To The Creek At Trillium Woods

Blog #6

Katie & Crowe are nature & music lovers. They were married in front of a creek & a big, beautiful boulder at Trillium Woods, a new venue that I wish I knew about before Jaison & I got married.

Katie & Crowe's favorite band is Khruangbin- my all time favorite band to paint to. They are perfect to have playing in the studio because they are primarily an Instrumental band. They convey emotion through their music rather than through words so you can really lose yourself in your work & find a nice flow. Dj Dini Daddy played a few Khruangbin songs during cocktail hour so I was feeling realllllly good. They are on our concert bucket list, but they're only touring in Japan this year sooooo.....

Katie & Crowe had everyone write on a deck of cards for their guest book. ‘The Universe Smiles Upon You’ is an album title by…. Khruangbin :)

Katie & Crow had one of the best DJ's I've experienced at a wedding. Dj Dini Daddy mixed with his vinyls (like a real DJ!) which was amazing to watch & listen to. Their first dance was to a song by.... you guessed it, Khruangbin.

When I first start the initial stages of a painting at weddings, guests are always confused. They have no idea what to expect at first when all they see is a blank canvas. There's always a few people that have seen live painting on TikTok & they fill everyone in:) I love those people. After about 10 minutes, guests started putting the pieces together. After cocktail hour, the painting almost looked finished. I have never received so many fist bumps at a wedding before. I need to study what I did differently at this wedding & repeat. It was definitely the ambiance created by Khruangbin. That's the last time I talk about Khruangbin, I promise.

My favorite part about this particular painting (besides the couple) is the distant hill. Everything was very green, but I wanted to push that hill back in the distance. By adding purple, magenta & blue hues, everything that’s green in the foreground can stand out a bit more. The purple & magenta hues also naturally harmonize with Crowe’s suit, which was a magic color. It was brown, but there was also a hint of purple in there. The color of his suit changed color throughout the night, I swear. I can’t go on without mentioning that boulder at the ceremony space. Rocks have a huge range of color & a rich variety of contrasts. Variety is the key. Every edge is a different color & every plane is a different shape. It can be easy to fall into a pattern when painting, but you must resist! If you squint your eyes, the big rock kind of looks like a frog. Let me know if you see it or if I watched too much Kermit growing up.

I have a task for you all.. Next time you are around large rocks, take a good look at them & observe the colors. The shadows are usually deep, saturated hues. The highlighted areas are usually a dull blue, & turgouise green surrounded by a whole bunch of oranges. It’s amazing when you really think about it.

I hope to book as many weddings at Trillium Woods, not just because it's beautiful & has so many potential landscapes for a painting, but because it's 5 minutes down the road from our sailboat;) Hello landscape painting & boat camping! I’m trying to manifest this into my future. Thank you Katie & Crowe for an amazing experience :D You guys are the best.

Photo by Steven Dray :)

Two moons & nine live paintings in May

Blog #5

…Ten if you count Jaison's wedding. I went all out this month for two reasons- to pay my estimated taxes (Boooooo) & to buy & build a camper van. I'm also saving for a 2027 trip to Scotland, Ireland & England as well. Think big, dream bigger, right? :) 

This past weekend, I painted at two weddings & crossed two things off my bucket list- I painted a courthouse ceremony & I read a book at brunch along the river. In between weddings, I try to romanticize life as much as possible. Weddings take you to some beautiful places so I try to make the most of it:)

Architecture was the theme of the weekend. I painted at two historical venues: The Allegheny Courthouse & The Grand Concourse. They both have that intricate, old world, "how the hell did they make that" look to them. Both couples wanted their ceremonies painting which were both located on top of glorious staircases. What are the chances? ..Same theme, but two very different paintings.

The Courthouse: Sign me up for as many Courthouse portraits as possible! It's a scene that takes time to paint because you have to get the perspective just right for it to work.. but once you get it, it looks extremely impressive. The contrast between the mathematical arches & the hazy light pouring in through the back windows creates an ethereal, glowy interior. This painting required a nice mix of soft brushwork to achieve the look of light & hard edgework to bring you back to reality. It was important to me to feel the marble framework & the warmth of the sun enveloping the couple at the same time. 

Grand Concourse: 

This Pittsburgh landmark has large stained glass windows & high ceilings supported with simpler wooden ornamentation- classic Edwardian Style. I was most excited to paint the green & gold accents scattered throughout the grand hall, which used to be a train station, btw. I love when a venue already has natural color harmony. 

