Mr. and Mrs. (Mark and Savannah)

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Weddings during the pandemic were smaller and more intimate. The bride’s brother Grayson was my client and the officiant, and he agreed when I asked if I could put him in the scene, but he asked for very little detail on his figure so that the presentation of the bride and groom would have all of the focus. I don’t think they knew that the moment of their presentation as “Mr. and Mrs.” was what was to be commemorated because they didn’t pause — I had literally a millisecond to see them as soon as they turned around before they started coming down the aisle. I’m glad I already had a good bit of the arbor sketched in and the colors of the beach and sky behind them, because I had to paint the couple from memory. Back in the studio I was able to refer to a composite of after-the-fact photos to achieve likenesses. The couples’ joy was so evident that using the photos wasn’t difficult!

10×8, oils on canvas