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.

Sharing Another Artist: Lori Gilbert

This week I wanted to share another artist: Lori Gilbert. I have been following Lori for a couple of years on Instagram and I am totally inspired by her artwork and lifestyle! She is a professional self taught acrylic painter who specializes in large, photorealistic ocean waves and sunsets. "Lori’s art is inspired through a complex web of internal and external factors. Love for the natural universe is inspiration for many of her pieces and emotional intellect adds a sometimes seemingly dark edge to her work which never fails to capture the viewers full attention."

I admire Lori's commitment to her artistic practice as well as using her personal fitness to fuel her creativity. She spends most her day painting in her studio using simple artistic materials such as Liquitex acrylics, styrofoam plates, and her favorite $4 paint brush from Michael's to create her works. She successfully uses dramatic color shifts and organic shapes to create the illusion of flowing water and soft clouds in her paintings. I am enamored by her ability to paint on such a large scale and create captivating visual effects.

Lori also credits regular workouts to helping her sustain and expand her creativity. I was inspired through following her regularly on social media that I have also incorporated fitness into my daily routine to help cultivate new creative energies. I have to admit, it does work! I feel even more motivated and inspired after I have had time to workout. Having the time to put your body to work also provides to opportunity for your mind to become more clear and think in different ways.

Below are some of my favorite works of art by Lori.

Be sure to follow Lori with the links and contact information below

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lori.Gilbert.Art/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorigilbertart/

Blog: https://lorigilbertfineart.com/blog/

Website: https://lorigilbertfineart.com

E-mail: lgilbert756@gmail.com

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

Live Wedding Painting: Taylor & Tyler

This past weekend I had the opportunity to do a live event painting at a beautiful barn wedding and wanted to share the experience with you. So much of my work is created in my studio that I wanted to try something new: Create a work of art of a special moment, live at a wedding in front of guests. I knew it would be a challenge but I never expected how much I would love it!

I arrived at the wedding venue around 2:30PM to set up and talk with the bride about the final details of the painting. She wanted the painting to be of the ceremony so I began by taking pictures on my iPad to begin working on the background.

Right before the ceremony started, I positioned myself with one of the photographers where I took the first reference picture. I've attended more weddings than I can count but it was a different experience to view the couple as a work of art. I wanted to capture a special moment between the bride and groom right after they exchanged vows.

After the ceremony, I returned to my easel to work. I was a situated in the back corner near the lounge area and cake table which was perfect!  It gave me an opportunity to talk with guests as they were mingling and explain what I was doing. Some guests visited me throughout the night to see the progression. It was really exciting to see how into it they were, especially since most people have never seen a live event painting before! I had a great time interacting with the guests, painting and listening to the live band, Bangarang!

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this type of painting! Painting live challenged me to determine what was the most important to transcribe. If you follow my artwork, you know that I strive for meticulous detail and realism which usually takes about 30-60 hours to create one of my paintings. I wanted to complete most of the painting the night of the wedding (which I accomplished in 8 hours!) and it was invigorating to paint in a different style.

It was such a privilege to be apart of Tyler and Taylor's wedding. There is something magical about this painting. It captures not only the moment that they were married but also all of the planning, hard work, and vision that they created for their wedding day. It's something tangible that was made the day they were married. It holds all of the anticipation, excitement, fun and laughter that everyone experienced while celebrating the newly married couple. It's something, I hope, they will cherish for the rest of their lives together.

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

please contact me to set up a consultation. Email is the best way to get in touch with me: kimberlydenglish@gmail.com

Be sure to check back for the final reveal of their painting!

Photo courtesy of Dana Zarin Photography

 Photo courtesy of Dana Zarin Photography

Photo courtesy of Dana Zarin Photography

Photo courtesy of Dana Zarin Photography

Painting Progression: "Onto The Next"

Below is the progression of my newest painting, "Onto the Next". I had started the painting over 6 years ago and never finished it. I had just finished "The Neighbors" and was trying to decide what painting I would start next. After looking through one of my studio drawers for reference material, I found this base painted canvas panel (The first image in the video) and decided it was a great time to finish it. I used a photograph I took at my husband's family farm during the spring of 2009. I loved painting all of the textures and the unexpected colors found within them. I hope you enjoy the video!

"Onto the Next" - Acrylics on Canvas Panel - 8" x 10" by Kimberly English © 2015

Recent Commissions

This holiday season I had a couple of paintings that were commissioned for gifts. The first was a wedding gift commission for someone who frequently participates in my painting workshops. Her cousin was married in October and wanted to get a personalized gift for their home. She asked that I paint a tree with fall foliage, two birds, their names and wedding date. Burgundy was their wedding color so I chose that as the background to contrast the white tree of interlocking bark.

The second painting was a commission for a Facebook Fan's in-laws. She asked for a watermelon patch representing the grandchildren in their family with the message "Childhood Memories made at Mom-Mom and Pap's". She also wanted the names of each child on the watermelon.

The size of each watermelon correlates to the age of the children; the largest is the oldest and the smallest is the youngest. There is a pair of twins in their family and I illustrated that relationship by having the watermelons share the same vine. I chose to create a wooden sign to display the message (I LOVE painting wood) and to paint the names on the vines.

Sunset Silhouette Over Philly

This painting was something I've never done before: a city skyline! The photograph from which I worked from came from my one of my good friends, Don. You might remember him as my photographer from our engagement photo shoot.

I worked differently than I normally do: I mixed right on the canvas to achieve the sunset colors I wanted. It was also a much quicker painting due to the simple nature of the composition. A nice change of pace!

Below are the progression photographs of the development of this painting. 

"Sunset Silhouette Over Philly" - Acrylics on Canvas - 4" x 6" by Kimberly English

Miniature Painting: Sunday Stars II

My latest painting, Sunday Stars II, is another miniature canvas: 3" x 3". The photograph in which I worked from again came from my in-laws driveway (They have so many inspirational views!). It was taken on the same day as the photograph for Sunday Stars I but from a different angle.

Below are the progression photographs of the development of this painting.

Miniature Painting: Sunday Stars I

Behold! My latest painting: Sunday Stars I. This painting is a on a 3" x 3" canvas. I have never worked this small and wanted to try after seeing the artwork of Debbie Shirley. I found her through Etsy and began following her blog and Facebook page. Her artwork is usually 4" x 4" and depicts areas where she lives; New England.

In the beginning of June I came across Gallery 50's miniature art competition on their website. I called and requested more information and after reading the requirements thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try working small, like Debbie Shirley.

Below are the progression photographs of the development of this painting.