The Best of Santa Barbara, at the Rockwood Women's Club

On Sunday, February 26, 2012, I was delighted to participate in the Simply the Best of Santa Barbara Wedding Show. I was invited by Bonnie Hope, whom I met in Las Vegas last September. Bonnie produces this show twice a year. It was my first trip to Santa Barbara, a town of unrivaled beauty, perfect weather, and innumerable weddings.

The event is held in the Rockwood Women’s Club, a gracious 1927 Spanish Colonial Revival

building just up Mission Canyon Road from the historic Santa Barbara Mission. The club is still the home of regular luncheons for the town’s best connected ladies, but on the weekends it becomes a sought-after wedding venue.

I painted from the stage, which I shared alternately with guitarist Gilbert Herrera and a pianist Neil DiMaggio at the Steinway, whose wife joined him at times on the flute. From this vantage I could really appreciate something one doesn’t notice in most wedding venues: the hall has extraordinary acoustics. The position also gave me a marvelous overview of the show.

I look forward to coming back to paint in this room with an actual bride and groom as the focus of my picture.

Moved as I was by the architecture, I took my easel outside after the show, and painted the exterior of the building— then gave the painting to the venue. A manager said she knew just where to hang it.

Simply the Best! Wedding Showcase of Santa Barbara

I'm off to Santa Barbara, California this weekend for a wedding show, thanks to Bonnie Hope of Music by Bonnie, who organizes two of these shows a year. I met her at the Wedding MBA show in Las Vegas last September. I'm eager to get a finger (and a brush) in this exciting wedding market!

12 Baskets Catering Open House, February 9, 2012

Twelve Baskets Catering is a catering company so well established that they have their own wedding show— or at least an open house that functions as one. Andrea Harrison, an event coordinator on their staff, invited me to be a part of this year’s event. Some familiar faces were there, such as Olga Szwed of La Belle Reve, with her spectacular line of wedding dresses, whom we saw just a week ago at Weddings in Woodinville.

The venue, known as 415 Westlake, was a pleasure to paint. Under this great arch of wood beams, a warmly colored space was easily transformed into a bright party.

Weddings in Woodinville, January 29, 2012

This wedding show was unique among the many I’ve done in the seven years I’ve been painting weddings. Instead of one venue, there were seven: COLUMBIA WINERY, DeLILLE CELLARS, JM CELLARS, MATTHEWS ESTATE, NOVELTY HILL • JANUIK WINERY, WILLOWS LODGE, and WOODHOUSE WINE ESTATES.

Attendees were ferried around from one winery to another by the fleet of Butler Transportation, which provides first class busses and limousines. A showroom at each venue was decorated by a separate, selected wedding planner. I was invited by Erin Lindeman, of Lindeman Weddings and Events, to be part of the offerings at Columbia Winery. Erin’s brilliant design featured models wearing gowns designed by La Belle Reve, who took turns modeling under a chuppah at one end of the room, and on a small proscenium at the other, surrounded by small shrubs. The painting now belongs to Ms. Lindeman, with my fondest regards.