Saturday, February 11, 2023

David and Dharma’s Wedding Oil Painting

POSTED ON FEBRUARY 11, 2023 BY CHARLENE MARSH

David and Dharma’s Wedding Oil Painting

This is probably the most beautiful wedding I have ever attended. The backlighting of the bride’s dress was stunning. David and Dharma got married at the Beeson Hall Event Center in Franklin, Indiana. They had no idea that the visual effect of the ceremony would be so dramatic. I suppose if the day had been overcast, it may not have been so exquisite.

Two Versions

I ended up painting two versions of the ceremony. The scene was so gorgeous and I wanted to try a couple different things in the paintings. I’ll share the second version next time. To be honest, I am still tweaking it. David and Dharma can pick which one they want and I can use the other one in my booth at wedding trade shows.

Upcoming Wedding Trade Show

Speaking of a wedding trade show, I will be at one next weekend. If you or a loved one is getting married this year, you may want to check out the bridal trade show where I will be exhibiting my wedding paintings on Sunday, February 19, 2023 at the Hilton Garden Inn South/Greenwood, 5255 Noggle Way, Indianapolis, IN. The event runs from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The show is free to attend but you must register here: https://abridalaffair.net/ Be sure to register for the Greenwood show in the Indianapolis area.

Join my Wedding Painting Peeps

If you want to be notified about wedding trade shows and when I will be accepting bookings for wedding paintings, please join my Wedding Painting Peeps.

Video of the Creation of the Oil Painting

Step-By-Step

To start, I shoot several hundred photos of the event. I never go in with a pre-conceived notion of what I want to paint. I go and see what happens. And then I work on the composition and color scheme and other details. Mostly, I look for the most beautiful, heartfelt scene depicting the connection between the newlyweds to capture the beauty and joy of their unique wedding.

David and Dharma's Wedding Painting — Drawing, David and Dharma’s Wedding Painting.

Composition and Drawing

Often, I’ll use Adobe Photoshop to fine tune the composition. When I am happy, I draw it onto the panel.

I make the panels myself cutting them to the right size and then sealing with GAC 100 on the front and two coats of gesso, front and back and sides. Then I tint the front with a bright magenta red.

The darkest values are blocked in first.

Please note that 99% of the painting was done with palette knives. I love the chunky, painterly feel of the paint and it helps me from getting too tight.

Preacher

Continuing with the darkest values which include the preacher who officiated.

Sky

For the sky and windows, I mixed a bright Cerulean Blue with Titanium White. Getting the right value is crucial to creating the light in the painting.

The sky is mostly completed in all the windows and around the tree on the left.

Light on the Carpet

Next step is to paint the light hitting the carpet inside the wedding hall. I used combos of Cadmium Red Light, Cadmium Yellow Light, and Titanium White. At the edges of the shadows, I added some Cadmium Red Medium to help soften the transition from light to shadow.

At this point, I add my signature in the wet paint in the lower left. I cannot add it once the paint starts to dry.

Now, I am down to the most critical components of the painting: the Bride and Groom.

I start with the groom using various shades and hues of violet and gold for his white tux. White is never just white but various shades of the surrounding colors.

Next is the bride. I again use various tones of violet and red in the dress. For the highlights, I used a touch of Cadmium Yellow Light and Cadmium Red Light to make a soft peach with a lot of white added to highlight where the sun is backlighting the sheer lace.

Final Painting:

The painting needs to dry at least three weeks before it can be varnished and framed.

Second Wedding

David and Dharma are actually in Mexico right now where they are getting married for a second time, on the beach, with David’s family who were unable to travel to Indiana for the first ceremony. I bet it will be as beautiful as the first ceremony!

Finished Details

Figure Details

Final Painting

Painting a gorgeous wedding like Dharma and David’s is so exhilarating it is why I keep coming back to painting, over and over again. Whether it be the forest or the fair or a wedding, capturing the beauty of that moment for generations to come makes it worth all the effort.

Thanks for tuning in today!

I love and appreciate you! I love being able to bring beauty and happiness, that transforms lives, into the world.

Happy trails,

Charlene

P.S. If you want to be notified about wedding trade shows and when I will be accepting bookings for wedding paintings, please join my Wedding Painting Peeps. I’d love to create an incredible wedding painting for you and your family. No worries if the wedding has already happened. I can still do a wedding painting using your photos. It can be a bit more challenging because the professional photographers use a flash that washes out all the color and values. And they have a different vision for what they are looking for. They are hired to capture the posed and staged moments and I go for the spontaneous moments. I also want the full figures that include the full length of the bride’s gown which are usually cut off in the pro shots. But we can make it work to create a stunning, unique wedding painting for you and your family for generations to come!

