilesh 

Indian weddings are so much fun for me to paint.  There's so much COLOR!  Having done a few, I'm beginning to appreciate the subtleties in how different couples have their ceremonies.  This couple wanted the painting to feature the last of the Seven Circles.  This is when they are tied together and circle a sacred fire.  Each circle has a special meaning.  At the end, they are technically married, although there's more to the ceremony.  So this shows the couple beginning the last circle, with a rather saucy look on the bride's face.  Loved getting that look!

 

Tiana and Lennon

 A personal connection here: Tiana is a veterinary technician for the vet we've been going to for over 20 years.  They had simple requests: just the couple, one item from the venue, and their dog.  I poured my effort into capturing (first) good likenesses, then (second) bringing joy and life to their faces (getting a good likeness does not necessarily mean it has life), and finally (third) bringing in a very energetic pooch.  Oh, and the tractor at the venue, which I think adds the message that these are two very down-to-earth individuals.

 

Exhibition in the Salmagundi Club

 Two of my artworks are in an exhibition at the Salmagundi Club in New York City.  They're part of a show of work by military veterans called "Journeys Onward".  This is the second time I've been part of the show, for which I'm honored.  Here are the two pieces:

My Afghan Interpreter

Charcoal and pastel on toned paper, 30"x24" framed

Now and Then

Oil on canvas, 22"x26"

Earlier this year, I had works in two other exhibitions: "Beyond the Uniform", another exhibition of art by veterans, in Washington, DC, and the National Juried Art Exhibition at the Arts & Culture Alliance in Knoxville, TN.  And I'm waiting on notification for two more shows this fall.

So what's the reason for all the exhibitions this year?  A combination of people twisting my arm to participate with other veterans, and finally being in the mood to join in.  There are years that I don't apply to anything and have no interest, and then there are years like this one.  

It's been over a year since my last post.  I haven't had much inclination to write anything here, but lately I've had a lot of things that I wanted to say.  So here's the ice-breaker to get me going with the blog again.  Check back again!