Bijoux-Mementi
Portraits
About Bijoux-Mementi
The painted portrait—a small jewel of character and personal history—has, in recent years, been replaced with something else: the polished sheen of vanity selfies or the digitally smoothed faces of those we hold dear.
But painting offers something different. Unlike the quick flash of a camera, it unfolds slowly, intimately. Ground pigment, suspended in oil, layered onto cotton, linen, metal, or wood—each stroke accumulating over time—creates a depth that no screen-filtered image can match. There’s an alchemy to it, a quiet devotion that reveals more than just a likeness.
These small, luminous heirlooms emerge from conversation—moments exchanged, stories told—so that the people who matter most are not just seen, but truly remembered, for a lifetime.
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Alma in Italy
Inks on Metal Tile
10cm by 10cm
Bijoux
These small portraits began almost by accident—a way of holding on to fleeting moments with my own family. Drawing and painting allowed me to notice the quiet shifts over time, to register the changes that might otherwise slip past. More than that, portraiture became a way of looking with care, of keeping close what matters. In stepping back to paint, I found a means of making sense of the emotions that rise and recede in the everyday rhythm of family life.
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Siblings
Oil on metal Tile
10cm by 10cm
Mementi
Born in the ’70s, I lean into that era with a Gen-Kodachrome sensibility. I work with smooth, transparent oil glazes in the bold, unmistakable pigments of the 20th century, layering colour the way vintage film stock holds light—time-stamping each painting as if it were a frame from a classic movie. In essence, I use colour to hold onto memory.
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Helen
Oil on Metal Tile
10cm by 10cm
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Because the art takes time—its a slow and studied process of carefully building layers - it allows people to feel seen, and held in mind. And ultimately, more connected to one another.
How does it work?
The first session is easy, unhurried—a conversation rather than a formal sitting. Years as a Creative Director, shaping visual identities and leading design teams, have refined my instinct for listening, for absorbing ideas, for understanding what someone really wants. As we talk, I’ll quietly take in the details, capturing moments in a way that feels natural—perhaps through photos, a short film, or a few quick sketches. These become a record, something I can return to later, replaying the scene in my mind as I paint.
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Kitsch Creative Director Takes a Break
Oil on Metal
10cm by 10cm
Bijoux
From there, I work through sketches, playing with colour and motif until something feels right. You’ll have the chance to look, to respond, to decide what resonates. The aim isn’t just to create a likeness but something that feels like it belongs to you—something that carries a quiet sense of joy and connection.
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The Godson
Oil on Metal Tile
10cm by 10cm
Mementi
My portraits are quiet reflections of your world, shaped by conversation. That’s where we begin—not with formality, but with a chance to talk. I listen, getting a sense of you, your family, the way you experience things. It’s about tuning in—to your voice, your gestures, the small details that say so much about how you see the world and how you want to be seen.
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Still so Glamorous
Oil on Metal
25cm by 20cm
In creating your *Bijoux-Mementi*, we don’t need to have all the answers from the start. Together, we’ll find the moments that matter—the light catching a face, the texture of something familiar, the quiet between words. That’s why our first conversation is so important. It’s a way of seeing you as you are, rather than imposing a fixed idea. The portrait grows from there, shaped by the details that feel most true.
