About
Your painting begins with the two of you, but it can hold so much more than what appears in a single photograph. The colours of your wedding, a place that means something to you, pieces of your story, words, memories, and small details can all find their way into the artwork. Some may be immediately recognizable, while others might be tucked into the layers for you to discover over time. The goal isn’t simply to paint what your wedding looked like. It’s to create something that feels personal to you and becomes a piece of art you genuinely want to live with.
Your painting can have an impact from across the room, but the closer you get, the more of your story there is to discover. A line from your vows, something you said to each other when you first met, an important date, a piece of music, a particular flower, a photograph, or a landscape that means something to you can all become part of the layers. It could even be something only the two of you understand. A sunrise you watched together, the place you first met, or a few words that changed everything. During our planning session, you can share as much as you want with me, including photographs or personal pieces that can be scanned and incorporated into the work. I’ll interpret those details through my own artistic process so they become part of the painting as a whole, giving you little pieces of your story to keep discovering over time. Over time, all of those little details become part of the story behind the painting, something you can share with your family and, one day, perhaps pass down to the next generation along with the stories hidden inside it.
Once we’ve talked through your ideas, I begin bringing everything together. Some of the painting develops before your wedding, a large part of the transformation happens live during the celebration, and the final details are completed afterwards in my studio. Here’s what that process looks like.
BEFORE THE WEDDING
This is where your ideas begin taking shape on the canvas. We’ll have already chosen the pose and discussed photographs for inspiration, colours, meaningful details, and anything you’d like incorporated. I’ll prepare custom collage pieces, scan or recreate personal elements when needed, and begin building the layered background. More complex landscapes or meaningful locations can also be developed at this stage, and the couple will be sketched onto the canvas ready for the wedding day. You’ll already see the beginnings of the painting, but plenty is intentionally left to develop live.
AT THE WEDDING
Before I begin painting, I’ll take any additional reference photographs I need, including close-ups of your bouquet, jewellery, tattoos, boutonnières, clothing, or other details that are important. Then the painting really begins to transform. I’ll paint the two of you and continue developing the artwork throughout the celebration while your guests get to watch it change in front of them. How far the painting develops on the day depends on the package and the amount of live painting time, but there will be a significant transformation for everyone to experience.
FINISHING IN THE STUDIO
After the wedding, the painting comes back to my studio where I can slow down, look at everything as a whole, and complete any details that need more attention. Once the painting is finished, it receives its final protective finish, the sides are completed, and framing is added when included in your package, with the frame colour selected to complement your artwork and space. Then it’s ready to come home with you.
Every wedding painting begins with a different couple, so no two pieces are meant to look the same. These paintings are examples of what’s possible, from different colour palettes and compositions to landscapes, personal details, collage, text, and different levels of abstraction. Your painting won’t be a version of one of these. It will be created specifically around the two of you, your wedding, your story, and the things you choose to bring into it.
Hi, I’m Elmira Solo, a mixed-media artist based in Ottawa, Canada. Before building my professional art practice, I spent nearly a decade working in animation, where I developed a strong foundation in drawing, composition, storytelling, and the figure. Today, my work brings those skills together with years of painting and experimentation across collage, acrylic, drawing, and other mixed media. I’m especially drawn to creating work that feels personal, layered, and full of discovery, balancing strong technical foundations with the serendipity that happens when different materials and ideas come together. Painting weddings gives me the opportunity to bring all of that experience into something deeply personal, while collaborating with couples to create an original piece of art that feels distinctly theirs.
Your painting starts with a conversation. Whether you already have a clear idea of what you’d love or you’re not quite sure yet, explore the packages to see what fits your celebration, browse the FAQ for more details, or book a consultation and we can talk through your ideas together.