Live event artist Amanda Hawthorne, of Massapequa, makes big business of painting weddings

Amanda Hawthorne captures scenes of weddings and other events — with a paint brush rather than a camera.

The 43-year-old Massapequa resident is a live event painter who owns Live Well Paint Often. She paints weddings, baby showers, retirement and anniversary parties, and corporate and other events in real time. Her works include acrylic creations done on gallery-style canvases and paper watercolor paintings based on photos.

Having live paintings done in addition to photographs and video being taken at nuptials is a growing trend — with much of the rising demand being attributed to TikTok, where these painters can be seen at work. And according to The Knot 2023 Real Wedding Study, which surveyed nearly 10,000 newlyweds, 5% of couples hired a local artist or live painter. Typically captured are scenes from the wedding ceremony and the reception, including the first dance.

Hawthorne also does work for charitable causes such as the American Cancer Society’s Gala of Hope, volunteering her time to do paintings of the function that are later auctioned off to raise thousands. Her work costs around $4,000 to $8,000, with smaller paintings usually taking about five hours, and larger around eight hours.

"For the charity event paintings, I capture the whole event as it unfolds rather than zooming in on the couple and their love story," Hawthorne said. "My passion for live painting comes from a deep love for capturing moments as they happen."

But the picture of Hawthorne’s work life didn’t always look this way.

Hawthorne had jobs as a television show prop stylist for Martha Stewart, Rachael Ray, "The Apprentice" and HGTV, and later worked in interior design and as an art teacher.

"About a year into my business, a friend asked if I could paint her wedding [in 2016] and it was a pretty new concept at the time," Hawthorne said. "I was nervous about painting in front of people, but then I realized that teaching in front of a crowd [as an art teacher] and live painting went hand in hand, so I decided to give it a shot."

Hawthorne said the "game-changer for my career" came when the sales director at The Bourne Mansion in Oakdale, Miriam Aronson, asked her to be their resident artist.

Though Hawthorne’s professional life has taken her in many directions, art is her passion, and she first became drawn to it around the time she was a toddler, she said. Then in middle and high school she said she’d doodle in class to relax. She describes her style as a blend of Impressionism and realism.

Live event painting at weddings started gaining popularity in the early 2010s, Hawthorne said. "Although it had historical roots dating to the Renaissance, social media definitely played a significant role in showcasing artists painting live at weddings, in real time," she said.

So far Hawthorne has done about 600 weddings, with the couple getting married as well as others who are part of the festivities typically gathering around her for a few minutes as she works — something she had to get used to.

"It was really challenging for me at the start of my career, but after nine years, it doesn’t bother me at all," Hawthorne said. "I get so into the zone while painting that I can focus even amidst extremely loud music, smoke machines or chaotic lighting."

Hawthorne’s paintings are usually completed by the end of an event, but there are times when she takes her work back to her home-based studio for some finishing touches, and the completed product is either picked up or delivered to the client.

"I’m living the life I’ve always dreamed of — making a living and a life solely from my art," Hawthorne said.