Live Painting at Northwest Corks and Crush Auction, 2014

Live Painting at Northwest Corks and Crush Auction, 2014

Northwest Corks and Crush is a benefit for the Good Samaritan Foundation, of Good Samaritan Hospital  in Puyallup, Washington. As I always do when I paint at auctions, I painted the scene during the silent auction and cocktail hour. Then during the live auction, I carried the painting onstage and did my best Vanna White impression as the bid paddles were raised. Then afterwards, the couple who bought the painting met me at my easel, where I painted them standing next to this lovely 1956 Cadillac Eldorado.

Aboard the MV Skansonia Again

A live oil painting on the MV Skansonia, a retired Washington State Ferry

Having been invited to paint at not one, but two tastings of the baking and catering offerings aboard the MV Skansonia, I did this painting from the same spot, but looking the other way. I’m afraid I can’t tell whether this is port or starboard, because on reversible direction ferry boats, both ends serve as the front of the boat. On an east-west route, one end of the vessel is designated simply as the west end, and the other, east. This painting looks to the east, mid-ship on the north side. For a description of the history of this ferry boat cum wedding venue, see my last post.  

One can certainly see the attraction of getting married on this old Puget Sound commuter carrier. I, for one, would love to live here. I guess I’ll have to settle for doing the occasional live painting of her festive events.

MV Saskonia

This is the season for wedding shows, venue open houses, and tastings.

 This painting was done at a tasting on the MV Saskonia, a retired Washington State Ferry. The vessel once made daily crossings at the Tacoma Narrows, where Galloping Girdie fell, and between Tacoma and Vashon Island. She served from 1930 to 1967. She has now been converted to a charming event venue, and decorated with furniture from a 16^th century castle. Her berth on the north end of Lake Union affords a marvelous view of the lake and Seattle skyline. The Space Needle makes a cameo in the painting, seen through the closed overhead sectional door that opens to the deck.

I love old wooden boats, so I was thrilled by every feature of this grand dame. But one of my favorite favorites was the nearly black lacquered floor.

Equal to the richness of this setting are the offerings of the catering and baking companies, shared by the Saskonia’s sister venue, the Lake Union Café, which overlooks the lake just  a few hundred feet across the water. 

Caricatures at Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, Bellevue, WA

Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart is a middle school for girls, and a high school for girls. The middle school girls, grades 5-8, had a soirée for dads an daughters on October 18, 2014. I was one of three caricature artists, along with Lou Medina and Vincent Yee. Nice working with you guys!
Here are a few of mine.

Jen and Jenny, Maroni Meadows, Snohomish, WA, September 21, 2014

Maroni Meadows is a is a five acre Eden in the woods-cum-suburbs of Snohomish County, Washington, northeast of Seattle. Among expansive lawns, there are several small, rustic structures, and a pond.  Many couples tie the knot on the little island in the pond, separated from their guests by a short footbridge. But Jen and Jenny actually already married earlier in the year, in a more private ceremony, which these festivities commemorated. After dinner under the large tent, two large flat screens showed scenes from the wedding, seen in the tiki hut on the left of the painting. Dancing followed on the deck in the center of the painting. In the foreground are the brides and their parents, and under a coronet of flowers, is daughter Lily. 

Follow-up: Style Unveiled coverage of the Duval-Thommes wedding

Style Unveiled, a national wedding blog, did this great spread about a wedding I painted in Santa Barbara this year.
See it here: Chanel & Kevin
Many thanks to Melissa Musgrove for great photography and great networking to get this wedding published! And, of course, thanks most of all to the great couple, for such a great wedding.

Wedding Proposal at Sam Day Studio, August 29, 2013

Sometimes the simplest jobs are the sweetest. This client brought his girlfriend in to the studio to have their caricatures done, and when they left, she was his fiancé. It was all prearranged, of course, and it happened just as planned. After drawing their faces, the last thing I drew was his body down on one knee, and then his hand presenting the ring, which he pulled out of his pocket just as her face showed that she suddenly understood what was happening.