This year marks 25 years in my professional artistic journey, and 10 years as a live artist, which is a very exciting milestone I am very proud of.
Over the years, I have had the privilege of meeting many talented artists, whose work I admire and who continue to inspire me. As live painting grows in popularity, with new talent emerging, I would like to shine a spotlight on some of the most exceptional and highly experienced artists across the UK and Europe.
Allow me to introduce you to ten distinguished artists whose live paintings will transform your wedding, celebration, or event into a lasting work of art.
Lucy McLoughlin – live event artist UK
I’ll kick things off with a little bit about myself! With a background in textile design and roots in tailoring, my passion for fashion and fabrics shines through in my artwork. My painting style is inspired by fashion illustrations, focusing on the clothing and silhouette rather than facial features.
My goal is to create stylish and flattering paintings that not only make people feel good about themselves, but also capture their essence and frame a special moment in time.
I combine gouache paint with pastels, pencil, and pen to bring every beautiful print, colour, and texture to life.
“In today’s digital age, where AI is rapidly advancing, live painting feels more magical and meaningful than ever. At every event, I soak up the atmosphere to truly connect with people, and then I let my paintbrush tell the story. It is a magical process.” – Lucy
I offer a range of services, including guest portraits, wedding paintings, group paintings, and my latest and very popular option: montage paintings. These pieces encapsulate all the highlights of an event in one unique artwork.
My hero and inspiration Kurt Jackson, UK
British artist Kurt Jackson first captured my attention many years ago, during a television interview while he was painting at Glastonbury as an artist in residence. His work and unique approach left a lasting impression on me, planting the seed that live painting could indeed be a way of life! Little did I know that this brief interview would eventually inspire me to become a live event artist myself.
Left: Dusk, Kasabian at Glastonbury 2007, mixed media on paper
Right: Alabama Shakes Pyramid stage, Glastonbury 2015 mixed media on board
“The great thing about Glastonbury is that it’s about fun and delight (and a bit of hedonism) but also engages with the serious issues of the future of the planet and our environment,” says Jackson. “Glastonbury – I’ve been at most of them, I’ve painted over a quarter of them. Glastonbury, Greenpeace, Oxfam and WaterAid have become entwined, woven together as an important strand of my working and political life.” – Jackson
Dutch Master Marcella Schoenmaker, live painter, the Netherlands
Marcella has been capturing weddings and events on canvas since 2012. She also works and teaches in her own studio Atelier Blaricum in the Netherlands. Marcella’s happy place in front of her easel next to a dancefloor.
Amsterdan Burlesque Festival
Marcella uses a mixture of acrylic, pastel and mixed media and the speed at which she is able to capture her models is truly astonishing. She is able to capture movement and energy and her painting style is wonderfully loose, confident and joyous.
Fashionista extraordinaire Jacqueline Bissett, UK
With over 30 years as a fashion illustrator, Jacqueline is renowned for making every subject look effortlessly glamorous. Throughout her long and successful career, Jacqueline has collaborated with numerous global publications and top fashion brands on advertising campaigns and brand promotions. As a full-time freelance commercial illustrator and a live event artist for the past 17 years, Jacqueline’s work has taken her all over the world.
I have had the pleasure of working alongside Jacqueline on numerous occasions, particularly when guest numbers were high and the client requested two live artists. Jaqueline is a joy to collaborate with and always the pro, which I really value when working at luxury events with prestigious clients.
Stephanie Struth UK – Weddings on Canvas with Unmatched Flair
Stephanie is one of the longest established live painters in the UK, based in the South East of England. She paints acrylic on canvas and captures many colourful, Asian weddings, as well as stunning British ceremonies.
In my opinion, Stephanie is the most skilled live artist in the UK when it comes to creating impressionistic wedding scenes on canvas. Her figures are always elegant and lifelike, characterized by a loose brushstroke that beautifully captures the architecture, outfits and floral displays.
Aaron Jacob jones UK: Live wedding Illustration with style, energy and Fun
Aaron travels the world capturing beautiful wedding ceremonies, as well as painting characterful guest portraits in just 6 – 10 minutes, as people pose. He loves chatting and entertaining guests throughout the process, making each portrait a fun and memorable experience.
Because of the lightning speed at which Aaron works, he can paint and present the wedding ceremony on the day, as well as creating a series of guest portraits, which make perfect wedding favours.
And my personal favorite: Aaron can capture wedding speeches live. His fluid, lively style brings out the highlights of every speech and everyone on the top table. How amazing is that?
Chic live illustrations by Viola Li, austria
Photos @fotissid_photography
Based in beautiful Vienna, but available worldwide, Viola creates elegant guest portraits in her own unique style.
A graduate of the London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Fashion Management, Viola also holds a diploma in fashion design. This background allows her to merge her passion for both art and fashion, illustrating fashion and lifestyle.
Last year I purchased Viola’s birthday calendar with a gorgeous illustration for each month of the year. It cheers me up daily and I particularly like how Viola can suggest backgrounds and objects with just a few lines.
Interesting fact, Viola is fluent in English, German, and Mandarin
Colourful automotives & scenes by Anna-Louise Felstead, UK
Anna-Louise is regarded as a ‘reportage’ artist due to her initial sketches being painted on location, these dynamic studies are used as reference material and scaled up into large oil on canvas paintings back in her studio.
Painted live during the Monaco Grand Prix Historique in 2022, watercolour on paper.
Posters and prints available to purchase from Anna-Louise’s website.
Alongside her automotive paintings, Anna-Louise paints scenes of beautiful locations including Lake Como and Corfu and is often privately commissioned by her clients to paint their properties, yachts and car collections.
I personally adore the paintings of her son Freddie. They capture the tenderness and emotion beautifully.
timeless elegance with Kathy Whyatt, UK
With decades of experience under her belt, Kathy specialises in fine art painting, figurative illustration, fashion and live drawing.
Kathy has worked on commissions from editorials to advertising, packaging, to music video and film.
She draws both traditionally in brush and ink, or digitally on an iPad, which is a popular choice for many instore events.
playful fashion Illustrations by Niki Groom, UK
Niki Groom, a Bristol based live event illustrator, creates bespoke 10 minute fashion illustrations & portraits using a mixture of fine-liner, marker pens, brush markers and watercolour. She also designs & installs hand-painted window designs and customised packaging.
Niki is an artist in residence at @hotelkensington where she illustrates guests having Afternoon Tea at @townhousekensington.
Before pursuing illustration full time, Niki was a fashion designer for 15 years and she has worked in the creative industries for over 24 years. Niki has illustrated people – and dogs! – all over the world for retail, corporate, press, and private events.
