Drawn to the Profile

That experience left a lasting impression. There’s something profound about the silhouette: it reveals the side of ourselves we rarely see. We know our front-facing reflection in the mirror, but our profile remains mostly hidden unless we make a conscious effort to seek it.

I’ve also long been enchanted by cameo jewelry. I keep a small collection, and my daughter has adored them since childhood. There is an inherent romance and elegant timelessness in those classical silhouettes.

My own versions live in the realm of Modern Expressionism — layered, textured, and emotionally alive.

Here are two recent pieces from the series:

A Fragile Promise (1)

A quiet moment of tenderness — a figure gently cradling a butterfly, symbolizing hope, transformation, and the delicate nature of promises we hold.

Keep Your Head to the Sky (1)

An upward-gazing profile filled with quiet strength and aspiration, surrounded by floating butterfly motifs against a deep, contemplative background.

I hope these portraits speak to you — whether through memory, appreciation of form, or the sense of mystery a profile can carry.

Thank you for following my creative journey. I’d love to hear which pieces resonate with you, or if you have your own stories about silhouettes, cameos, or profile portraits.

In the spirit of all the art I create, I’m excited to share a new open series of profile, cameo-like modern portrait paintings.

These mixed-media works begin with a consistent foundational drawing that threads through the entire series. From this base, each piece develops its own unique voice through layers of acrylic paint, graphite, charcoal, watercolor, collage and delicate bits of ephemera. The recurring contour creates continuity while allowing every portrait its own emotion and story.

As I’ve grown as an artist, I’ve become especially drawn to profiles. In photography, I’ve always felt the most authentic moments are captured when the subject is unaware of the camera — that natural, unguarded state reveals true essence. The same quiet pull draws me again and again to the profile view in painting.

A childhood memory recently surfaced that helped me understand this attraction. Many moons ago, my best friend and I were shopping at our local mall for Mother’s Day gifts. As we passed a Hallmark store, we stopped, captivated by an artist creating silhouette portraits. With remarkable skill and calm confidence, he freehand-cut each person’s profile from black paper and mounted it on white. We immediately knew these were the perfect gifts for our moms.

I was mesmerized watching him work — chatting with us while precisely capturing the curve of a nose, the tilt of a head, the gentle line of a neck. Sitting as still as we could, we felt proud to give something so personal and truly artistic.