Today we’d like to introduce you to Gina Floridia.
Hi Gina , thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always been creative and loved art, but becoming a live wedding painter definitely wasn’t some big master plan from the beginning lol. It kind of grew into this really naturally.
After becoming a mom, I knew I wanted to find a way to make art my full time career while still being able to be present for my son. I was working in the restaurant industry while building my painting business on the side, and eventually I was able to leave that behind and go all in on painting.
Now I own Event Painting With Gina and paint weddings all over the NJ/NY/PA area and beyond. I paint live on the wedding day, then bring the piece back to my studio and really spend time refining everything in oils, especially the portraits and all of those little details that make the painting feel like their day.
One of my absolute favorite parts of what I do is being able to include people or pets who couldn’t physically be there, especially loved ones who have passed away. Those paintings always mean so much to me because it becomes way more than just painting a pretty wedding scene. I’m getting to create this version of a memory that the couple gets to keep in their home forever.
It’s honestly kind of crazy to look back at how it started compared to where I am now, but I’m really grateful that I get to make a living doing something that feels this personal and meaningful.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely not! I started painting weddings from photos while I was still working in the restaurant industry, during COVID and while I was pregnant with my son.
My first technically “live” wedding was in October 2020 at a COVID friendly drive in movie wedding. Their guests watched from their cars, they handed out movie snacks, and played The Wedding Singer afterward while I painted the ceremony live.
I didn’t paint my first traditional live wedding inside a venue until about four months after my son was born. From there, the challenge became figuring out how to grow this into a real full time business while also being a new mom. Eventually, what started during such a weird, uncertain time turned into my full time career.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a live wedding painter specializing in highly detailed, realistic paintings that capture not just how a wedding looked, but how it felt. I paint live throughout the wedding day and then continue refining each piece in my studio afterward, focusing heavily on likeness, lighting, and all of the little details that make that day specific to each couple.
What I’m most proud of is the emotional side of my work. I’ve had the opportunity to include beloved pets, family members who have passed, and moments that couples wished could have existed on their wedding day. Being trusted with something that meaningful is something I’ll never take lightly.
I don’t want my paintings to just be beautiful, I want someone to look at theirs 30 years from now and immediately be brought back to that exact moment.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Procreate is definitely my most used app while working, it’s become such a huge part of how I plan compositions and work through ideas before and after a wedding. I also don’t know what I’d do without my CRM honeybook. My current favorite podcast is The Vendor Table! Incredibly funny and hits close to home since my roots are in Long Island!
But my biggest resource is honestly other artists. I’m incredibly lucky to have a community of fellow live painters and wedding vendors who I can bounce ideas off of, learn from, and grow alongside. And I have to shout out my artist bestie, Catherine Rose Studio, having another artist who truly gets this crazy little world is invaluable. 😂
Pricing:
- 3,000 18×24
- 3,600 22×28
- 4,000 24×30
- 4,500 24×36
- 6,000 30×40
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.eventpaintingwithgina.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eventpaintingwithgina/
