Did you see a painter on Prospect Street, battling the wind and rain to capture the Tonic Ball presented by Eskenazi Health festivities on Friday?
As a kid, Nicholai Shaver discovered a passion and a talent for drawing. Continuing on through school at the Herron School of Art and Design, Shaver began to experiment with painting and how to use color properly through color theory classes. Interested in open air art, known as plein air, Shaver started to test speed painting in an open air environment, adding motion, speed, and color to these “sketches.” While some were doing plein air and some did speed painting, open air speed painting was an avenue that Shaver discovered few, if any, had discovered. “People seemed to like this kind of painting, so I kept doing that. It stood out, and was something different. While it’s never fully accurate because of the speed element, I try to capture the spirit of the event and leave the painting itself to interpretation.”
Irvington Halloween Masquerade Ball 2016.
With a giving spirit, Shaver often donates the proceeds raised at auctions to organizations he supports. He has made paintings for the Children’s Museum, the Indianapolis Zoo, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Indiana Roof Ballroom, and the Irvington Halloween Masquerade Ball. “I was raised to be generous. I also stay consistent – if I have a reputation for being there and supporting a cause, I’ll be there.”
A chance meeting with Second Helpings Events Officer Statia Murphy set the stage for one of Shaver’s next projects. “We met at Art vs Art at the Vogue. I was vaguely familiar with Second Helpings and its mission before. Statia told me more about it, and asked that I donate an all-ready-made painting to raise money for Tonic Ball. I like to do paintings live, and I volunteered to do the painting at Tonic Ball itself. I also know Fountain Square well. People enjoy watching live paintings – it’s something different and unexpected, and adds to the overall atmosphere.”
Tonic Ball 14
At Tonic Ball 14 in 2015, Shaver sat in the growing darkness outside of Fountain Square Theatre (FST) for four hours, painting a large representation of Tonic Ball from a bird’s eye view. Included are the lines of people anxiously waiting to get inside the Theatre and other venues, the buildings and streetlights adding a glow to the street, a band walking into the FST for their performance, and Shaver himself, painting in the glow of the Theatre. “The whole street was mine, and I was able to paint what I saw. It added something different to a street where there already was a lot going on.” In 2016 at Tonic Ball 15, Shaved faced weather challenges, when rain and wind hit the area for several hours on Friday night. Graciously, a shop across the street opened its doors to Shaver to paint, until it closed for the evening. Returning to the street, Shaver painted there for a while and then facing more bad weather, went into FST to finish the painting. While the Tonic Ball 14 painting features the outside of FST, the Tonic Ball 15 one features both the inside and outside of the theatre.
Both years, auctioning the painting quickly attracted a substantial number of bids. Shaver finishes the painting when Tonic Ball finishes – “I don’t do any touch-ups. It leaves the event completed.” All of the money from both 2015 and 2016 paintings has been and will be donated to Second Helpings, an extraordinary gesture of generosity and support from a local artist.
In addition to his incredible donation, Shaver generously spent nine hours during two cold November nights to offer something different and fresh to Tonic Ball goers and Second Helpings. “I think that commitment in itself shows how art can be an effective tool to support local causes. You can see Second Helpings impact and generosity in the community – I’ll support a cause that seeks to preserve food while making sure that people are fed.”
Modest about his support of Second Helpings and other organizations, Shaver will continue to back causes he believes in, including Second Helpings. “As long as Tonic Ball and Second Helpings sees me as a helpful hand, I’ll be there.”
Tonic Ball 15
If you’re interested in checking out more paintings (they can be customized) and supporting this local artist and his amazing paintings and generous support of Second Helpings and other organizations, check out his website.