We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Izzy Rinehart a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Izzy, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Live wedding painting is one of the most unique art forms I’ve ever encountered – it’s plein air, portraiture, and speed painting all rolled into one, executed live during one of the most emotional and high-pressure days of someone’s life. You’re not just creating art; you’re capturing a moment as it unfolds, surrounded by movement, energy, and unpredictability.

My path to this niche started with my degrees in Animation and Painting. I’ve always found myself drawn to storytelling and the beauty of the human experience, whether that’s through sequential, time-based art like animation or capturing a fleeting moment in time with paint. My first love has always been plein air painting: capturing the landscape on-site, immersed in the light, atmosphere, and emotion of a place. When I discovered live wedding painting, it felt like the perfect intersection of everything I care about as a painter; it’s storytelling in real time, painted from life, with all the energy and emotion of a wedding day.

To speed up my learning process, I invested in courses like the Wedding Painters’ Blueprint by Stephanie Gaffney, which is tailored specifically to live wedding painters. That course, along with dedicated plein air practice and ongoing studio work, helped me build the technical skills and confidence needed to perform in a live, high-pressure setting.

One of the most essential skills in this field, aside from being a skilled and practiced painter, is the ability to think quickly and adapt. Weddings are fast-paced and full of moving parts: changing light, unexpected weather, shifting compositions, and working respectfully alongside other vendors. On top of that, you have to engage warmly with guests and provide a luxury-level experience to the couple; when you’re naturally introverted, this can be a difficult thing to overcome, as maybe some other studio artists can attest to.

Live wedding painting is truly a service-based art form. I’m not just painting for my couples, I’m collaborating with them and blending their vision with my artistic knowledge to create something timeless. That balance is essential.

The biggest obstacle early on was simply getting experience painting live at events. The live wedding painting community worldwide has been incredibly generous with sharing knowledge, critique, and support, but nothing can replace the experience of actually painting at a wedding or event. When I started in 2022, I posted in my local neighborhood Facebook group, explained what I was trying to do, and offered to paint someone’s wedding for free in exchange for the experience. That first wedding gave me the chance to practice, find my rhythm, and confirm that I truly loved it (Spoiler alert: I absolutely did and took live painting full-time!)

Ultimately, live wedding painting is not *just* about making a beautiful painting, it’s about delivering a professional, memorable service that feels just as special as the day itself.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hi! My name is Isabelle Rinehart, but you can call me Izzy. I’m a live wedding painter and animation artist, and a 2020 graduate of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania (now PennWest Edinboro), where I earned a BFA in 2D/Traditional Animation and Painting with minors in Drawing and Illustration. Like many artists, I’ve been drawing since I could hold a pencil. I fell in love with animation early on: shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Teen Titans (2003), and video games like Final Fantasy X and Kingdom Hearts lit the creative spark that made me want to bring stories to life through movement.

Before diving into animation, I also discovered a deep love for painting. I began my education at Harrisburg Area Community College, where I immersed myself in studio painting courses that awakened something in my soul. Later, a summer landscape painting course at Edinboro became one of the most pivotal classes I’ve ever taken. It rekindled my love for plein air painting and the beauty of capturing life as it unfolds. I dreamed of working in visual development, a field that blended everything I loved: storytelling, color, mood, and character-driven design.

But when the pandemic hit, everything changed. The animation industry took a major blow, and more recently, the rise of AI has created even more uncertainty for artists in that field. For the first time, my creative calling felt out of reach. I entered a period of depression and found myself drifting, working retail and eventually taking on management roles in the medical cannabis industry, where I met some of the most unique and kind-hearted people. Eventually, I transitioned into a full-time graphic design role at a medical college.

It was between those two chapters that I discovered live wedding painting on social media, and something clicked. Here was a beautiful, expressive art form rooted in plein air painting and storytelling, combining gesture, light, and portraiture to capture real moments as they happened. As someone who thrives on words of affirmation and loves making people feel seen and celebrated, it felt like this craft was made for me. I never imagined I’d work in weddings, but I quickly fell in love with the artistry behind them – from the thoughtful details and color palettes to the architecture of the venues and the overwhelming joy that fills the air. It’s truly an artist’s dream.

