A surprise birthday gift with a live painting
Brides and grooms often seek out my live painting services to immortalize a scene from their wedding.
Guests looking for an original gift also call on me to offer their brides and grooms a unique souvenir. But the lucky recipients of this live painting aren’t always the bride and groom!
This was the case for this evening at the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, in St Jean Cap Ferrat, near Nice.
Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, Nice
Have you heard of this splendid villa?! I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce it to you: built in the early 20th century in the Renaissance style by Baroness Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild. Its dominant geographical position in Saint Jean Cap Ferrat overlooks the Beaulieu harbor and the Villefranche-sur-Mer harbor. The Baroness only spent brief stays there…
Back to my evening at this sumptuous reception venue!
The event that evening was Carlos’s 50th birthday. His sister thoughtfully offered him my live painting performance so he could keep a unique souvenir of the evening. The whole family is from Mexico. Some still live there. Others live in the United States. Carlos had planned surprises for his guests throughout the evening… But he had no idea what his surprise live painting gift would be. 😉
During the cocktail reception, we had the privilege of attending a live classical music concert. The musicians transported us into their world… I was enchanted by the harp, an instrument I don’t often get the opportunity to listen to… and draw!
At dusk, the park’s fountains came to life, and we witnessed a charming musical performance. It felt as if the fountains were dancing to the rhythm of the music!
Then the guests sat down to eat in this enchanting setting…
Once night fell, a mapping was projected onto the facades of the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild. The images were obviously related to Carlos’s birthday; his origins, his family, his friends, his passions… But each of them enhances the architecture of the place, highlights a column, illuminates a pediment, illuminates a molding…
One last surprise, and not the least for the guests:
An acrobat, suspended by a thread from a HUGE balloon, floats in the air above the garden! She advances, gently, undulating her body to the rhythm of the delicate music. The balloon changes color as it moves forward. It’s absolutely marvelous. Poetic. Enchanting…
Then the balloon descends gently, the dancer too, and personally gives Carlos a sword so he can cut his birthday cake!
So I tried to capture all the lovely surprises of this evening with my watercolors as best I could:
Can you find all the elements I just told you about?!
And what about you ? Do you plan a great event and looking for a painter to create a live painting?!
