Live wedding painting is a memorable reception addition that provides guests with a unique interactive experience and a personalized keepsake.
Documenting the dress and gestures of guests can be done in more ways than one. Lauren Wiley, a Greenwich, NY artist, was inspired to launch Watercolor My Party this year after witnessing what happens behind the scenes in the bridal industry while delivering flowers from the Lot 32 Flower Farm.
“I just loved the energy and wanted to be a part of it.”
Falling in Love with Watercolors
Lauren is drawn to beautiful things and has a deep appreciation for color. A mother of three who pursued cosmetology before studying criminal justice at California State University, Los Angeles, she moved to Charlotte, NC. After relocating to New York, in the fall of 2022, Lauren was talking about the colors of the Northeast’s gorgeous natural landscape when she was told that she sounded a lot like an artist. “Are you a painter?” she was asked.
“After that, I began painting with watercolors every day, fell in love with it, and haven’t turned back since!” she said exuberantly.
Drawn to creating floral designs that play with water’s natural pooling and bubbling, Lauren deploys spatters and color saturation to express the contrast of the delicate and the intense within abstract impressionist gardens of light.
In the summer and fall of 2023, Lauren’s work was included locally in the LARAC June Arts Festival, sold at the Tiashoke Farm Store in Schaghticoke, and two market events held at Gather in Greenwich.
Paintings that Generate Light
Watercolor My Party live wedding painting packages typically begin with Lauren taking a quick posed iPhone photo of guests. She then sets to work with the goal of painting as many portraits as possible that night. Painted with beautiful, lightfast, Daniel Smith watercolors on a roomy 5” x 7” professional grade 140lb watercolor paper sheet, she includes an optional notecard mount and envelope placed in a protective plastic sleeve.
Lauren’s speed and accuracy make it possible for her to complete portraits in as little as just 5-minutes each, enabling subjects to see themselves and others that very evening.
“Their faces light up when they see the painting is done and that they get to take it home with them. They say how wonderful they think it is and what a great idea it is to have this at a wedding. It’s something many have never seen before,” said Lauren.
Watercolor My Party portraits, painted in a loose, informal style, feature the figure’s posture, and details including hair style, attire, and accessories. As a brand-new artist, Lauren is very flexible with the services she offers and is open to working with couples to make their special vision a reality.
Portrait pricing starts at $14 per painting (pricing includes all of Lauren’s materials, time, and travel expenses).
For more information, follow @lauren_wiley_watercolors on Instagram and go to www.laurenwileywatercolors.com
