We are hopeless romantics. It was Ben's paintings that were the start of our own love story.
Meet Ben and Jen Keys, the husband-wife team and heart behind the business. As serendipity would have it, their own love story began with art.
Jen met Ben after she discovered one of his coastal landscape paintings hanging in an office. The two fell in love and tied the knot in one of downtown Charleston's gorgeous art galleries.
Today, Ben and Jen collaborate to serve couples with one-of-a-kind heirloom wedding art and a seamless experience. Ben is one of the country's top live wedding painters, while Jen assists clients as Studio Manager.
Ben Keys's approach to painting is grounded in his academic training and professional experiences in the plein air landscape, inspired by the brushwork and interest in light of French Impressionism, but in his own signature voice. You may have spotted Keys at his easel on outdoors in the southeastern states interpreting the changing moments of light and shadow in paint.
He received a formal education in painting and drawing at the Torpedo Factory, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the International School of Painting in Umbria, Italy. While in Chicago, Keys apprenticed at Tres Jolie Studios creating murals & interiors. He then become one of the original live wedding painters in the country—and he has since been creating heirloom art pieces for couples worldwide for over ten years.
Jen has called the wedding industry home for 15 years. Before launching Wed on Canvas together with Ben, she worked for couture-bridal designer Modern Trousseau. The transition from the luxury bridal market to managing the studio here at Ben Keys Fine Art was a natural one. She has coordinated over 400 of Ben's live wedding paintings around the world. Coordinating with each couple, venue, and planner from the initial commission to the delivery of the finished wedding painting. You will fall in love with her bubbly personality and contagious passion for all-things-weddings!
When she isn't in the studio, Jen loves spending time with Ben and their 3 girls: Emeline (7), Eloise (5), and Estelle (1). Jen is so happy to have called Charleston home for over a decade!
Emeline + Eloise + Estelle. They are the forever why behind everything we do. (...you can find us crying during the Father of the Bride speeches!)
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We feel so lucky to call Charleston home! Fun(ny!) fact: We once moved away from Charleston, bought our "dream home," and within a month, decided to move back to Charleston!
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... most likely found snoozing under the easel! Tza-Tza and Marlow are our two adorable smushy-face Himalayan floofs!
One of the best thing to come out of 2020 was Ben finally having studio time to create a painting from our own wedding photos!
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Ben created a live painting at the breathtaking Bussaco Palace in Portugal. From Palm Beach, to Telluride, Martha's Vineyard, to Sea Island ... we are here for each adventure!
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We will never forget opening up that newspaper! Being interviewed and photographed for the NY Times has been our favorite press feature to date!
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And at the end of the (wedding) day, it's about relationships with family and friends ... and sharing unforgettable, beautiful moments together. Our clients value the entertainment that Ben's live wedding paintings bring, and at the same time ... can't wait to style this heirloom together inside their home.
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