The Joys of Live Painting
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of observing a live painting event going on during the groundbreaking of the new South Park bridge. There were 5 artists, each equipped with a door as their canvas, paints, a couple of tents, a flamboyant DJ mashing up old school tunes, and the ever-so accommodating Seattle weather. Did I mention that the artists only had an hour to create theirs works of art before it was auctioned off to the highest bidder? It was like an episode of “Iron Chef”, but outdoors, in the rain, with paints. The theme: mythical creatures? There was a mermaid, dragon, lochness monster, sea horse, and cute cartoon character.
Amidst all the obstacles the artists were challenged with, I was REALLY amazed at how well each of them adapted to the intense conditions. They all managed to impress the crowd with their unique talents and didn’t even break a sweat. And the winners of each door left satisfied with a beautiful piece of work to take home. I’m sure the teens involved in the Arts & Cultural experiences at the South Park Community Center were also grateful for the money that was raised for them from this event.
Anyway, the best part for me was just watching the whole process. My favorite artist, and I’m probably being bias because she’s my friend, was 179. I love watching her paint! If you ever get the chance, I recommend you attend one of her live paintings because she rocks! She paints without hesitation. When she starts off, it’s like splashes of different colors from her glass jars of paint. You have no idea what she’s going to create, whether it’s a mythical creature or a folklore character, until the very end when everything finally comes together. And it’s the little details she adds, the finishing touches, that really makes her paintings fascinating. Below are pictures that I took of her piece. A picture was taken in intervals of 15 minutes to showcase the transition of the overall piece. I personally loved seeing how it transformed from a blank canvas to this awesome dragon.
Below are pics of the other finished doors. More pics of the other artists’ work can be found on my Flickr account.
