The Seattle Hotel Association’s Evening of Hope

The Seattle Hotel Association's Evening of Hope Gala 2013, oil on canvas, 24 x 30 inches, by Sam Day

Every time I do a live event painting for a charity auction, I show up early enough to paint the venue, and then when the guests arrive for cocktails, I can just paint people until they’re called to dinner for the live auction. As my painting is auctioned off, I go on stage and do the Vanna White thing. The buyer is then welcome to meet me back in the lobby after the auction to have his or her face, along with a guest or two, painted into the scene.

Seattle's Finest

The Seattle Hotel Association’s gala Evening of Hope benefits the Seattle Police Foundation, which allowed me to paint some things I don’t usually put into a picture of a cocktail party. I really wanted to put the police dog in the painting, but I heard him more than I saw him; he was down in the lower lobby. Alas, they kept the horses outside. There was a bomb squad robot at the other end of the room, and the SWAT team had a radio controlled crawling camera dodging peoples’ feet, but those didn’t make it into the painting either. However, I was fortunate enough to be placed next to this cool table of “small arms.” I asked what one of the rifles was called, and got an exhaustive answer detailing its range and capabilities. These were all very expensive, state of the art tools, essential to some very expensive programs. The Seattle Hotel Association was gathered to raise funds to equip them, helping to make Seattle a safer place to live and visit.

 But it turned out the buyer of my painting was more interested in the architecture. The magnificent venue is the Olympic Fairmont Hotel, one of the grandest spaces in the Pacific Northwest. Built in 1924, it quickly became the premier destination in the region for Presidents, foreign dignitaries, and celebrities. But after decades of age, and the recession of the 1970s, this grand dame was in need of a facelift— and new owners. In 1981 she became the Four Seasons Olympic Hotel (and later, in 2004, the Fairmont Olympic). In 1982, the black lacquered Spanish Foyer was stripped down to the beautiful walnut paneling we see here.

And the man who bought my painting reminisced that he had been the one to make that all happen. In addition to the hotelier friends he asked to stand in, he also requested that I paint in another friend— a waiter who had served in this room for decades.

Weddings in Woodinville, January 27, 2013

Well, this is the first time I’ve painted for several hours in a wine cellar, with the doors open, in January. The air was chilly, but the smiles were warm. The 2013 Weddings in Woodinville continues the tradition of bussing brides from one winery to another, for one luxurious day of food, drink, and elegant design offerings. The participating wineries were Columbia, where I painted last year, DeLille Cellars, Matthews Estate, Novelty Hill•Januik Winery, Willows Lodge, Woodhouse Wine Estates, and JM Cellars— where I painted this year.

Each winery is decorated by a different designer for the day, each with a separate caterer and array of specialty vendors. The offerings at JM Cellars were curated by event planner Melody Davis, of MG Davis Events, to whom I am most grateful for my inclusion. 

Twelve Baskets Open House

This is the second year I’ve participated in Twelve Baskets Catering’s annual open house tasting. The venue was the marvelous event space 415 Westlake, with its marvelous, glowing wood plank ceiling. 

As I do this year after year, Twelve Baskets will have a growing collection of my paintings at their showroom in Kirkland. 

Korum Ford 50th Anniversary

As much as I love painting live at weddings, it’s nice to throw in something different now and then.

Jerry Korum founded his Ford dealership in Puyallup, Washington, in 1963. After fifty years, he has no intention of quitting the business. His children threw him a (surprise!) party to commemorate the milestone. Among the guests were the mayor and the general in charge of nearby Joint Base Lewis-McChord, both praising the founder for his contributions to the community.

The bright car pictured at right, from the owner’s collection, is 1963 Thunderbird, the same body style that Thelma and Louise famously drove over a cliff. But his pride and joy is the ’57 Bird in the background at left, with the dainty opera window in the removable hardtop.

The owner and his wife greet guests in the foreground, and figures recognizable to them are scattered through the painting, both family and friends. Their youngest granddaughter dances on a riser just behind the roses.

Wedding and Event Painting Prices, 2013

My prices remain unchanged for 2013.

Travel costs usually include just air fare and lodging for two nights, although larger paintings may take more preparation time at the destination.

Inches  Centimeters  US Dollars

24 x 30  61 x 76  $2500

24 x 36  61 x 91  $2800

24 x 40  61 x 102  $3250

30 x 40   76 x 102  $4000

36 x 48  91 x 122  $5000

48 x 60  122 x 152  $6000

48 x 72  122 x 183  $7500

48 x 80  122 x 203  $9000

The JAM at SAM

The annual Puget Sound region holiday party for the wedding and event industries was held this year at the Seattle Art Museum. Yes, those are Ford Tauruses hang from the ceiling. While it does make for a knockout party light show, this is actually a permanent art installation by Cai Guo-Qiang. It scores on a level near sharks in formaldehyde, on the scales of both wonderment and absurdity. After a few minutes of neck tilting, the contemplative viewer hopes for a return to more traditional art, like painting.

And for the next few hours, that’s just what I did.

The New York Times featured an article about live event painters today in the Sunday Styles section. I am quoted a couple of times in the article, and am one of eight artists featured in a slide show of our work in the online edition. I congratulate my fellow event painters, and look forward to all our fortunes rising with this publicity.