After three years of working full-time while painting weddings and events on the weekends, I recently took my live wedding painting business full-time in April 2025.

What sets my work apart is the balance I strike between artistic excellence and heartfelt service. Live wedding painting isn’t just about creating a beautiful piece, it’s about being fully present, adapting in real time, and creating a painting that feels like them. I see myself as a collaborator, helping couples see their story through a poetic, painterly lens. From the quality of my materials to the way I show up on the wedding day and the care I take finishing and shipping each painting, I’m committed to delivering a luxury experience from start to finish.

I’m most proud of the emotional impact my work has on people. I’ve had couples cry when they see their painting for the first time. I’ve had parents tell me it’s their most cherished keepsake. Guests often stop and watch in awe as the piece comes to life before their eyes. That’s what drives me – creating beauty that means something.

If there’s one thing I want people to know, it’s this: I’m not here to just “paint your wedding.” I’m here to witness it with you. To tell your story with honesty, warmth, and artistry. To create something that lives on, long after the cake is eaten, the flowers fade, and the music stops. Your love story deserves to be immortalized in art, and it’s my greatest joy to do just that.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

Yes, I’m a full-time wedding painter now, but it wasn’t something I ever expected when I started. I actually went to school for animation and earned my degree right as the pandemic hit. Everything was on pause, especially in the creative industries, so the traditional animation career path just wasn’t an option at the time.

While I was figuring out what was next, I stumbled across live wedding painting. It was just starting to go viral, and the moment I saw it, something clicked. I was completely drawn in. I gave it a try in 2022, booking a couple of weddings just to test the waters, and instantly fell in love with the whole experience.

At the time, I was working full-time as a graphic designer. It was fine, but something about sitting behind a screen in a corporate environment didn’t feel right for me. It felt like I was leaving a big part of myself at the door every day.
So I kept painting on weekends. For about two and a half years, I balanced both working my 9 to 5 and painting weddings on the side. I poured everything I earned from painting back into the business and saved intentionally because I knew I wanted to make the leap.

I also hired a business coach, Carissa Kruse, about one year before I quit my job to help me get strategic and make sure I had the right marketing and processes in place to make it a successful transition. In 2025, I finally did it. I left my full-time job and went all in on my painting business. It’s been the most rewarding and aligned decision I’ve ever made. Now I get to use my artistic background to create something meaningful for people, and the business is growing faster than I ever imagined.

What started as a side hustle has truly become my dream job.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

There are really two sides to this for me, creating art as a service to others and creating art as a form of personal expression.

When I’m painting live at weddings, I’m not just creating something beautiful. I’m capturing a moment in time, turning memories and emotions into something tangible. It’s deeply rewarding to know that I’m giving couples something they’ll treasure for the rest of their lives. Photography will always have its place, but there is something uniquely powerful about a piece of painted poetry. I get to witness the day unfold, celebrate alongside the guests, and weave little details I observe into the final piece, like bubbles floating through the ceremony or a bouquet that holds a special meaning. These moments might never make it into a formal photo, but they live on in the painting.

Then there’s the personal side. Creating art is how I process the world. It’s how I express myself, how I communicate what words sometimes can’t. Art has always been a part of who I am. I truly can’t imagine a version of my life that doesn’t include being creative. No matter what season I’m in, I’ll always be doing something creative. It’s not just what I do, it’s who I am.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.izzydoesart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_izzydoesart?igsh=NzJweG40b2dhNTFo&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/izzydoesart/
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@_izzydoesart

Image Credits

Kara Slayton – Captured by Kara – https://capturedbykaraphotography.com/

Katie Mihalak Photography – http://www.katiemihalak.com/

Afton, Afternoon Media Pittsburgh – https://afternoonmediapgh.com/

Jacob Sukhenko, PennWest Edinboro Film and Photograph and NWPA Beehive Edinboro – https://philm.school/ , https://www.nwpabeehive.com/