Melbourne-based artist Rebekka Lord-Johnson is a live wedding painter who has garnered popularity and praise through social media. Using acrylic and oil paint, Lord-Johnson captures a special moment of the newlyweds on their wedding day and helps them create a lasting moment to cherish.
Coming from a background in marketing, Lord-Johnson has always had a passion for painting and managed to develop this love in a highly sought after niche. She was a finalist in the 2016 Rick Amor Drawing Prize and, in 2023, her live wedding painting business took out gold in the Australian Wedding Industry Awards. She often documents her process, as well as the newlyweds’ reaction on Instagram, where she has over 630k followers who resonate with the pieces.
Lord-Johnson’s work is proof that photorealistic paintings still have the power to stir emotions and strengthen human connection.
Read on to find out more about the life of a live wedding painter.
How would you describe what you do?
I would describe live wedding painting as a lost art being rediscovered in the modern world. It is where entertainment meets fine art. Each painting becomes a lasting memory shared among the newlyweds’ loved ones, and an heirloom for generations to come.
How did you build a niche in live wedding painting?
I am educated with a Bachelor of Business, specialising in Marketing. Prior to becoming a live wedding painter, I owned a small business as a social media consultant for a number of businesses and worked as a marketing coordinator in the construction industry.
Building the niche meant leaning into the skills I had developed in marketing. I always chose to showcase the artwork and show the emotional reactions the artworks brought to guests and newlyweds alike. Doing this meant that my audience could feel the buzz of having a live wedding painter and created a need in the market.
What’s an average day or week like?
An average day in the studio starts with having a coffee with my 10-month-old daughter before dropping her off at daycare.
At 9am, I wash all my brushes and prepare my palette to start painting for the day. I typically work on two to three paintings a day. Between paintings, I respond to emails and plan my weekend wedding paintings. I usually finish painting by 4.30pm before picking up my daughter and making dinner.
A couple of times a week, I may have a painting collection (client pick-up) scheduled for the morning, or an evening consultation with one of my clients.
On a wedding day, I’ll spend the morning with my husband and daughter. Then, I get ready for my wedding by packing my car and doing my hair and make-up at around 11am. I usually arrive at a wedding between 2pm and 4pm, so I leave with plenty of time to make it to the venue. Most of the venues I paint at are one to 1.5 hours away. Before I leave, I always review my notes from the client consultation for the wedding.
When I arrive, I set up and say “hello” to the team for the day before going to introduce myself to the photo and video team. I work closely with them, so having a good relationship is key!
Then, I will go and find my background for the painting and plan my composition before meeting with the bride and groom. I usually run a little photoshoot for my couple to gather reference photos, but sometimes I paint directly from a ceremony or first dance moment.
Once I have my reference photos, I race back to my easel and start painting. I usually paint for around five to seven hours.
Once the painting is done for the night, I show the bride and groom and then pack up for the day. I am usually home between 10pm and midnight.
What’s the most common misconception about being a live wedding painter?
Definitely that any artist can be a live wedding painter without training or experience. A live wedding painter cannot rely on a professional photograph (by a photographer or the artist) taken with perfect lighting and composition, like a studio painter can. They also cannot rely on having the time. Each and every aspect of a live wedding painter rests on the artist’s decisions in an intense time-pressured environment. Each decision has to be made quickly and confidently!
The lighting for each wedding is uncontrolled, so a live wedding painter needs to understand how to work with the changing environment to create a beautiful painting without much planning.
Why do you think photorealistic painting still resonates with so many?
As a live wedding painter, I am capturing a moment between two people. For many, it is important they can recognise themselves or their loved ones in that moment to relive the moment.
In saying that, each style has its own merits.
Read: So you want my arts job: Illusionist
If you were interviewing someone for your job, what skills and qualities would you look for?
The most important skills a live wedding painter would need to have are:
- exceptional ability to work under pressure in an unpredictable environment
- quick decision-making skills
- exceptional artistic ability in understanding lighting and composition
- exceptional technical skills in drawing and painting, and
- customer service – being polite to guests and providing an amazing client experience is so important.
I have never had to use paid advertising for my service, and I attribute that to using social media correctly. When using social media, I aim to educate, entertain and make my audience feel warm and fuzzy.
The audience will watch a video if it gives them something – be it information, a good feeling etc. I would advise artists to do the same. It is not enough to merely show an artwork on social media – it must tell a story or offer something of meaning to the audience.
To read more in ArtsHub‘s So you want my arts job series.
