When I arrived in Seattle, I was trying to reinvent myself creatively, and I made a lot of large mixed-media collage portraits. I have an extensive collection of old books, magazines, brochures, and catalogs etc, and that’s where I searched for portrait subjects. Usually just nameless people, chosen for their appealing and/or interesting faces. Quite a few of them came from 50’s – 60’s home maker magazines like Better Homes and Gardens and Ladies Home Companion. Others came from detective magazines.
I have always admired portraits created by Mel Ramos, Roy Lichtenstein, and Warhol. Minimalist facial features and detail, like vintage paperback book covers. And that’s what I was trying to achieve. I was fairly prolific, and ended up hanging pieces in coffee shops and small galleries. That is, until I discovered Photoshop.
