Art Meets Weddings at TraillWorks on Wednesdays

May18, 2002, Oil on Linen, 16" x 24", ©2009 Jennie Traill Schaeffer, Private Collection

One of the many things I do at TraillWorks, in my spare time, is paint portraits of wedding cakes, aka, Wedding Cake Portraits. It's a great way for me to tie my love of painting with thick oil paints and edible sweets together! I often feel like I'm frosting the cake, in oil. The artistry involved in wedding cakes astounds me and it's an opportunity to create an homage of sorts to these wedding day icons. 

I've been doing this for about five years now, but offering it as a service for about three. Not only have these been presented as wedding gifts, but also as anniversary gifts from one spouse to another, or from parents to their children. In doing these portraits I've gained some awesome clients as well as met some interesting people in the wedding industry.

I was invited to become a member of a private online group, Northern New Jersey Wedding & Event Professionals, by one of the vendors I'm going to profile. Unfortunately due to time constraints with the many avenues my business has taken as well as family obligations with my 2 1/2 year old son, I sometimes feel like a fly on the wall and don't have the time to attend functions and develop more relationships. However, there are several wedding vendors that I have developed really great relationships with or am in the process of it now through this group and outside of it. So for the upcoming Wednesdays I'm going to profile them and write about how we have collaborated and developed business together, through weddings and art!

Wedding Cake Portrait Painting

Detail of Wedding Cake Portrait in Progress by Jennie Traill Schaeffer

I had the good fortune to attend the lovely wedding reception of Mr. and Mrs. Craig and Tracey Ryan on October 2, 2010 at the Primavera Regency in Stirling, NJ. My husband, Lee, works with Tracey at a very small company where everyone is like family. Tracey invited the entire office and it was a chance for me to meet her, as well as spend the evening with Lee's colleagues. Not only was it a beautiful wedding, but we had a terrific time celebrating Tracey and Craig's special day.

In lieu of a registry gift, Lee and I decided, well mostly me since I would be the one spending my time, to present Tracey and Craig with a Wedding Cake Portrait of their cake. Since I am doing this on top of my other obligations, I've only just started it this month. Fortunately, wedding etiquette says I have a year, and Tracey and Craig told me to take my time. My goal is to complete this prior to their first anniversary (I think I can make that deadline)! 

Tracey and Craig's Wedding Cake made by Bovella's Pastry Shoppe

The cake was designed and baked by Bovella's Pastry Shoppe of Westfield. Tracey jogged my taste bud memory with this description: "it was white cake with cannoli cream filling, vanilla butter cream icing, and white and red fondant on the outside with decorative red piping." Doesn't that sound yummy? In many of my Wedding Cake Portraits, I've included textural or ornament details from the bride's wedding gown, and I'm awaiting pictures from Tracey to incorporate some aspects of her dress. 

Wedding Cake Portrait in Progress, 9" x 12", Oil on Canvas Panel, by Jennie Traill Schaeffer

Here's the painting in full view as of today. There's quite a lot of work to go, and some troubles with the structure, which I will correct. The whites will get brightened with more layers and I'll determine how to finish the background, probably with something from Tracey's dress. The last touches will be the arabesque piping, just as they would be on the cake. 

I look forward to sharing the finished painting with you, in the meantime, follow it's progress on Wedding Cake Portrait's Facebook Page. Next blog post coming soon - recent TraillWorks' commissions, gifts, and charitable donation work!

June Wedding . . . Cake Portrait

I write frequent posts about my students, my fine artwork featuring my vintage appliances and aprons, but haven't spent much attention on the very interesting Wedding Cake Portrait. This month, the month of weddings, I finished my first Wedding Cake Portrait commission of the year. I was hired by one of my former college roommates to commemorate her sister and brother-in-law's wedding cake from their February nuptials.

The cake, photographed by Sara Schulte of the Philadelphia area, was composed of three white frosted layers, trimmed with black ribbon, garnished with red roses. It was a simple, and elegant cake. When I was coming up with composition ideas for Michelle, she told me her sister loved her dress, particularly the bow accent below the bodice. I came up with a piece that incorporated that aspect as a punctuation and backdrop for the portrait. 

If you're in Newton during the next two weeks, you can see it in person in my gallery window. I'll be working on framing suggestions to finish it off and send it to Michelle's sister and brother-in-law. This cake was a joy to paint and I wish the couple years of happiness.

Image Above: February 26, 2010, Oil on Canvas, 11" x 14", ©2010 Jennie Traill Schaeffer