I would normally be against adding the wedding party to an already detailed, architectural painting, but the way the wedding party was angled on the staircase actually helped the composition. They help create a nice flow & lead your eye right up to the bride & groom!

My favorite part of the night was when the newlyweds each added half of a heart to the corner of their painting. I love this idea. I hope more couples do this! I will definitely keep that corner exactly as it is :) 

Pittsburgh is such a small world. I see people I know at weddings all the time. The officiant was my boss from a previous job.. which seems like a lifetime ago. As a lawyer & creative, confident talker.. he did an amazing job. I may have shed a tear or two during the ceremony.  

I celebrated a successful weekend of painting with a night sail on lake Arthur under the full moon. It was as magical as it sounds. 

Artist: Stephanie Cassidy Schafer

Walkin' On A Pretty Day <3

I have been looking forward to Gillian & Ajinkya's wedding at the National Aviary for months & months. I've lived close to Pittsburgh my entire life & I'm embarrased to say that I have never visited the National Aviary.. until this past weekend. And to think I used to work right across the street at the Children's Museum! I made sure to sneak away mid reception to visit the penguins. One was named Elvis:)

Gillian & I worked together to create a portrait that felt more like a scene in the city, not a posed portrait. She wanted a painting that included natural movement, which to me, feels like a scene right out of a movie. We met in front of the steps at the Carnegie Museum to take photos of them walking together with the Cathedral behind them. We all agreed that adding the unique architecture of the museum, the statues & the dinosaur (Dippy) would create a unique perspective for their painting. And it 100% did! I am so happy with this painting so far. I can't wait to add more detail in the studio. After meeting the newlyweds, I had a better idea of their personalities & how I should paint their expressions. I painted Gillian with a big, confident smile. And I painted Ajinkya with a loving 'he's exactly where he wants to be' smile.

On wedding day, the weather was being Pittsburgh weather.. unpredictable. But we lucked out and had some great sunshine for photos. Great lighting is a paintings best friend. It creates better, more interesting value organization & fun shadows! I especially love painting highlights & shadows on architecture. It creates these beautiful, buttery shapes. The light also made Gillian's dress shimmer. Her dress was a satin material so it reflected just about every color.

I tried something new at this wedding that I have been wanted to try for a while now. Gillian suggested having an interactive guestbook. We floated a few ideas around, but ultimately decided to create a fingerprint tree guestbook! I painted a tree to display at the wedding, inspired by a painting Gillian saw in Greece! It was a beautiful abstract tree & worked perfectly for this idea. For the reception, I propped the painting up on an easle, made signage for guests & mixed up a few colors on my palette. Guests knew exactly what to do and I think the end result looks super fun. It's a personal touch & I would personally love to hang something like this in my home.

Artist: Stephanie Cassidy Schafer

Traveling artist - Gettysburg Edition!

Blog #3

On this trip, I brought my Mom along with me to explore the Burg & brush up on our history! We stayed at the Cashtown Inn, a B&B known for its involvement during the Civil War. It served as a makeshift field hospital. I unknowingly booked the room with the most ghost sightings. The whole trip, my mom and I had very light-hearted conversations about war and what we think will happen when we die. 

The Inn included a free tour of the basement, where I imagine many amputations occurred. We also took a step back into history for a candlelit dinner at Dobbins Tavern, built in 1776. It's the cities oldest standing structure! It brought back the sights, sounds & tastes from two centuries ago. ***Their rum cocktails were delicious. 

For Saturdays wedding, I left my Mom to fend for herself in a haunted room. She probably had a seance. She ain't afraid of no ghosts! Sadly, no ghosts sightings to report, but my Mom did feel a slight chill in the middle of the night!? I do think sleeping in a haunted building gave me a nice adrenaline rush to paint at Anna & Cody's wedding! 

Anna & Cody's wedding was at the Stone Mill Inn in Hallam, Pa. Since the theme of the weekend is history- The Stone Mill was built in 1736 on 12 acres of beautiful woodlands and gardens. It operated as a grist mill for many years, and in 1997 the facility began hosting weddings! It’s beautiful. I would definitely travel to paint there again.

