PHOTO: SARAH BECKER PHOTOGRAPHY
THE LIVE PAINTER COLOR ME NOLA
Kristy Oustalet graduated from Loyola University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Following her studies, Kristy explored the art industry through gallery work, working with the New Orleans Film Festival, Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, and was the Art Director for a small company in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Kristy would return to NOLA after working in the arts in cities around the globe, anxious to share her experiences and creativity within the art scene in New Orleans. In 2010, she opened her art studio Color Me Nola. In 2013, she transitioned into Live Event Painting full time, capturing moments as they unfold at an event. Guests watch the evolution of the painting from a blank canvas into its awe-inspiring completion, adding a unique entertainment to an event. Her passionate love of art has transformed her live event paintings into a timeless memory of a special day in the lives of her clients.
Q. HOW DID YOU GET INTO ART IN GENERAL? A. Art has been something I've always been drawn to. I attended NOCCA for High School, attended Loyola for Visual Arts. When in college, I was drawn to the business side of things and ended up working in art galleries. After Katrina I moved to Chicago and did a lot of volunteering at the Modern Art Museum there. I also ran a community arts organization in Thailand after some extensive traveling. I wanted to get a job in the arts in Southeast Asia to get immersed into the culture. When ready to come home and lay down some roots, I decided to combine the two, art and business, and open Color Me Nola in 2010, which originally started off as an art studio where I taught art classes. Painting and drawing classes were offered for kids, teens and adults. Someone asked me to try live event painting...I decided to give it a try. It was a lot of fun. The original clients from the studio helped spread the word about my live event painting. Once you start painting at events, you tend to book more events since people are watching you, as you become part of the event. Q. DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE/TECHNIQUE. A. I use palate knife painting which has a lot of texture, incorporating a lot of colors. The look is more symmetrical, giving a straight-on viewpoint. The style is very clean, textured..a little on the abstract side. Q. WHAT SIZE PAINTINGS DO YOU PROVIDE? A. Usually either 24x30 or 30x40 for the bigger size, depending on what the client requests. Q. WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE A POTENTIAL COUPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR WORK? A. The piece describes the whole night, something you can hang on the wall for a memory, capturing an overall viewpoint of one of your best days. Q. DO YOU FOCUS ON ONE SPECIFIC PART OF THE EVENT? A. I usually like to paint the first dance, because people love that so much. A few times, I have done the cake cutting or the second line. I try to make sure to draw in some key people so they can tell who the people are, capturing their special day. Having worked so many weddings I can tell what needs to be painted and incorporate the details of the wedding planning into the art, making it as custom as possible. Q. DO YOU EVER GET REQUESTS AFTER A WEDDING TO PAINT FROM A PHOTO? A. Yes, when they really want the ceremony painted, this helps, and I can also paint from a photo during the reception. If the couple wants their ceremony painted, but the ceremony is very short, painting the ceremony from a photo while at the reception is a great idea. It allows the couple to have a live event painter there providing entertainment for their guests while capturing the ceremony on canvas. Q. HOW MANY WEDDINGS DO YOU DO IN A YEAR? A. Approximately 30 per year currently. (Cont)
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