Custom Artwork Creation: Featuring Fiber Artist and Bridal Designer Chrissy Wai-Ching
Every narrative portrait begins with a design consultation meeting. We start with a blank slate and work through a short series of questions that guide our co-creative process. This initial interview sets the stage for what comes next but there is no rigid script to follow. Your narrative portrait design and process are as unique as you are. This dance of human connection shared thoughts, inspirations, and aspirations that sets the direction for your custom artwork.
The journey to creating your custom artwork is a collaborative one, and it starts with a simple conversation.
I met Chrissy in her design studio in Seattle’s Pioneer Square. Her studio is a wash of flowing fabrics and colors. Red-orange corals, golden yellows, and blush pinks fade into teals and turquoise blues of all shades like the sunset as it meets the ocean. Outside her studio, Chrissy is always in motion. She runs daily, not just for exercise but to get from one place to another. Inside her studio, she exudes an intense sense of calm and strength. A calm that comes from having truly mastered her craft and a strength that comes from creating in line with her deeply rooted Puerto Rican and Chinese cultural heritage. For Chrissy’s narrative portrait capturing both a sense of movement and the calm mastery that she embodies was important. Photographing her surrounded by her flowing hand-dyed silk seemed obvious to both of us.
“My experience co-creating was super spontaneous and playful. I really enjoyed that we were able to just brainstorm in real-time and that it didn’t feel at all rigid or contrived. That kind of approach really suits my personality and sensibility so it felt very authentic to me. I was surprised at what a creative experience it was. I’ve had several portraits done in the past and this was by far the most artistic and creative approach. I wanted to bring an organic, spontaneous, free feeling to my portrait and this definitely captures that.”
In the world of custom artwork, it's not just about capturing an image; it's about capturing your story.
We set the stage for her portrait by placing her in amongst her sample dresses and then directing a series of fans at the fabric to set them flowing around her. There was a great deal of trial and error getting the fabric flowing just right. Flowing fabrics have a mind of their own but true to form Chrissy looks serine and powerful in the midst of them. Chrissy's narrative portrait captures both her movement and mastery, a true representation of the serene power she embodies.
The journey to creating your custom artwork is an exploration of human connection, spontaneity, and collaboration, ignited by a simple conversation. Your narrative portrait is a visual representation of your identity.
