Skylar & Sebastián
Skylar and Sebastián's Live Wedding Painting at The 1909 in Topanga
Skylar and Sebastián's wedding at The 1909 felt totally tucked away from the rest of Los Angeles. The canyon greenery, the huge trees, and the florals give the place a hidden-forest feel, and the dappled afternoon sunlight - the perfect combination for a magical outdoor live painting.
When I paint a wedding, I'm always looking for the details that make a place feel unique and special, while also being able to tell the couple’s unique story. Here it was easy: the enormous tree over the ceremony space, with its long twisting branch, perfectly framed the ceremony space and floral arch, making composition that complimented the couple a total breeze.
Getting started before the ceremony
I got to The 1909 early in the afternoon, before guests arrived, so I could unload, setup my easel space, get a reference photo during the first look, and start blocking in the background. Getting there takes a little effort. The property sits on Topanga Canyon Boulevard with a steep driveway down to the venue, but luckily I had just revamped my live painting kit to include a tiered cart on wheels. I was so excited to test out my new setup, complete with modifications to my easel that were specifically designed to make guest interaction smoother than ever. I parked across the road at the top of the hill, gathered up my supplies, and hauled everything in two trips - a new record for setup!
Once I was set up, the first look was running a bit behind so I had a quiet stretch to just take in the space and analyze lighting and structure. I used that time to figure out how to best structure the foundation of the painting, which includes outlining the perspective geometry to ensure the distance in the painting reads as believable. I always want to ensure that the couple to feel surrounded by the landscape, not just standing in front of it, and that the whole painting reads as one cohesive piece. The goal is to guide the viewer’s eye from one point of the painting to another, starting with the couple, and continuing on to ensure the composition is engaging and pleasing to the eye.
Capturing Skylar and Sebastián
Once they’d had a private moment for their emotional reveal, I snuck in to photograph them in the pose we decided on for the painting. Taking reference photos earlier on in the day means that I can start on their features first, which is the best way to wow guests. While it’s possible to start with the background first, it can lead to kind of a mess when I go to steady my hand in the wet paint to capture fine facial details. I often capture several reference pictures and videos, to ensure I fully understand the space, the pose, and how it all looks in various lighting. A live wedding painting doesn't have to match one photograph exactly. I can pull the best pieces from different moments and build a composition just for the painting.
They described themselves as playful and a little silly, but they also wanted the painting to feel truly romantic, so we went for a sweet and personal moment of the two of them leaning their heads together.
The colors of a Topanga Canyon wedding
The ceremony space was layers of green, with lilac, deep purple, pink, and blue florals scattered through it. Instead of a bright California sky, I softened the background into a golden afternoon glow peeking through the trees. I didn't want it competing with the greenery. Deep greens against muted purples and warm evening light also kept the couple as the focal point without losing the closed-in feel of the canyon.
Painting through the day
The ceremony started at 4:30 PM in the same outdoor area where cocktail hour followed, so I could keep painting without moving my setup. Guests started noticing the canvas as it developed, and I loved hearing their comments and questions as the painting progressed.
Later in the evening I moved toward the reception to keep working while the party got going. The event was running a bit behind, and because of the delays I only had 60 minutes to block in the background scenery (normally I have 2-3 hours for this). But - being flexible and able to adapt is a huge part of my job, no wedding ever goes perfectly according to plan, and there’s always some kind of obstacle that has to be faced in order to get the first layer of the painting completed by the end of the night. Thankfully, I completed the greenery in the landscape just as guests were arriving, and just in time to capture their amazed reactions on camera.
The reveal
The reveal is my favorite moment of the night. After hours of staring at the canvas and fussing over tiny adjustments in color, proportion, and light, I finally get to turn around and see how the couple reacts. Skylar and Sebastián saw theirs just before their photographer and videographer wrapped up for the evening. By then it already had the whole scene in it: the big tree, the ceremony arch, the florals, the canyon greenery, the golden lighting, and the two of them in the middle.
The wedding day is only the first stage, though. The painting comes back to my studio, where I keep adding layers of oil paint, refining faces and clothing, adjusting light and color, and building texture. The live session lays the foundation, and the finished piece comes later.
Why The 1909 works for a live wedding painter
The 1909 is a great venue for couples who want a Southern California wedding that feels intimate and surrounded by nature. As a painter, I find plenty to work with there: dramatic trees, layered greenery, canyon light, and ceremony spaces that already look cinematic.
Skylar and Sebastián's painting ended up with all of that in it. It's romantic, colorful, a little whimsical, and rooted in the landscape around them. That's what I hope every live wedding painting does: capture what the day felt like, not just what it looked like.