Artist Arlissa Vaughn specialises in wedding day paintings, something you might not have considered (or even heard of) until now, but something that can certainly add a new dimention to how you document your wedding day. This unique idea usually sees Arlissa attending the wedding and painting live – which can also add an extra element of entertainment to the day.
She explains, “Wedding paintings are seen as a bit of a novelty, and some have suggested it is a new trend in wedding services. However, if you look into art history, it’s easy to find that actually marriage paintings aren’t anything new and have long been a tradition of documenting the joining of a couple. Some were painted on-site then finished in the studio, while others were painted before or after the wedding. Some examples from history include Jan van Eyck’s painting commonly referred to as The Arnolfini Wedding, 1434 A.D, Marc Chagall’s Wedding Candles, 1945, and Vladimir Makovsky’s Goodbye Papa, 1894, among others.”
“I always customize the artwork to the client, but at the same time I have a certain style,” Arlissa continues. “I often approach the painting with surreal and dream-like imagery, combining lots of color and texture. Most other live event painters simply paint what is happening at the wedding in an impressionist or realist style. While I can do that, I prefer to offer clients a more meaningful artwork, incorporating symbolic imagery or text. For example, in the wedding painting at the top of this article, the couple is beginning a journey together upward on a path. This symbolizes the start of their marriage and the joining of their lives. Other popular choices for wedding paintings have included landscapes of the venue or honeymoon destination, a meaningful floral work, and imagery related to the couple’s hobbies.”
Arlissa is based in California but can work with couples worldwide. Even is she is unable to attend your wedding and paint ‘live’ she can create ‘after the event’ images from your wedding photographs. Alternatively she can be commissioned to paint something before your wedding which you can display at your reception. In fact, several brides and grooms have opted to have this done as a surprise wedding day gift for the soon-to-be spouse.
Be sure to check out Arlissa’s website for more of her paintings and further info on her services. Event painting services start at $1150 for 2 hrs of painting (discounts are offered for events in Southern California.) With each live event painting service, the customer gets to keep the final painting (a value of $575+) which will also be fasionably framed and ready for display. Commissioned artworks typically range from $250 for smaller works (8″x10″) to $650 for larger works (30″x40″).
