Live Event Painting

In addition to Christian Sacred Art, Haley Dessauer also offers live work, including— but not limited to—Christian Benefit Auctions and live wedding paintings in Southern Indiana and Southern Illinois.

Whether you need event entertainment or hope to have your big moment captured live on canvas, Haley creates heirloom pieces that can be enjoyed for a lifetime.

Please note that Haley is a Christian Sacred Artist first, and has limited availability for live events. Priority is given to Christian specific events, including Benefit Auctions/Galas and Christian/Catholic weddings.

Live Painting: What is it?

It’s just like it sounds! On the day of your event, I will show up with my easel and paint live in front of guests.

Live painting provides 3-6 hours of entertainment where guests watch a painting unfold throughout the event. They may occasionally be invited to make their own brushstrokes on the canvas!

By the end of the night, a truly one-of-a-kind heirloom piece will be seemingly finished for guests to enjoy.

What to Expect…

For Christian Galas/Charity Auctions:
Contact me to discuss what it is you would like painted. Since galas typically only start a few hours, I will begin the painting process at home before the event, so that way I can have a seemingly finished piece by the end of the night to auction off.
For Weddings:
Reach out to me and we can book a call to discuss all the details of your wedding!
For Christian Galas/Charity Events:
I will show up an hour in advance to get everything set up, and start painting! By the end of the night, there will be a seemingly finished piece to be auctioned off. Due to the slow drying time of oils, I do take the painting home to properly dry and varnish before contacting the highest bidder for pickup.
For Weddings:
I will show up 2-4 hours in advance to set up my area and plan out the foundation of the painting.
During the first look/ceremony/reception I will capture several photos of the “moment” of your choosing with my phone/tablet to use as reference photos. I will then head back to my easel and start painting away!
Since live wedding painting is also a form of entertainment, guests are invited and even encouraged to interact with me during the process. I might even let them make a few brush strokes on the canvas!
I will paint until I have a “seemingly” finished painting. The initial work will be a bit of a “looser” style with the bride and groom as the main focus of the painting. Since my work is fairly realistic, I will need extra studio time after the wedding to achieve the level of realism that is my signature style.
Regardless, the bride and groom will still get the joy of having the cherished “painting reveal” before I depart to finish studio touchups at home.
I will take your painting home for final studio touch-ups and varnishing. Please allow 2-6 weeks for me to finish your painting, depending on the canvas size. The live portion of the painting is mostly for entertainment purposes…This additional studio time, however, allows me to slow down, hone in on the details, and ultimately provide you with my best work!
Christian Galas/Charity Benefits: Each event is different, but I typically require no payment before a charity specific event. Depending on the type/size of your event, I will ask a small percentage at the end of the event.
Wedding Cost breakdown:
*Initial 25% deposit due to secure wedding date
*Next 50% due one month before your wedding.
*Remaining 25% due upon completion of studio touchups (2-6 weeks after your wedding)

Request Availability

FAQ

I am located near Carmi, IL. As a mom to three young kids, I am only able to offer live wedding painting to Southern Indiana, Southern Illinois, and occasionally parts of Northern Kentucky (Henderson area). My preferred max drive time is 90 minutes, depending on event start-time, to ensure that I can safely drive home that night and be fully present with my kids the following day.
Each event is different, so please reach out to me personally. I typically do not require any payment prior to charity specific events, and just ask a small percentage of the auctioned price in comparison to the size/type of charity event.
*a French easel set upon tan drop cloth
*tripod and tablet which I use to reference photos from your wedding needed to complete painting
*a small wooden table for me to set paints, water, etc..
While I will reveal a "seemingly" finished painting to you the night of your wedding, I do take the painting home to finish up the detail work and properly varnish. The purpose of the live aspect is to provide your guests with entertainment. I use the following studio time to really slow down and give you my very best work! I want to give you a piece of art that you will truly cherish for a lifetime!
All paintings are created via traditional means with oil paints and brushes. All paintings are created on gallery wrapped canvas and varnished upon completion.
Paintings will be provided with a ready-to-hang wire on the back. Since framing is often a personal preference (which is optional for canvas paintings), I do not frame them myself.
Since my primary medium is oils, I do not currently offer guest portraits.
For weddings, I divide total costs of live paintings into three separate payments:
*Initial 25% deposit due to secure wedding date
*Next 50% due one month before wedding
*Last 25% due upon completion of painting (4-8 weeks after wedding)