EVENT | Live portraits @ OBN Tennis Canada Players' Party

EVENT-Live-Art_Portrait_OBN25_TennisCanadaParty_Ben_Liu

Live Portrait for National Bank Open - Tennis Canada Players Party

Event Live Portraits | 🎾 National Bank Open

🎾 I was invited to live-sketch at the "Soirée des Joueuse" party by National Bank Open - Canadian Open Tennis Tournament / Omnium Banque Nationale - Tournoi de Tennis du Canada (OBN25) at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel, where Yoko Ono and John Lennon held their "Bed Peace" in 1969.

🎾 In a foreign land, I met players from my hometown, as well as tennis players from various European countries. I'm not a big tennis fan, so I observed and understood them from the perspective of a "bystander" in painting: they travel the world every year to compete, lacking the physical energy and travel to foreign countries for tournaments. All they have is solitude and regular training. They are accompanied by coaches who have become life partners, and parents who accompany them to study. It's difficult to develop long-term friendships in one place...

Behind all the brilliance lies hard work and dedication. They share a similar aspiration: "I hope to settle down somewhere sunny and warm." In the magnificent hotel, they wore no excessive makeup or fancy clothes. Against the backdrop of Montreal's heartland and the tangerine afterglow of the sunset, their tanned skin and subtle wrinkles highlighted their vibrant energy. 🌿☀️💙

🎾 The German Christian lady was interested in Lao Tzu's philosophy, the Polish hip-hop lady discussed her NPD ex-boyfriend and her self-handmade brooches, and the Spanish lady chatted with me while translating for her waiting father. The American coach listened to me and his wife chatting, practicing his Chinese listening skill.

Switching between multiple languages at once, gazing out the window at the sunset and skyscrapers, I felt like being at the Tower of Babel. 😅

Ben Liu drawing live portrait with Huawei Mate 20x

Drawing with Huawei Mate 20 X and digital stylus pen

🖊 The OBN wanted to print digital portraits for the players on-site. I used a Canon 4x6-inch (postcard-sized) compact photo printer (Canon Selphy CP 1500). Printing speed was one portrait/image per minute, perfect for this kind of live event. The colors were also decent, though slightly lighter than on screen.

Thank you again Eleonore and your lovely team !

活动画像 | 🎾加拿大网球赛OBN 球员晚宴

🎾 受邀现场速写于加拿大网球公开赛 OBN25“运动员之夜” / 地点在小野洋子和约翰•列侬1969年进行 “BED PEACE” 的 Fairmont Queen Elizabeth 酒店。

🎾 异国他乡遇见了老乡，还有欧洲各国的网球运动员。我不是网球迷，所以还是照常以绘画“旁观者”的角度来观察和了解：她们每一年都要全球东奔西走参加比赛，没有体力和精力在比赛的异乡游览，有的只是孤独和规律的训练。与她们同行的，有成为人生伴侣的教练，有“陪读”的父母，很难在某个地方发展长期的友谊...... 在光芒的背后都有血汗的付出。她们有类似的向往“希望以后定居在阳光温暖的地方”。在富丽雄伟的酒店中，她们没有过多的妆容和华服，在蒙特利尔最心脏的风景和橘色的夕阳余晖中，黝黑的皮肤和微微的皱纹都反衬了她们旺盛的生命能量。🌿☀️💙