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