If you are, Sophia Ng, a live event artist, is who you should call.
While she paints mostly weddings as the day’s events unfold before her very eyes, she also accepts requests for birthdays and corporate functions. Each of her acrylic paintings are simply exquisite.
Chatting with FMT Lifestyle, this former principal of an art school, shared that she became a live artist in December 2020 when the pandemic forced the school shut.
A self-taught artist, she said staying at home after taking a pay cut was tough and she often felt as if her life was spiralling out of control.
So, she enrolled in the National Art Gallery’s Young Art Entrepreneurs programme and began looking for a suitable business opportunity.
“Becoming an artist that only sold art in galleries was never an option for me because I felt that I’m not professionally trained. It’s really hard to compete with a lot of great artists,” said the 30-year-old psychology graduate from Ipoh.
Her humble background played an important role in her pursuit to be financially stable. After all, her parents were hawkers and she knew how tough life could be sometimes.
As she contemplated various business ideas, she was clear about certain things: her business had to be art-related. It had to sustain her lifestyle. And it had to allow her eight hours of sleep daily.
When she came across a live painter in the US on TikTok, she knew she had found her ideal job.
“I did some research and couldn’t find any in Malaysia or Asia. I wondered why because I would have wanted it for my wedding!”
But painting live was not easy, the biggest challenge being completing the painting within a set timeframe.
She still wanted to give it a try. So, she picked up her brush and practised speed painting using photographs of weddings from various cultures. She also took time-lapse videos as she painted.
After posting her work on social media, she was thrilled to receive positive feedback – and several bookings!
That was all she needed to kick-start her business. She resigned from her job and jumped into her new venture full-time, buoyed by the support of her husband, Johnson Tee.
Today Ng, who describes herself as Malaysia’s first full-time live event artist, has a team of five full-time and freelance artists to support her. They cover an average of eight to 10 weddings per month.
“I think one of the reasons why there aren’t many live painters around is because when it comes to painting, an ideal environment is to be in one’s own space with no interruption.
“But a wedding is the opposite of that. If it’s outdoors, it might rain. Some weddings are also really noisy and crowded,” she said.
Thankfully, her past experience as an art teacher has come in handy when dealing with unpredictable situations.
She also ensures that she starts painting before guests arrive to “get herself in the zone”. “Once my mind is in the zone, I have tunnel vision. Even if it gets noisy, I can still focus on the painting,” she shared, adding that she takes approximately five to six hours to complete one painting.
Naturally, live painting can be exhausting, she said. “It’s like running a marathon. You cannot stop, knowing if you did, the painting won’t be completed.”
Still, there have been some particularly meaningful moments.
“I’ve had requests to add family members and pets who have passed, to the painting. When the couple sees the painting, there are normally tears.”
There is something else she especially loves about being a live painter in Malaysia. “I wouldn’t be able to attend so many weddings of various cultures otherwise. It’s quite a blessing to know all these and it has made me love being a Malaysian more than I used to.”
Learn more about Sophia Ng on her website and follow her on Instagram.