Portraits and Flowers

Thank you to all the fabulous people who have contributed to the project so far - it has been an honour and pleasure. Participants come from a variety of backgrounds, with ages ranging from 14 to 89. Each participant has brought wonderful creative dimensions and something of their personal journeys to the project - thank you!

Models: Natalia, Tim, Meric, Katie, Micci, Frank, Cathy, Anindya, Alix, Fiona, Oscar, Camille, Judy, Katherine, Sarah, Adanna, Randy, Jade, Amelia, Lauran, Anchal, Stella, Graham, Anne, Lulu Blue, Michael and Margaret.

MUA: Mel (Glamourie Make Up Artistry), Neha Suryavanshi, Nicole (@niixmakeupartistry), Nikki (@nikki_abrams_mua), Rania (@raniafaith_makeup), Clara Mj C

Assistants: Joce, Annabel, Rafi, David, Cathy, Cristy, Luke, Musli, Matthew, Andrea, Michael, Cathy, Lucy, Sue, Sylvie, Andrew

The flowers have come from local markets and florists, and from the beautiful gardens of Lynn and Ian, and Elana and Valeri (special thanks).

This project celebrates beauty by portraying people with flowers to create gallery-quality photographs inspired by Dutch Golden Age paintings. 17th Century Dutch artists were famous for their portraits and still life paintings. The idea is not to re-create art from the past (although that could be fun!), but to build on the wisdom of the Dutch masters in a contemporary context, reflecting who people are and what they do, with plenty of scope for creative expression. Some of the characteristics of Dutch Golden Age art are authentic representation of character, beautiful light, subtle colour, and wonderful composition.

The project had its origins in 2017 and continues in 2022. If you are interested in the project, please contact me.

The Portraits and Flowers Project is a non-commercial project intended to encourage artistic collaboration and celebrate beauty in all of us.

Call and Artist Statement

Model Release

Portraits and Flowers Gallery

Portraits and Flowers 2018-2020 Photobook

Portraits and Flowers 'Extras'

Notes on the double profile portrait of Amelia

Art and Photography - A Short History of Portraiture