In January, 2324 Studios invited me out to live paint at their Energy event, hosted with Raasin in the Sun and Dope Creatives Market. I chose the subject of Diva Plavalaguna from my favorite film The Fifth Element, which happened to be screening at the studios following the event.
As I’ve only had a minimal amount of practice painting portraits in spray paint, this was an opportunity where I decided to challenge myself and I was really happy with the results. The courtyard space I was painting in was full of amazing graffiti and good music, so I felt like I was getting the best creative vibes from being around so many of my talented friends’ work!
Throughout the day, this younger girl kept asking me questions. As it was getting later, motivated by her curiosity, I decided to ask her if she’d like to try spray painting. I pointed to a space on the board and gave her one of the blues. She put a couple of little marks on the board and insisted that the Diva have a hand to make the pose more operatic.
Who am I to decline an on-the-fly creative collab? So, I added a hand. When she asked why I hadn’t put one in my sketch, I told her that I was trying to keep it simple because I hadn’t practiced and she goes, “Well, you just did!” As you can imagine, I had to turn the board over to give her the opportunity to practice a little more.
This 4’x4′ piece was painted entirely in aerosol paints in 2 hours, in front of a live audience.
Photography of me painting (right) by @natassiawildephotography
Want to amp up your event with live painting? Get in touch via my rates page and let’s talk about it!