Denise’s Birthday Party

Denise’s wife hired me to paint at Denise’s party as a surprise. I was positioned near the extraordinarily talented piano player, the proverbial best seat in the house! I painted throughout the party, and had a good sense of the composition I wanted. But as can happen when I am painting outdoors in natural conditions, the sun went down and all of the colors changed! Even the color of the house changed: the greenish cast when the sun was low in the sky, became this gorgeous warm pink-orange color from the lights strung over the garden. The other decorations — the candle lights, the up-lit trees, the fun lighted drink glasses, and the sparkling crystal strings hanging from everything, reflecting all the lighting — brought cohesion and romance to the whole scene. For this painting I wanted to capture the overall celebratory atmosphere, with the birthday honoree and her family centrally placed but not dominating the composition. Event Coordinator: Megan K. Events.