Portraits by Danielle Live Painter from Saint Petersburg, FL

Ditch the caricatures, and bring fine art to your event that honors and dignifies those you care about! Hi, I'm Danielle! I'm a live portrait painter with 15+ years of experience. I paint at all kinds of events, from small punk house shows to grand black-tie galas in Manhattan. Weddings, galas, parties and soirees; Fundraisers, wine-tastings, community events, and more. My studio is wherever people value novel ways to connect. I work in brilliant full color, and my portrait sketches take 5-10 minutes each to complete, depending on guest count and speed required. Each piece is made on acid-free, archival quality 140lb paper with acrylic paint. Paintings dry immediately and come in a complementary white mat, ready to frame. Let me give you the rundown! 1. When I'm at your event: Sit down at my easel while friends and family gather around to watch your likeness appear out of what looks at first like a colorful mess, then gasp when I turn the board around. The reveal is my favorite part! Delight and disbelief are common. I don't try to make people cry...but you may recognize a loving relative in your portrait. My pop-up studio draws a crowd and holds it. I don't just make art. I make conversation, connection, laughter, joy, awe, and wonder. 2. This is not caricature! I'm classically trained in academic realism and illustration, so I don't exaggerate features, poke fun, or embarrass anyone. My whole intention in every piece is to honor the person sitting in front of me. Ditch caricatures and goody bags. Give your guests something to cherish for the rest of their lives. 3. The possibilities are vast: Guest portraits are the core of what I do, at around six or seven people an hour, and I can help you work out what this means for your guest count. For larger guest counts, I can: - Paint faster to reach more people (around 5 minutes per person); - Bring another artist to work alongside me, giving guests multiple styles to choose from; - Complete additional portraits from photographs before or after the event and have them securely shipped to each guest. For Weddings, I offer a finished painting of the couple, illustrating the moment that they deem most special, whether it's their first kiss as a married couple, walking down the aisle with a parent, etc. This painting can be started on-site, from life while the moment happens, or it can be created in my studio later from a photograph that your wedding photographer has captured. See an example of a wedding here: https://portraitsbydanielle.com/#weddings For all event types, I offer the creation of large singular works of art that commemorate or signify an important moment or theme in the event (a common large size is 40x60 inches). Akin to a dance, I use fast, energetic brushstrokes to create quickly and give your guests a beautifully colorful show (guests are offered the brush as well!). 4. My station comfortably fits in any space: My footprint can be as small as 5x5 feet, I bring my own power and tasteful lighting, and I put a gorgeous studio rug down so there's nothing to clean up afterward. I work happily alongside photographers and video teams. I have liability insurance with ACT up to $1,000,000. 5. Location I am based in St. Petersburg, Florida and love to travel! I do not have a maximum distance. A little about me: I trained as an illustrator at Ringling College of Art and Design while studying the academic realist tradition of drawing and painting from life. Accuracy and likeness are what I built my style around. For most of the history of my craft, sitting for an artist meant you were royalty, wealthy, or powerful enough that someone decided your likeness was worth preserving. So I paint regular people, from life, in the middle of their lives. I want you to see yourself the way my tradition only ever saw the powerful: worthy of attention, worthy of time, and with a story worth telling. I want to tell *your* story. Let's load our brushes and get started!