Category: Wedding painting

I painted at my very first wedding in August 2022, over two and a half years ago. Since then, I have painted at beautiful venues across the South West, completing a huge array of ceremony paintings, and thousands of guest portraits!

I work as a wedding artist mainly across Devon, Cornwall and Somerset, sometimes venturing into Dorset. While I still get pre-wedding nerves (every time!), I absolutely LOVE my job.

What exactly do I do as a wedding artist?

I capture a couple’s special day in ink and paint. Depending on the package the couple choose, this usually involves painting a ceremony piece (which is framed on the day for the couple to take home), and also live portraits of their guests.

For the main piece, I paint the backdrop from life, completing the painting from a photo of the couple which I take during the ceremony. I usually finish the painting during the wedding breakfast. By the time all the speeches are done, the painting is ready to be revealed to the newly married couple, merely a few hours after they’re officially married.

This often inspires happy tears, and is such a joyful moment – the first depiction of the married couple – seeing themselves in a piece of art can be quite emotional.

Another service I offer in my live wedding painting packages is live guest portrait painting. And when I say live, I mean live! The guests stand right there in front of me (reminiscent of street artists in Paris – ooh la la!), while I paint them in their wedding finery.

This is my favourite part of the day. I love chatting to guests, finding out about their lives, and learning about the couple who I’m painting for (we’ve rarely met before the day). I love throwing in some interesting questions, and before they know it, they’ve talked their way through 12-15 minutes (for a couple – less for an individual) and their portrait is complete! The look on their faces when I reveal their portrait is the best reward.

Where did I learn to paint?

I’ve been painting and drawing my entire life. My Dad is an artist, so I grew up around paintings and illustrations. My creative side was nurtured and supported wholeheartedly by my parents.

While I didn’t study art at university (I studied languages), I’ve spent years studying portraiture, mastering different media, and working on my speed, accuracy and ability to portray likeness.

Even when I’m not painting at events, I sketch people. When I’m out and about with my family – in a cafe, play area – or at the beach, I’m sketching. I practise all the time and I hold myself to high standards. Striving to be the best I can be is the greatest motivation, and I love that I can transfer my skills to create lasting memories for the couples I work for.

How can you book me as a wedding painter?

I work as a wedding artist mainly across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset, travelling up to two hours from my home in North Devon (occasionally longer distances).

I offer a variety of packages to suit different wedding sizes and budgets – view my packages here.

The best way to find out if I’m available to paint at your wedding is to drop me a message via my contact form, stating your wedding venue and date.

I’ve been an event and wedding illustrator for over a year now, so I thought it would be the perfect time to reflect on some of the wonderful weddings I’ve painted at in 2023.

Devon wedding artist

As a Devon-based wedding illustrator, I’ve attended some beautiful venues across the county!

One of the most spectacular weddings I was booked for was that of Murphy and Sam at Mount Folly Farm in the South Hams. Set atop a hill, overlooking Burgh Island and Bigbury, the view couldn’t have been more impressive. It was one of the hottest days of the year – the groom and his groomsmen even took a pre-ceremony dip in the sea!

For me, as a Devon wedding painter, the panoramic backdrop to the ceremony was a dream to paint – the colours of the water and the flowers worked so well together. I was set up right at the heart of the action, which is the best place to be! I painted guests all day, and completed the couple’s ceremony painting during the meal. After that, it was back to guest portraits, and the cool evening air was a welcome tonic while the guests danced into the night.

“We can’t thank Clare enough. Our guests were so happy with the gorgeous paintings and we were even happier with ours. What a way to capture the day. Would absolutely encourage anyone planning a wedding or event to have Clare there!”

Murphy

At the other end of the weather spectrum was Jasmine and Stephen’s wedding at Ashbarton Estate in North Devon. But despite the rain, nothing was going to dampen this lovely couple’s spirits, and the vibrancy and energy of the wedding party alone was enough to make it the most fabulous day (I mean, the bridal parties pyjamas were bright pink and they were sporting white sunglasses and matching water bottles – the fact the new Barbie film was released that week was just a happy coincidence!).

