Vintage Business

Chester Laundry, 7 x 9½" watercolor

I remember the first time I was asked to paint a place of business. It was a commissioned painting that would become a gift to my customer’s husband. I drove out to take photos of the designated workplace, and I remember thinking I had never seen a more uninspiring subject matter. It was a one-story building, flat-roofed that appeared to stretch out forever. Without giving away where this was, I will stop here with the description.

Not so with the business that was suggested I paint earlier this month in Chester, South Carolina. If someone had set me loose to paint any building in Chester, this is the one I may likely have chosen. Chester Laundry & Dry Cleaners is said to be the oldest business in Chester. Originally constructed as Farthing Steam Laundry prior to 1908, the business has been in the Whitesides family for more than one generation.

Wedding in Chester, South Carolina

Lowrys Schoolhouse, 7 x 9½" watercolor

I just received my second booking to paint a wedding in 2018. How time flies! This will mark my tenth year to receive commissions to paint weddings.

Last weekend I painted my first rained-out wedding, this one in Chester, South Carolina. The show went on, of course, but under a tent, not as planned. Both me and my paintings were rained on at the Friday evening rehearsal. The rehearsal dinner following was inside, and although it was unseasonably cold out, at least we were under shelter for dinner. Here’s historic Lowrys Schoolhouse, converted to a community center, where dinner and toasts followed the rehearsal.