Miami Artist Courtney Einhorn Takes Her Bursts of Color for a Live Painting During Pitbull's NYE Party

Years ago, when Courtney Einhorn was in third grade at Leewood Elementary School, a famous artist visited her class as a guest speaker. Using the old-fashioned overhead projector, Romero Britto showed the class step-by-step how to make one of his drawings. That was years before the Brazilian pop painter would become a household name in Miami, and it seems his school visit left an impression on a young Einhorn.

“I don’t have many memories of elementary, but that visit just stuck with me forever,” she says.

The South Miami raised artist, who is now 30 and building up her career as a painter, accredits Britto for planting the seed and her mother for adding the much-needed nourishment to make that seed blossom. Two years ago, Einhorn left her full-time job as a speech therapist and began searching for something more fulfilling. After graduating with her masters degree and working in the field for four years, she felt her life needed a change — a pop of color, if you will.

“Right after I quit my job, my mom called me saying she had a blank canvas with some paint at the house and she wanted me to do something for her,” recalls Einhorn. So, like any good daughter with nothing else to do, she went over and made her mom a painting. The next day, she went to the art supply store and bought herself dozens of blank canvases and plenty of paint.

After dedicating about two months to painting, the self-taught artist applied for exhibition space at her favorite gallery, Art Fusion, and got accepted to showcase her work for three months in 2014.

Since then, work has been steadily flowing. She applied for a tent space during the Coconut Grove Arts Festival earlier this year and got it; most recently she was one of a handful of artists selected by the Miami Miami Parking Authority to beautify a parking meter in Wynwood; and during Miami Art Week, she did a live painting of some high-end sneakers at Kruzin Footwear.

However, one of the most exciting moments of her career is about to happen this week.

The artist has been invited to do a live painting at the New Times activation within the food and wine footprint of Pitbull's Worldwide Food & Wine Party at Bayfront Park for New Year’s Eve. She has no idea what to expect of her 15-minutes of fame after Mr. Worldwide autographs her painting, but her face lights up when she says in astonishment, “I’ll be doing something that I love and people are actually enjoying my work.”

Though she doesn’t want to reveal what she will be painting on stage, she does say that she already has a few sketches and a clear vision in mind. Much like her other works, there’s no doubt that we can expect plenty of bright colors. “I don’t know why, but I can’t seem to get away from the color,” she says with a laugh, adding, “Every single painting I have has at least ten or 11 colors in it.”

Courtney Einhorn live during Pitbull’s Worldwide Food & Wine Party on NYE
Thursday, December 31, at Bayfront Park from 7 to 10 p.m. The event is free, though there are ticketed options. Visit worldwidefoodandwine.com for more party information, and visit courtneyeinhorn.com to keep up with the artist and to inquire about any of her works.