Prior to their wedding, Cody & I worked together to plan their portrait. The idea was to paint them walking together in front of the ceremony space, which was a beautiful A-frame pergola. Immediately after their ceremony, I conveniently got an amazing photo of them during their ceremony exit. They saw me taking a video of them at the end of the pathway & understood the assignment. They gave me the BEST smiles! 

When I started the painting, I was feeling incredibly indecisive with the composition. I redid the sketch 3 times! So I stepped away to center myself and let my intuition decide. Once I got the sketch in, the painting came together SO quickly. The sketch is everything. That's why we arrive early to take our time with this step. If the sketch is rushed, we'll spend the rest of the evening fixing our mistakes. You deserve top notch sketches :)

I was painting in what seemed like a room full of doctors. Live painting allows us to have fascinating conversations with all walks of life. We love it so much. A few plastic surgeons were having fun giving me constructive criticism on the likeness of the couple. We laughed & laughed :D The kids also helped me out quite a bit, as did Cody & Anna. Anna added the yellow flowers in her bouquet and Cody added some foliage in the trees. I think I met some future artists this past weekend! 

Before our drive home, we made one last pitstop & thank goodness we did... I forgot to crack open my car windows overnight so the paint fumes were strong! We stopped at the Gettysburg battlefields where the bloodiest battle of the Civil War was fought from July 1–3, 1863. We hiked around and took a self guided tour of Little Roundtop & Devil’s Den. I think it's something everyone should check out! 

Thanks Mom for the company! Thanks Anna & Cody for including me in your beautiful wedding! 

Artist: Stephanie Cassidy Schafer 

Double Header Wedding Weekend

Blog #2

On days that I live paint, I try to start the day by soaking in a bubble bath or going on a long walk to center myself... especially if it's a double header wedding weekend. It's important to be in a good headspace when you're painting an important moment in front of hundreds of people. Live painting is kind of like an endurance sport. We paint all evening & push ourselves to paint until we're happy with the 'end of the night' results. The 25+ years that I played sportsball really prepared me mentally for my job!

To avoid burnout, Jaison & I prep for our weddings to the max! We work with our couples until we fully understand their vision for the painting so we can be fully present on their day! We prefer to follow the seven P's: Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance:)

Friday Wedding - South Hills Country Club - Kelly & Paul 

The parents of the Bride hired me to paint a portrait of the newlyweds, Kelly & Paul. They all kept it a surprise for Paul which was so fun. A surprise live painting brings about the best reactions.. usually a mix of pure confusion, bewilderment & shock. Kelly knew the whole time though, & worked with me & her Mom to plan the details of the painting. Kelly wanted a portrait of them either kissing, looking at each other or walking hand-in-hand with the golf course in the background.

I arranged a meeting time with the photographer for a quick photoshoot with the newlyweds before cocktail hour. The dark, rain-filled clouds parted just in time for photos. The sun was just starting to peek through the feathered clouds. I pay attention to the weather during these moments because it adds to the paintings drama.

Kelly & Paul were so at ease while taking photos. I really didn't have to give them guidance at all. They were naturals! I ultimately went with a kissing scene because I had a great angle where I could see both of their faces! Plus it just made sense for them to be in the moment kissing, while they were surrounded by the suns glow & dancing purple clouds. It kind of reminded me of the last scene of Pride & Prejudice :) iykyk

Saturday Wedding - Sheraton Hotel, Station Square - Taylor & Tyler 

Tyler & Taylor wanted a portrait of their first dance with the Pittsburgh Skyline behind them. The composition in a scene like this is everything! I arrived about 2 hours before cocktail hour & really took my time with the start of this painting because I knew there was going to be a lot of moving parts. The first goal was to include the cityscape, the ballroom windows & the couple dancing. The second goal was to not make the painting look like 'confetti'. Adding too many elements to a painting can make it overwhelming. We want to include enough space & harmony so the couple is alway the focal point. 

As they danced, the sun was just starting to set so there was this beautiful glow around them. They spun, they kissed & looked at each other in the most beautiful way. That was the moment I wanted to paint- that look.

If you know our work, you might notice that we like to drench our couples in light, even if we have to make it up. Since the light changed so dramatically throughout their first dance, I will most likely change the color harmony of this painting. The sun was bouncing off the river & the skyscrapers. It was intense & I want the colors to reflect that moment, which will ultimately enhance the intensity of that look between Tyler & Taylor ;)

Back to the studio for touch-ups. Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mom’s out there!

Artist: Stephanie Cassidy Schafer