Monday, February 6, 2023

Dry Forest, October 29, 2022, plein air oil painting, Goofy Face, Wedding Trade Show

Dry Forest, October 29, 2022

POSTED ON FEBRUARY 6, 2023 BY CHARLENE MARSH

Dry Forest, October 29, 2022

Still catching up on the plein air, fall paintings done out in Yellowwood State Forest.

But, real quick before I share the next, plein air fall painting, I want to share this Pea Hummus dish one lady brought to a meet-up yesterday in Indianapolis for folks that follow the healing protocols of Anthony William, Medical Medium. He has seven(or eight?) New York Times bestsellers and has helped millions of people worldwide heal from their ailments. Everyone in the group follows his recommendations based on healing with food and has achieved amazing results! This dish was so clever and adorable, we just wanted to dive in and eat it’s face! LOL. The hummus tasted as good as it looked.

Pea Hummus, Anthony William, Medical Medium — Pea Hummus, recipe by Anthony William, Medical Medium.

So, let’s check out this fall plein air oil painting!

Details, first

Plein air oil painting in Yellowwood October 29, 2022 — Side view of the heavy impasto paint, detail, plein air oil painting in Yellowwood October 29, 2022

Still dry! No rain and the creek is dry!

Love how you can see the luscious, thick paint in these detail shots.

Signature

Yummy!

Field Notes:

“Plein air oil painting, Yellowwood State Forest, 3:30-6:30 p.m., Balmy, high 70°, cools to lower 60°s, sun with light clouds. Tommy stayed right with me. Jack was off leash and didn’t see him until I headed home. He was waiting at the base of my hill. Good boy! Still dry.”

Final Painting:

Thanks for following along!

Happy trails!

Love and hugs,

Charlene

P.S. On a Final Note

If you or a loved one is getting married this year, you may want to check out a bridal trade show where I will be exhibiting my wedding paintings on Sunday, February 19, 2023. The event runs from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. I will be at the Greenwood show in the Indianapolis area. The show is free to attend but you must register here: https://abridalaffair.net/

I will be sharing some new wedding paintings soon! They are turning out gorgeous!

If you want to be notified specifically about wedding paintings join here:

CHARLENE MARSH

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Rainbows, Moonbows, and Miracles

POSTED ON JANUARY 24, 2023 BY CHARLENE MARSH

Rainbows, Moonbows, and Miracles

Last week, I attended a Live Coaching Event hosted by, Dylan Frost, a young man who has sold $55 million worth of physical and digital products over the internet in the last eight years. That alone is a mind blowing opportunity! The event was held in Corbin, Kentucky, home of the original KFC restaurant, just a short, four hour drive from my studio in Brown County, Indiana. So, yes! I had to go!

His story is so amazing, it is a miracle in itself. He grew up in the poorest county in the country in southeast Kentucky, coal mining country. He and his partner built their business starting from scratch with nothing. As he put it, he had no product, no email list, no assets. A true inspiration for what we can do. And such a humble man. At one point he said, “I remember where I come from”. A real, down-to-earth, grounded young man.

I’ll admit, when I hit the highway, I felt some anxiety. I won’t even bother articulating the specifics. But, I have found that often anxiety and excitement feel the same — a churning in the stomach — so I usually just tell myself that I am excited. Nevertheless, I did feel some fear. So, the best way to dispel fear is to pray for someone else. For privacy reasons, I won’t give any details, but I started praying and meditating about a very stressful situation that a friend has been dealing with for a long time. I prayed for peace, joy, happiness, health, and prosperity for this person.

A storm blew up with black clouds and some rain. Not too bad. By now, I am heading south on I-75, south of Lexington. Listening to music and visualizing the best outcome for my friend.

And then an amazing thing happened. I saw a gorgeous rainbow that stretched from horizon to horizon. The rainbow was actually behind me and I had to look at it in the two sideview mirrors. But it was glorious. So, wow, cool, that was neat. The rainbow faded and I clipped along.

A few minutes later, another amazing thing happened, I saw another rainbow — only this time it was a DOUBLE rainbow! Wow, even better, more spectacular! This time it was in front of me, to the left, so I had a great view. And, once again it faded. By now, I am feeling pretty fabulous and any fear I felt had been replaced with joy and hope and excitement. I wondered if this was a good omen for my friend and for my trip, in general.

