It’s a day for the heart, captured in art.
Artist Julie Riker of Camp Hill is a prolific plein air artist—meaning she paints on location, in the “open air,” capturing the surrounding scenery. But some of the loveliest landscapes include festivities from one of the most treasured days in a couple’s life—their wedding.
“It’s some pressure, but good pressure,” says Riker, 53, a life-long artist who describes her work as “capturing light and mood, with a somewhat impressionist result.”
The key to a plein air wedding painting, Riker says, is an early start.
“I usually show up at least an hour before guests, to block in the architecture or background of the landscape,” Riker says, “and that takes a lot of pressure off, because I’ve gotten through the whole messy stage—and then, I can have fun.”
Working with oil-based paint, Riker usually spends five to six hours on each wedding painting. And her presence adds a fun factor to each wedding.
“People will come up and look—sometimes they’re afraid to talk to me, afraid that they’ll bother me, but that’s not the case at all,” Riker says. “Sometimes they’ll see a figure, and say ‘Oh! That looks like Joe,’ and start laughing—it’s a lot of fun, and then people stop by in another half an hour to see the painting’s progress.”
Riker typically completes the painting by the end of the celebration—although sometimes she adds the finishing touches back in her studio. One of the challenges is the lighting—which changes dramatically throughout the day.
For one bride, lights were important detail she requested Riker to capture on canvas.
“Paintings hold a special place for me,” says Duffee Maddox, who works at the Toledo Museum of Art. In fact, Maddox sent Riker a painting in the museum’s collection as inspiration. “It’s a night time scene with lots of lights, and I wanted our painting to have that kind of feel.”
Maddox envisioned a painting capturing “the party scene” ambiance, at her wedding to Joe Barton—held inside an historic barn, at Gettysburg Battlefield B&B Inn.
“It was super magical,” Maddox recalls. “I remember the moment I walked behind her and saw the painting for the first time—I was just thrilled.”
Nearly two years later, the painting is still prominently displayed in the couple’s living room.
“It’s such a joy to see it every day—it reminds me of one of the best moments in my life,” Maddox explains. “I enjoy looking at it more than my wedding photos.”
Riker, who has won numerous plein air competitions throughout Pennsylvania and beyond, also works as a decorative artist—painting walls, mantels, furniture, and even large-scale church artwork. She’s also done restoration work within the Pennsylvania State Capitol. In addition to wedding paintings, she’s captured special occasions such as a recent birthday celebration held at Harrisburg’s King Mansion.
Her wedding scenes range from an outdoor ceremony at Cumberland County’s Allenberry Resort to a Philadelphia-area country club.
At weddings, it’s not always the bride who commissions Riker’s artwork. One of the most recent wedding paintings Riker created—in October of 2022—was a surprise gift from the bride’s mother.
Cathy Snavely of Mechanicsburg wanted to give her daughter and son-in-law, Rebecca and Joshua Sholly, a truly unique wedding gift—so she hired Riker, a longtime friend.
Against the beautiful backdrop of a Mifflin County estate, Riker painted the couple’s first dance as husband and wife.
“She was able to capture the atmosphere of the venue, and minute details that probably even the naked eye didn’t pick up—outlines of the lace on Rebecca’s dress, with a blue hue, Joshua’s tuxedo, and guests watching them dance,” Snavely describes. “And she was able to make the painting glow with twinkly lights.”
The couple, as well as guests, were stunned at Riker’s ability to translate the special moment into a work of art.
“Nobody could believe she did that, in such a short period of time,” Snavely says. “I can’t imagine painting something live, as it’s happening, but Julie found a way to capture it. She’s just all-around great, as a person and artist—so humble about her artistic ability—and those are the kind of people who bring you joy.”
And Snavely hopes the painting holds a lifetime of joy for her daughter and son-in-law.
“Memories are extremely important to both of them, so maybe the painting will become a family heirloom,” Snavely says.
It’s a thought that Riker holds sacred as she creates each painting.
“There are wedding photographers, videographers, even drone photography,” Riker says, “But I’d like to think my painting captures something about the day that those other forms of documentation do not. Rather than a posed photograph, I’d like to think a painting is a little more poetic, capturing the spirit of the day—and that it’s cherished and maybe passed onto future generations.”
For more information, see julieriker.com.
