I love walking around art museums and seeing all of the different talents showcased. One of my favorite mediums is acrylics. For me, the appeal is the way the colors bleed together in places and create completely unique colors, yet the essence of the portrait is still there. The colors are vivid and bright, and the best artists give the illusion that you are looking at a photograph because of the detail they capture.

Needless to say, when we learned there are artists using this medium to capture a moment from someone’s wedding day, we were intrigued.

Jacqueline DelBrocco’s parents instilled in her a love of art and painting from a young age. She studied art in college, where her advisor spotted her talent for the impressionist style and encouraged her to deepen her skills. What started as painting her husband while he performed, has now become a business in the wedding industry: snapping a candid photo during a wedding, and then painting a portrait of that image as a special keepsake of the event.

We had the pleasure of asking Jacqueline some questions about her journey as an an artist and her painting business. Here is our interview:

AEP: How did you get started painting?

Jacqueline DelBrocco: I’ve been painting my whole life, since I was old enough to hold a paint brush. I’m so grateful to my parents for encouraging my love for paint and other messy mediums. (Not always easy, especially when I surprised them with a painting of a dinosaur on the bathroom wall of their new house! lol) Because of them, I eventually earned a BFA from Wittenberg University where I learned so much, but painted in a very different style than I do now. I remember my advisor, Ed Charney, encouraging me to paint in an impressionistic style because he believed I had a natural talent for it… Funny thing, I actually fought him on that! At the time I was really into surrealism and wanted to paint like Salvador Dali. Years later, my painting style evolved on its own and sure enough, I found my way right to Impressionism.

Action Shot Wedding - by One Red Door Photography

AEP: Describe how Live Event Painting came to life; when did you start painting scenes from live events?

JD: It really all began because of my husband and one of my best friends, Maggie. In Maggie’s hometown, Vermilion, OH they have a city-wide music festival once a month in the Summer. My husband is a musician and Maggie suggested that I set up and paint him while he performed. She thought people would find it entertaining, and turns out she was right! This was almost 10 years ago... I started live painting my husband's performances in Vermilion each month and that was when I realized how thrilling it is to paint in front of people, instead of alone in my studio.

Several months later, another friend was telling me about an event she was involved in planning at the Cleveland Museum of Art. It was a 50th Anniversary Celebration for the The Lillian and Betty Ratner School, a Montessori school on the East side of Cleveland. The event was art themed, and I asked her if she thought there might be interest in having an artist on-site during the event, capturing the celebration in a painting… It would entertain guests and they could raffle the finished artwork to raise money for the school. She loved the idea so I wrote up a proposal and next thing you know, I was painting my first official event and it was at the Cleveland Museum of Art!

I went on to paint several other events for local charities, where the paintings were part of live auctions, raising money for these various causes, (Within less than a year of doing this, one of my paintings auctioned for $5,000, benefiting the National Huntington’s Disease Society of America!)

I have to thank CMA (Cleveland Museum of Art) for nudging me in the direction of weddings though because it was by their recommendation that I was hired to paint my first wedding, which took place again in their magnificent atrium. Everything spiraled from there and now over 90% of my event painting business consists of weddings.

AEP: What other things do you like to paint?

JD: I love painting people and animals. I’ve done a lot of family portraits, pet portraits… the pet portraits are always so fun!

The last full painting series I did was a yoga/chakra inspired series consisting of large 3x4ft acrylic paintings and smaller watercolors. These paintings are a lot different from my usual portraits or live paintings. They portray figures combined with abstract elements that all sort of emerged from my subconscious during an automatic drawing process. (Automatic drawing is a surrealist technique that basically involves drawing while trying to relinquish as much control as possible over what ends up on the paper. It sounds easy, but I actually find it very hard to do… trying to draw something without thinking about what you’re drawing. It’s an exciting process because you never know what the drawing is going to look like until it’s done.)

These abstract ink drawings are so fascinating to me, so I use them to inspire my larger abstract paintings… It’s a whole weird process, but ultimately, I love creating that sort of art because it’s so experimental. Especially compared to my live paintings, where I’m more comfortable and familiar with how things are going to go. I’ve been painting weddings long enough now that even though each one is different, I’m rarely caught off guard or surprised in a way that really alters my process.

With my ink drawings and abstract paintings, they evolve in a more mysterious way. I never know what they’re going to look like… they evolve on their own and I just go with it.

Live wedding paintings are similar in the respect that you never know what magical little moments might happen and end up in the painting, but for the most part, you see the space, and know the painting is going to look just like it.

AEP: How would you describe your brand or style? What sets you apart from others in this industry?

JD: So first, a little background on what I do/my industry - I am a live event/wedding painter. If you’re not familiar, the idea is that I paint your event while it’s happening. I set up with a blank canvas and as the celebration unfolds, the scene that I’m painting develops right before your eyes. It’s a wonderfully unique form of entertainment for guests as they watch the scene come to life over the course of an event and it’s been especially popular for weddings. Not only is it a unique way to wow your guests, but the end result is a completely one-of-a-kind work of art capturing the energy and memory of a couple’s big day - Something that can be cherished and passed down for generations.

The painting style that I have developed for my live paintings is one that has evolved a lot over the years. After exploring a variety of painting styles and techniques, I’ve come to appreciate impressionism as my very favorite. It’s a way of painting that feels most natural to me and I believe it to be especially well-suited for capturing the dynamic energy of a celebration. My own personal flavor of impressionism includes a lot of excited brushstrokes and paint splatters, particularly in the crowds. I try to paint not only what I see, but what I feel while I’m there, while I’m in it.

