Handmade art inspired by Vintage photographs 

 

Drawing from photos is one of the first practices I took up as an artist since I was given my first sketchbook at the age of 7. 

 

When Hurricane Ivan struck Florida in 2005, every house to the east of my grandmother's was washed away.  The following summer I went down to stay with her and while there I found a box of old family photos in her closet.  Devastated at the possibility of them being lost in another storm, I took them back to New York City.  It was fascinating to hold these moments from the lives of family I'd never know.  I enjoyed the faded and overexposed images, the expressions, the clothing, and thinking about the subjects relationship to whomever snapped the photo.  That year I was taking a Lithography class at NJCU.  I used several photos for prints, exploring manipulating the different tones and shapes in Photoshop into different levels of ink.   After graduating with my BA in Fine Arts Drawing and Painting, I started a series of colored pencil drawings of the photos.  Over the years the series has grown. The finished pieces are made entirely by hand in colored pencil, gouche paint, or oil paint. Usually I alter the images digitally to change the colors before starting the hand work. .  

These pieces make great gifts, especially for anniversaries and weddings.  I feel so honored every time I get to create a special piece of art that will become part of a family history.  

 

If you have a photo you would like to see made into a beautiful art piece, please contact me for details.  The price is determined by the size and complexity of the image and can range from several hundred to several thousand dollars. The works can take several months to complete.