It was not something Boyd had planned to do but she became intrigued after seeing a video on TikTok of painters in the United States producing such art.<\/p>\n
Her breakthrough opportunity came in 2021 when she saw a couple wanting a live wedding painter, so she reached out, put her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree to good use and hasn\u2019t looked back since.<\/p>\n
\u201cPainting that first wedding, compared to all the huge bowls moments I\u2019ve been in, was the most nervous I\u2019ve been,\u201d Boyd told the Herald. <\/p>\n
\u201cNow I understand the timing of it and everything it\u2019s not a worry any more, but that first one was a bit nerve-wracking. Getting the exact, perfect likeness can be where the pressure is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pressure is where Boyd thrives and she loves having the ability to perform under it, whether that is with a brush in her hand, or on the bowling green where she usually serves in the skip position, the last player on a team to bowl.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn both of those parts of my life, you get high-pressure situations,\u201d Boyd said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I\u2019m painting, I have eight hours to get an almost finished piece. While in bowls, I\u2019m often the last person to play in the team and one of my strengths is playing a pressure bowl when the game is on the line.\u201d<\/p>\n
The paintings are often organised by the bride or groom, but sometimes they are a surprise arranged by friends or family and Boyd has seen demand from people for a painting to mark the occasion increase.<\/p>\n
While the finished product is a work of art, the entire process is a journey in itself as Boyd can draw a crowd at the venue with guests captivated by the process, which sometimes serves as a form of entertainment during the reception.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone sees you when they arrive, starting it off, and then through the cocktail hour they start seeing things taking shape,\u201d Boyd said. <\/p>\n
\u201cBy the end of the reception there are lots of people who are sort of shocked at how far through the painting I managed to get on the day and they just love watching the start to finish.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about being able to have a cool painting to always have and treasure, and quite a few of my weddings have been surprise gifts and that is always quite cool.\u201d<\/p>\n
Boyd said the most unusual wedding she\u2019s painted at was when a bride rode her childhood horse down the aisle, and one view that continues to elude her is the majestic scenes of Queenstown and W\u0101naka.<\/p>\n
Mandy Boyd during the 2026 New Zealand National Bowls Championships. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
On the green, Boyd wrote her name into the record books in January by becoming the third woman to capture 10 national bowls titles when she claimed her first singles crown.<\/p>\n
She beat Leanne Poulson in the final to put her name alongside New Zealand Hall of Famers Millie Khan and Cis Winstanley.<\/p>\n
Having lost in the singles final twice before, Boyd was pleased to come out on top in a discipline she doesn\u2019t tend to focus on.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was definitely unexpected,\u201d Boyd said. \u201cI was just playing in the singles because the event was in Christchurch and it was easy enough to just go along.\u201d<\/p>\n
Boyd also captured her third pairs title alongside Kristen Edwards to go with six fours titles. <\/p>\n
Boyd was part of the New Zealand fours that won bronze at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, but she doesn\u2019t intend to compete in the Games this year.<\/p>\n