Live Painting

“Live painting” is an exciting, and relatively new, concept.  Instead of painting being a private experience between the artist and the canvas, live painters are encouraging audiences to interact with and be entertained by the process. Many people and businesses are choosing to incorporate live painting into events, such as weddings, corporate conventions, and even nightclubs.

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One of the first live painters I came across when looking further into this trend is Frenchy, a live painter based in New Orleans, Louisiana.  According to Frenchy, “live painting can be planned or improvisational art where artists create a painting in a public setting in real time. Often, live painting is of a musical event, cultural event, corporate party, wedding, or some sort of gathering. This lends to the performance aspect of the creation. For instance, if the painter is capturing the performance of a live rock band on canvas he can entertain the crowd as he paints while the music and the crowd energy feeds the painter. Where a fine art piece is generally completed by the artist in a studio or private space, a live painting is executed in and during the event and the artist uses his style to interpret the energy and the performance taking place.”

 

David Garibaldi, another live painter who performs over 100 shows around the world each year, creates a synergy between the act of painting, the music, and the crowd.  He takes the act of painting and turns into a performance piece. Take a look at the video below to get an idea of what a show of his is like:

 

Would you consider going to a live painting show, as you would a concert, or hiring a live painter to add something special to your event?  Have you had the chance to experience a live painting show before?  Leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts!