What Is Live Event Painting? Here's Everything You Need to Know

Live event painters are professional artists who paint portraits of weddings during the actual event. They bring their canvas and supplies, set up at the celebration, and paint a scene that includes the newlyweds, their guests, the venue, and the décor. The painting is presented to the newlyweds after the big day, giving them a gorgeous keepsake that captures the magic and atmosphere of their wedding.

Academy-trained artist Joan Zylkin, from Philadelphia, says she believes she was the first to do live event paintings. She was painting on the street in Philadelphia about 15 years ago when a man approached her and asked her to paint at his wedding. "At the time, I didn’t even know what to call myself or how to get people to understand what I did because it didn’t make sense to them when I told them I could capture the event in one evening," Zylkin remembers. Now she gets clients primarily through referrals and is always "the talk of the evening and beyond." "Guests are always, always gobsmacked when they see me paint," she says.

But for newlyweds, the sweat and tears are worth it. Couples who commission a live painting are receiving something more than a photograph; after all, the image doesn't represent exactly what the eye can see, but rather the emotion of the big day.

"I am able to do something that cameras and videos can’t do. I can capture the images I want and put them together in one composition, so that they look as though they are all happening at the same time," Zylkin explains. "I want to take the client right back to how they felt that day every time they look at the painting, and to capture the most important details and planning that went into it."

See examples of live event painting below!

Opening photo by Simone Photography; Planning & Design by International Event Company. See the full real wedding here!