The Divine Attributes of Destiny

These works combine photography and painting to transform a traditional portrait into a unique eye-catching hybrid piece. I photographed my sister, Destiny, and altered the portraits by applying traditional acrylic paint over the photo paper. 

Although appearing very different, each piece represents specific qualities Destiny possesses. The comic styled piece represents a deep powerful fighting spirit, an inability to give up. I wanted to convey that quality in this piece; outlined in white, she is the center of attention, unable to miss. With “POWER!” written by her side, and her broad chested stance she steps into her hidden super woman role. 

The surrealist styled piece combines an impossible phenomenon with beauty, emphasizing Destiny’s physical attractiveness and her unique character that is impossible to find in another individual. Traits that society would classify as beautiful – eyes, thin symmetrical nose, plump lips, small chin – are emphasized because their uniqueness is becoming more common as women modify their appearance to fit beauty standards. The ribbon element represents my sister’s ability to think abstractly and overcome seemingly impossible situations. 

Photography captures a singular moment in time and emphasizes a particular three-dimensional object. Painting creates the illusion of three-dimensional objects. Together photography and painting are capable of capturing three-dimensional objects and manipulating them in a traditional, non-digital manner. Portraits can be altered similarly digitally; but the layering of paint, creation of texture, and illumination of brush strokes adds character to the portraits. Displaying my own character is what I love about transforming portraits.