Stained Glass Template

Last year I was approached by Mr. & Mrs. Joe McDonald for a special commission. They had seen me paint live at Taylor & Tyler's wedding and needed my help for a project of their own. They are the Aunt and Uncle of the groom who wanted to make a custom stained glass work of art as their post-nuptial gift to the couple. Joe is a very skilled stained glass maker and requested that I create a template for them to work from.

We met to discuss the idea of the stained glass piece and we went over examples of works that they liked. We talked about form and how that played into creating a piece of stained glass artwork. It was very helpful to learn more about the process since I have never made stained glass before. Ultimately, they needed a simplistic drawing, to scale, that they could use to cut out and trace onto the glass for cutting.

Since their wedding day was extremely rainy, the McDonald's wanted to create a colorful image that would include the farm and barn where they were married. I used reference pictures from Taylor & Tyler's engagement session along with pictures of their backs from their wedding day (below) to create the composition. I started by creating a small 4" x 6" sketch of the design. I then enlarged it to the requested size: 12" x 18". I left the design simple so that Joe could make decisions as to where to add extra pieces.

It was so much fun to be able to help the McDonald's create another unique piece of art for Taylor and Taylor. Below is the finished piece. I'd love to know what you think of the process, please leave me a comment!

Photo courtesy of Dana Zarin Photography © 2017

Photo courtesy of Dana Zarin Photography © 2017

Photo courtesy of Dana Zarin Photography © 2017

Template I made for the stained glass

Finished stained glass work of art by Joe McDonald

Finished Live Event Painting: Rachel & David

This weekend I delivered the finished painting from Rachel & David Sickler's wedding. They had an absolutely perfect summer day for their home farm wedding. As a landscape painter that finds inspiration in the agricultural farms of South Jersey, this wedding was everything that I cherish.

I met with Rachel a couple of days before the wedding to see the ceremony site and discuss the elements that she wanted included in her painting. I took some reference pictures and I was also lucky enough to take some around their beautiful farm. The day of the wedding, I completed about 90% of the painting in just 7 hours. I brought the painting back to my studio to add finishing touches, varnish and a frame.

All of the details in her wedding were so personal and reflected her sweet, thoughtful personality. My favorite things to paint were the straw bales and Rachel's aisle decorations of milk cans and flowers. The texture and colors in the straw bales were so fun to create! I also loved how the milk cans were the same color and shape as the silos. I added these after the wedding and I believe their placement really helped to solidify the composition.

The most difficult parts to paint were the silos. I tried to work on them at the wedding but I quickly decided that it would be best to paint them in my studio where I had more control to create the perspective of their round shape. As in previous wedding paintings, the hands and faces were a challenge since they were extremely (smaller than the size of a dime). However, I enjoy this challenge by using as few strokes and shapes as possible.

It was such a pleasure to work with Rachel and create their wedding painting! It was an honor to be a part of their special day at such an amazing farm. I wish them many years of married bliss with all the blessings that it will bring in the years to come.

Below are pictures of the progression as well as the final painting and Rachel's review of the experience. Click the pictures to enlarge.

With my very good friends, Steve & Kathy Williams

Picture courtesy of Taylor Dubois-Bill

Rachel & David's Live Wedding Painting

"After watching Kim do a live painting at my friend's wedding, I knew I had to have her for our wedding. Kim came with high recommendations from the bride and after seeing the finished product, I knew I had to have her! Kim was super kind, thoughtful, and very professional throughout the entire process. It is evident she is passionate about what she does.

Since the wedding was at our house, Kim stopped beforehand to view the property and how everything would be set up. She took some pictures and noted details I thought I would only notice. Her excitement to paint at our wedding was clear and made it even more enjoyable to work with her.

Kim took no time at all presenting us with the final product which was wrapped and displayed beautifully in a handcrafted wooden frame. I cannot wait to display this timeless, beautiful work of art for years to come and perhaps pass on to future generations. If you are looking for a unique experience for your guests at your wedding in addition to receiving a beautiful painting, look no further than Kim English Art!"

-Rachel Layton Sickler

If you are getting married or would like to gift a couple a live event painting at their wedding, 

click here for more information and to setup a consultation.

Finished Live Wedding Painting: Leevon & Daniel

Yesterday I delivered the finished live wedding painting to Leevon & Daniel. After completing about 90% of the painting at the wedding, I brought it back to my studio to add more details and colors to the painting. You can see the progress that was made at the wedding by clicking here. After the wedding, I painted in the arena fence, flowers, lightened the grass and clouds, and added details to the couple.

My favorite part to paint were the beautiful clouds and Leevon's stunning dress! The lighting during their ceremony was amazing which created shadows and glowing highlights on the couple. While I was painting I thought about how perfect the day was for them! It was hard to believe that a severe thunderstorm with straightline winds had gone through just hours before.

As landscape painter, I was excited that their ceremony was outside! I created the composition to include as much of the background as possible. The clouds were perfect that day and I definitely wanted to capture them.

The most difficult part were the couple's hands and faces since they were smaller than the size of a dime! I enjoyed the challenge and worked from reference pictures I took during the ceremony to create them on such a small scale. I focused on the most important shapes to paint them in as few of strokes as possible. 

It was such a privledge to be able to attend Leevon and Daniel's wedding! I had so much fun creating their painting. I wish them many years of happiness together and I hope this painting will also remind them of their special day each time they look at it. 

Below is the final painting and Leevon's review of the experience.

Leevon & Daniel - 16" x 20" - Acrylics on Canvas by Kimberly English © 2017

"I had never been to an event where a live painting was taking place, so I was extremely excited to have this opportunity at our wedding by not only a local artist but a friend. I have known Kim for several years, working with her through various events, she has always been very professional, friendly and dependable. When Kim approached me with her new business venture, I was SO excited and knew I wanted her to be a part of our big day. Kim's artwork is always astonishing and I knew she would do an amazing job!

Kim arrived to our venue the day before the wedding, as she was already very familiar with our venue (Salem County Fairgrounds)- she wanted to meet in person to go over the details of what we'd like to see in the painting, take reference pictures and clarify where she would set up.

Her set up was discrete and clean and our guest enjoyed watching the progression and interacting with Kim through out the evening. After the wedding, Kim frequently posted clips on Instagram of parts of the painting she was working on, which was really exciting to see the progression of the painting and sneak peeks before she was finished, which was just over a week after the wedding.

We were so impressed to receive the painting hand delivered by Kim, packaged and framed beautifully in such a short amount of time. The detail of the painting was amazing and this was an overall wonderful experience that I will highly recommend to anyone looking for something unique for their guest and a painting they will forever cherish of their special day."

-Leevon Lacy Cogdill

Photos courtesy of Tina Jay Photography