So I am driving along, feeling pretty good. When another amazing thing happened. I saw another rainbow! As one faded, another appeared. And another one, and another one, and another one. I think I saw six rainbows but it could have been seven. I started to lose count. Rainbows escorted me nearly all the way to Corbin. One after another. I had to slow way down to, like, 65 mph, just to rubber neck for rainbows. Luckily, they were all in front, to my left, so they were easy to spot.

Then the rainbows were replaced by a glorious sunset of majestic magentas, peaches, oranges, golds, and turquoises just as I pulled into my hotel parking lot.

Miracle Breakthrough

After checking in, I got settled in my room. About a half hour later, out of the blue, I got a text from my friend telling me there had been a breakthrough in the difficult situation! I couldn’t hardly believe it! WOW! Thank you, God! The rainbows did, indeed, appear to portend the good news.

Believe it or not, that is not the end!

So, the next day, Friday, I met Dylan and the other attendees at the event center. Even more folks joined us on Zoom from all over the world. Dylan really gave us 100% of his time and attention. What a gift! I got an MBA in eleven hours with one of the best. LOL. Took 23 pages of notes.

So, at five o’clock, the owner of the 2nd and Main event center opened the bar for a cocktail hour. Even though I don’t drink alcohol, I can still schmooze with a bottle of Perrier.

In the window of the bar room, facing Main Street, at the event center, is the name “Moonbow” painted on the glass. Dylan asked me if I had heard about “moonbow”. “No,” I replied. Then he told me that a moonbow is a RAINBOW formed over a waterfall during a full moon at night! And that one occurs regularly nearby. Then he pointed to a small painting on the wall behind the bar of the waterfall and a rainbow!

What is happening here?! This is crazy!

There are only two places in North America with moonbows. One is in Yosemite but it is unpredictable and by happenchance. There’s only one place in the Western Hemisphere where the elusive phenomenon occurs predictably and regularly: southern Kentucky’s Cumberland Falls State Park, near Corbin. The only other place on the planet to have reliable moonbows? Victoria Falls, on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Niagara Falls used to have a moonbow but all the artificial lights have made their moonbow a distance memory.

This Kentucky Waterfall Produces the Western Hemisphere’s Only Regularly Occurring Moonbow

At Cumberland Falls, moonbows are regularly scheduled programming. | Jim Vallee/Shutterstock

This article includes everything you need to know to visit the Moonbow at Cumberland State Park complete with calendar of dates and best viewing times.

Having never heard of a moonbow before, I looked up the word in my 1967 Random House Dictionary and there it was! How I have missed it all these years, I’ll never know. Now I need to plan a trip back to Corbin to visit the moonbow during a full moon.

So I am not sure exactly what is the miracle in all this but I marvel at the synchronicities of the universe and it gives me such joy and hope! One of the attendees suggested that this event was the gold pot at the end of the rainbow and I like that idea. So excited to see what the future holds.

Dylan treated us to lunch and dinner at restaurants a short walk down Main Street. For lunch we went to the Wrigley Taproom and Eatery which was delicious. I had the Harvest Buddha Bowl and it was to die for! Super yummy.

In the evening, we dined at the eclectic, Seasons Restaurant. Oh my gosh! What an incredible restaurant! Not only were the portions generous, the food was great. And it was the wildest décor I have ever seen! Really impossible to capture in photos. You really have to see it in person. Tons of antiques, silver, crystal, chandeliers, large paintings in ornate gilt frames, and a room filled with Christmas décor! An artist’s dream. And mixed in were tables for dining.

Luis is a doctor who has a course in managing rheumatoid arthritis with supplements instead of drugs. Colleen has a product, Wine Bling, that she invented and patented, that are chilled “gemstones” to keep wine cool. Dylan provided lots of insight and strategies for each of our businesses with lots of overlapping information that benefitted all of us. He also took questions from the Zoomers.

Wine Bling Red — Wine Bling, red “gemstones”

An artist’s life is always interesting! I never know where the journey will take me and all the wonderful people I will meet along the way. I hope that you stay open for the magic in your life today.

Let me know about your most recent rainbow sighting or miracle.

That’s it for now! Thanks so much for tuning in.

Happy trails and much love,

Charlene

P.S. If you want to stay in touch and be notified when new paintings, courses, and miracles drop be sure to join me here: https://www.charlenemarshstudio.com/