I loved being there for the whole day, starting the morning sketching both the bridal party and the groomsmen, then attending the ceremony, painting oodles of guest portraits, and working on the couple’s confetti illustration while guests ate.

The day made the most of the fantastic indoor spaces at Ashbarton Estate, with guests flowing between the old chapel, the threshing barn and ending up in the Big Barn for the meal and party… and party they did, late into the night! One thing I love about painting at weddings is chatting to everyone! Having spent so long with the couple and their guests, they felt like old friends.

“You are absolutely incredible, the guests loved you! Thank you so much for joining our wedding and sharing your talent with us, you captured our day perfectly, even better than I could have imagined!”

Jasmine

UK wedding artist

I only have capacity to attend a few weddings a year outside of the South West of England, but when I have done, they’ve been phenomenal!

The furthest wedding I attended this year was Olivia and Brad’s big day at Baddow Park House in Essex, five hours from my North Devon home. My parents came along for the ride and we stayed in a cute little Airbnb for a couple of nights either side of the wedding. 

The venue is absolutely stunning, and it was a surprisingly warm and sunny day for October, making the beautiful grounds the perfect spot for the ceremony. I was booked for the whole day, during which I painted the confetti throwing for the couple, and portraits of over 60 guests – more than I’ve ever painted before!

Olivia and Brad were so gracious and kind, it was a real treat to be a part of their day.

Event illustrator

I’ve had a blast at all the other lovely weddings I’ve painted at in 2023, and in addition to weddings, I’ve had the pleasure of painting at some brilliant events too! I was Artist in Residence at the renowned Appledore Book Festival for 10 days in September – I’ll go into more detail in another blog post, but it’s safe to say it was an exhaustingly busy but amazingly rewarding sprint.

“This is genuinely one of the most wonderful things that’s ever happened to me at an event! I’m blown away by how brilliant you are!”

Author Lisa Jewell, about my live painting

I’ve also been a live portrait painter at a number of other Devon events, including Bideford Water Festival and Appledore Family Fun Day.

What’s next for me as a wedding artist?

I am super excited about heading into 2024 as an experienced Devon wedding painter, and can’t wait to head out with my easel across the South West to be a part of more couples’ special days. It has been so lovely to experience such gratitude from my couples this year, and the feeling I get from seeing people’s faces light up when I give them my portraits makes it well worth all the hard work!

“I just wanted to say thank you so much for yesterday! I had so many compliments saying how amazing your work is! I absolutely loved the picture of Andy and I, it’s incredible!”

Helen

Looking for a wedding artist in Devon, Cornwall or Somerset?

As a South West-based wedding artist, I’ve travelled to some of the most stunning venues in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset in the past year, and I can’t wait to paint at even more in the new year! 

My 2024 dates are booking up very quickly and I’m already at capacity for some months. If you’re looking for a wedding artist in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset or further afield, please get in touch to secure your date as soon as possible. I am now also starting to take bookings for 2025, which is crazy to think!

I fit in my wedding painting business around my family, and my very supportive partner has been solo parenting more so I can say yes to as many couples as possible. My youngest daughter started school this year, which has allowed me to paint at weekday weddings too and expand other areas of my art business. 

Book me as your wedding painter

Please get in touch via my contact form today – all enquiries are very welcome – keep your questions coming!

Last year I worked as an artist at my very first live events and absolutely loved it!

The hottest day of the year was the first wedding I painted at, with over 200 guests. The venue, overlooking Noss Mayo near Plymouth, was truly stunning and I had so much fun capturing sketches throughout the morning, and painting guests portraits all afternoon.

I was delighted to have been invited to be a part of the couple’s special day, and after attending several more events as a live portrait artist, I decided to start marketing my services as a live wedding artist/event illustrator.

It’s a unique, and fun form of entertainment at a wedding or event, and gives the guests and newlyweds a personal piece of original art to remind them of the special day.

To find out more about the creative services I offer, please take a look at my information page.