Paulette Traverso
In 2011, my lifelong love of vintage photos, the spark of an idea, and access to an unusually large number of vintage images, created the right conditions for an on-going body of work that I call “Drawing on History”. The initial concept was to work in color on black and white portraits. But as in all journeys, creative and otherwise, I find it best to go with my intuition. I began black ink drawings on the photos.
The process of creating a piece begins with a silent inquiry with the image in that long ago captured moment. The drawing experience is like a jazz improvisation in ink or paint. I stop when the connection ends. It can be one long dialogue, or, “conversations” over time, before the piece is complete. An intimacy develops with the images that creates a palpable bond that I re-experience looking at them, much like the feeling when meeting old friends.
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