I’m a huge fan of Renoir and Impressionist paintings that really celebrate the brush strokes and the paint itself. I’ll never forget when I first saw a Renoir painting in real life… Luncheon of the Boating Party was on display as part of a traveling exhibit at CMA… I remember being completely awestruck. When you stand close to the painting, you see chunky brushstrokes that are messy and energetic, but when you back up and view the painting from a distance, those brushstrokes blend together and create a perfectly orchestrated, completely realistic scene… it’s MAGIC.

A lot of the other wedding painters I’ve seen online tend to lean towards a more realistic style, and that’s totally fine. Art is subjective, that’s part of what makes it art! But for me, I prefer the messy energy, the brustrokes, the paint splatters… it communicates more emotion, more feeling. And the thing that really keeps me going is the challenge of finding that perfect balance between realistic, recognizable portraits and raw, inspiring, energy! It makes me happy to paint this way - truly, passionately happy… and I hope that shows through my paintings. I like to believe it does.

Another thing that makes my paintings stand out is that I don’t typically include facial features. It’s not that I can’t paint faces (my background is actually in portraiture) but the thing about facial features is that they can be distracting. There’s something intriguing about a portrait that achieves recognition without the obvious… I think painting this way gives the overall piece more feeling and makes it more captivating.

I’ve had so many clients comment to me about how amazed they are that they can recognize people in their painting, without the faces… “That is definitely so and so!” I hear it all time… and I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it :)

AEP: When you are painting a live event, what things give you inspiration? What leads you to that recognition of "THIS is the scene I want to paint"?

JD: Typically when I’m painting an event, I try to set up in a location that gives me a good overall view of the room, so I can capture as much of it as possible. I love dramatic angles and a more extreme perspective. When I first started painting events, it used to take me a while to settle on my viewpoint. Now I know almost instantly, when I enter an event space. As far as what gives me inspiration or what details to include, that’s really the exciting part. I never know what little details or surprises are going to pop up and make their way into the scene, and it’s always a fun process.

Although a lot of it is left up to me, I do always ask my clients if there is anything in particular they want me to make sure I include in the painting. Especially with weddings, the details are so important because they’re so personal. You spend your whole life dreaming of this day, and chances are, that dream has a detail or two that you know you want a certain way - The cake, the floral arrangements, the DRESS… And these days, there are so many fun, creative ways to add to your celebration and reflect your personality as a couple. Those unique details that couples are especially excited about, that’s the kind of thing I love to capture in my paintings. (I had one couple who surprised their guests with a confetti gun after their first dance… that was a really fun one to paint!)

Action Shot - 50th Anniversary Party - by Stephanie Uptmor of Imagine It Photography

AEP: Is it difficult since people are moving about freely while you paint?

JD: That definitely adds to the challenge! Luckily, thanks to modern technology, I have the ability to snap photos with my phone, which helps when I want to focus on something in more detail. But there’s an upside to the movement too. With a dynamic, spontaneous, exciting, subject, all that good energy fuels my creative process and makes the end result more exciting too.

AEP: What do you think is the biggest misconception about your service/industry?

JD: Hmmm biggest misconception… I’d say that it’s a new trend. Live event painting is not a trend; it’s an art that has been around for centuries! Before cameras were invented, kings and popes hired artists to live paint important events, to capture and preserve their memory. I think it’s interesting that today, with modern technology so ingrained in our lives, this timeless art form has gained renewed popularity and I don’t think that’s a coincidence. Watching an artist create a painting of the same event you are experiencing right before your eyes, it’s a very unique experience in itself. It’s the polar opposite of snapping a ton of photos with your phone… it’s one single painting, that takes the whole course of the wedding to develop and come to life. It prompts you to slow down, give a second look at things you might have missed, look at things more carefully and take in the beautiful nuances and details around you.

AEP: What has been the most memorable event that you've painted?

JD: That’s a hard one! They’re all so special in their own way! I feel incredibly lucky that I’ve had the chance to work with so many amazing couples and paint so many very special celebrations… Each and every one holds a special place in my heart and my memory, it’s impossible to pick just one. I do have to admit (though I’m only painting Cleveland area weddings right now) the out of town weddings that I’ve painted definitely stand out for me. I’ve loved traveling to these events, as far East as Baltimore and as far West as Seattle, my clients have given me the excuse to visit (and paint!) lot of fun places.

There have also been a lot of non-wedding celebrations that were memorable for me. Every year the Cleveland AHA (American Heart Association) throws an incredible event - the Annual Heart and Stroke Ball - which I’ve had the honor of capturing in a live painting twice now. It’s always an inspiring theme to paint and a thrill to be a part of. Another exciting one, back in 2018, the CAVs hired me to paint a private event at the Cleveland Museum of Art and all the players were there (so they of course ended up in my painting!)

Thank you, Jacqueline, for such a delightful interview. As someone who cannot paint or draw beyond basic shapes and stick figures, I am so impressed by your talent and fascinated by your process and your personal story.

If you are looking for a unique and beautiful keepsake from your wedding or special event, reach out to Live Painting . She will find a seemingly ordinary moment and transform it into a memory that will last forever.