Nimrat and Vivek

Nimrat and Vivek’s stunning Anand Karaj wedding ceremony at London’s Khalsa Jatha British Isles, the first Gurdwara to be established in Europe in 1908. Despite its location in the bustling heart of London, there’s a real sense of tranquillity here. Daylight floods into the Diwan Hall, thrown over the walls and the rich ruby carpet, and is reflected by the majestic white domed palki. The magnificent chandelier provides further lighting and pure elegance.

All of these fabulous features deserve their due credit so, in our pre-wedding consultation, we discussed an off-centre, angled viewpoint to include everything, with some artistic licence to include more of the iconic chandelier. This angle also allows a more front-on view of the happy couple as they approach the holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, as they circle around it for a key part of the ceremony.

Nimrat & Vivek are such a happy couple and wanted their joyfulness to shine through in their painting. Even though the ceremony entails an earnest, spiritual observance of one’s faith, I’ve painted them smiling to convey their true characters.

I’ve included here a photograph showing how I paint around the sides of the deep-edged canvas, to make the picture more immersive for the viewer.