Life Story Portraits by Rafael Edwards

Portrait by Rafael Edwards
Comments from a Thankful Retiree
Words cannot describe the range of emotions I experienced when I first saw Rafael’s portrait of me.  What struck me most was how well he captured the essence of my soul, my ever-present sense of humor and my projection of friendly acceptance.  His work transcends drafting images on the page; the lines and colors come alive. You can feel the sense of wanting in my dog’s eyes, see the glow of blood flowing beneath the skin of my face, and hear the lush roll of waves lapping on the sunlit beach.  What makes it special is Rafael’s infusion of wit and whimsy into his work: the lyrics and music to one of my favorite songs to sing placed behind my head; my face appearing on a magazine to which I devoted the last 15 years, tucked neatly in the corner; a gavel and scales of justice, an homage to my early career as a lawyer, planted partly off canvas. These are the perceptions and skills of a pure artist and master of his craft.     
– Peter Scarpato
 

What is a Life Story Portrait?  Doing a portrait is always an interesting challenge, because it is not just a face, it´s the whole person and oftentimes his/her world we are dealing with: How this person feels, their history, their likes, their dreams, and especially their humor.

And the treatment and styling will try to resonate with all that, so we are not adapting the person to a given style but just the opposite. For instance, someone who is a fan of Marvel Comics, or Italian Renaissance painters or surrealist or cubic painting, or graphite drawings or woodcuts, we can render the portrait in any of those styles and more.

The perfect gift that marks the most special occasion: retirement, milestone birthday, an important accomplishment. graduation, Bar Mitzvah,  wedding.
Contact: Nicole Myers, nicole@myerscreative.net, or call 917-609-8029.