Lively Holliday Reception

Salem, MA

With a prominent designated location on the hall’s balcony, I had an overview of the wedding reception and all the activity of the guests. The grandeur of the space, with its ornate chandelier, huge mirrors, and festive lighting, made for a striking composition. The chandelier was the largest element, needing to be balanced against many smaller elements of the floor space; depicting the sparkle of its lights and ornamentation was important.

The movement of the figures throughout the event required quick decisive gestures for the guests, the band and the reflections. Captured in this view is the bride’s father, making his loving comments, as well as the mother and father again in the reflection. The room colors, and changing mood, were altered by lighting within the space and created the cooler cast of pinks, blues and neutral tints. After an initial gestural sketch placement, the guests were painted at different times, as they moved through the space, to suggest the leisurely pace of the event.

The watercolor technique conveys the excitement and energy of this special occasion. The newlyweds commented – We have sent photos to a few friends who are pictured in the primary painting asking them if they recognize anyone. One person’s response: “OMG. I knew my husband and I spent too long at the beef & blue station! We were joking that we were going to get caught in the painting! I recognize the girl next to us too – she also overstayed her welcome at the food station.” And then when we emailed the girl next to the couple above: “Wow. I can’t believe how accurately he was able to capture my likeness! I could have only been there 30 seconds.”