Blackwell Studios Books

I am a trained artist with years of experience in the graphic arts. Add an avocation of photography and expertise in digital art manipulation to be the perfect person to help you restore family images, or create new images based on those images you have and your ideas on what a new portrait could present. One of my major undertakings over the past several years has been documenting the life of my great-grandmother, Emily, especially her life in Cuba during the first two decades of the twentieth century. I have a large collection of family history, but nothing that resembled what my research revealed was fitting of Emily. So, I created this fictional, fantastic image from many pieces. I wanted to see Emily in Cuba with one of her many horses. There is a La Gloria City legend of her and a horse that puts her very firmly in my mind. I want to see this image in all its detail and then paint it. And then see her move. There is no photo of her like that in my family's collection. I have only photos of her in childhood, her twenties and sixties. I had two low quality photos of her in Cuba in her forties, but they were facing the camera. I wanted her to face her horse. There is only one profile image of her—the family photo where she holds my grandfather on her lap when she was in her twenties. Enrique often said she was known to wear complicated hairdos in her everyday life in Cuba; no one ever saw her long hair worn loose. Never casually, though her life in La Gloria rarely rose above casual. I have photos of her complicated hairdos. It was easy to put this profile (adding in only the hidden jawline) to the smock-attired torso in her exit visa photo...the oval one. I look at this one the most. And she looks back. Perhaps she would have worn long sleeves, but I already see the need to have her arms bare to show how her often-described femininity riled her boldness of spirit. And whose lovely arms come to mind? Sargeant's Madame X. And then I saw his Lord Ribblesdale. His vest, jodhpurs, and boots were perfect to start. Certainly Emily's boots would need to be rough, but I can photograph Julia's well-worn riding boots when we pose her with her friend's Arabian horse.  I'll use my straw hat and make up a belt. Slide in a swagged velvet curtain to represent her fancy past. Throw in a few Milagros for her usual mystery. And the backdrop is the actual path she traveled often between her house in La Gloria and her farm. And something in her own handwriting proclaiming her gratitude. "I give grateful thanks that what we call chance has drawn me into your orbit. We are told that there is no such thing as chance— it is but a law of nature misunderstood."

Archive quality print available

 

EMILY WITH HORSE IN CUBA

Image size 14 x 18 inches / 36 x 46 cm

Trim size 16 x 20 inches / 40 x 50 cm

Printed on Hahnemühle

Fine art print photo rag, 308g/m²

100% cotton with a fine, soft surface

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£50

In the beginning, when I discovered Emily, I scanned everything with her face on it. There weren't that many. But the collection grew. I wanted to get to know her face at any age. First thing was to get rid of the dust and cracks. I did the face first and worked outward. The more I got rid of, the more dust I saw. It is so distracting.
And then I came across a mini photo album that likely belonged to my great great great-grandmother Phoebe. It fit in the palm of my hand and held postage stamp sized images, two per page, of her grandchildren, mounted behind gold mattes. Emily was in it four times...three different ages. And I recognized her brother, William, twice. What a delight to add them to the collection.

£75

Archive quality print available

 

SEEN AND HEARD

Trim size 18 x 24 inches / 46 x 62 cm

Printed on Hahnemühle

Fine art print photo rag, 308g/m²

100% cotton with a fine, soft surface

 

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