Bijoux-Mementi
"painted jewels", "memory and truth", "modern heritage"
About Bijoux-Mementi
Painted portraits, small jewels of personal history, have recently been confused with vanity selfies, digitally botoxed photographs, or other non-artistic representations of the significant people in our lives. But there's something intimate, primitive, and beautifully slow about paint. Ground up pigment, suspended in oils, layered lovingly onto cottons, linens, metals, or wood - that offers a magically richer, deeper, vision of the ones we love.
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These small and colourful heirlooms, are created from conversations with you and your family. So that you can celebrate the most special people in your life, for a lifetime.
Bijoux
I started making these small portraits without really planning to, as a way of holding on to moments with my own family. Through drawing and painting, I found a way to witness the subtle changes over time and express my desire to keep those I love close and cared for. Portraiture became a means of stepping back, making sense of the emotions that ebb and flow in the everyday rhythm of family life.
Mementi
I'm a '70s baby, and I embrace that era with a Gen-Kodachrome vibe. I enjoy using smooth, transparent oil glazes in vibrant 20th-century pigments to time-stamp my paintings, much like vintage film stock does for a classic movie. In effect, I use colour to capture memory.
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 initial session feels relaxed and informal, a process refined by years of experience as a Creative Director, where I shaped visual identities and guided design teams. I'll be listening to you, absorbing ideas, and getting to know what you really want. During our conversation, I’ll quietly capture moments—whether through photos, a short film, or a few sketches—creating a record of scenes I can revisit later, or replay in my mind while painting.
Bijoux
From there, I take what I’ve gathered and explore ideas through sketches, thinking about colours and motifs that feel right. You’ll have a chance to look at these and decide what resonates, making sure the final portrait isn’t just an image but something that feels like it belongs to you, something that brings a gentle sense of joy and connection.
Mementi
My portraits are subtle reflections of your world. They grow out of conversation, which is how we begin, with a conversation—nothing formal, just a chance for me to listen and get a sense of you, your family, and how you experience things. It’s a way for me to tune in to your voice, the way you move, and the small details that say so much about how you see the world and how you want to be seen.
In creating your Bijoux-Mementi, we don’t need to have all the answers right away. Together, we’ll find those small, delicate moments of meaning. The way light brushes the face, the texture of familiar objects, or the rich silence between words. That’s why our initial conversation is such an important part of the process. It’s the way I get to see you as you are, rather than imposing some preconceived idea onto you.