Today we’d like to introduce you to Whitney Paige.
Whitney, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I got my start as a live wedding painter in October of 2021. During the pandemic, I was living alone and working as an artist out of my home studio and all my clients were virtual. Once the restrictions were lifted, I knew I needed to find a way to interact with clients in the flesh and that’s when I started offering live wedding painting! At the time I was in GA but I moved my business to FL in July of 2022.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’d say the biggest obstacle was starting over in a new state. I was getting pretty established in the GA/NC/SC/TN market, but I needed to return to FL to be closer to family. Starting over completely in July of last year and re-establishing myself in a new market has been the biggest struggle so far.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I currently offer 2 different types of live painting options. I can do a fully rendered acrylic painting a night, usually of the bride and groom, and I do it live where the wedding guests get to watch me develop the painting from start to finish. The magic of art right before their eyes. And I love doing this service because it reminds me of days of old when kings and queens would get their portraits painted, and then that painting becomes a family heirloom, passed down through the generations.
I also offer Guest Watercolor Portrait Sketches as favors to guests. This is a wonderful way to incorporate live art during the big day and it becomes more interactive with the wedding guests because they get to take home a portrait of themselves dressed in their best and have a lovely personalized token to remember the wedding. I also recently expanded and have hired a second watercolorist so we can take on larger weddings and get more guests covered in a shorter amount of time.
Every artist is different, and I would say that with both my acrylic paintings and watercolor sketches I have a style that is uniquely mine. I have my Bachelors’s in Fashion Design and that definitely informs the way I render my portraits.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I am a big believer in The Artists’ Way method by Julia Cameron. I do my morning pages every morning to get all the noise out of my head first thing, and I do a solo artist’s date with myself every week to restock my well or restore my creativity and inspiration.
I try to run my business from a place of authenticity and joy because I think there is magic in artwork and if I’m putting magic out into the world then I want it to be positive energy all around. I paint couples during the happiest moments of their lives, and I need to keep myself receptive to that energy so I can capture it accurately.
Pricing:
- Live Wedding Painting ranges from $1000 – $2,500
- Guest Watercolor Sketches with 1 artist are $150 an hour with a 3-hour minimum
- Guest Watercolor Sketches with 2 artists are $250/hour with a 3-hour minimum
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cherishedrainart.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/cherishedrainart
- Facebook: Facebook.com/cherishedrainart
