Understanding Handpainted Photography as Unique Fine Art

Unique handcolored photography is being created in a wide range of styles from lightly colored images to the contemporary heavily painted photos of the prominent artist Holly Roberts.

A classic image where merely a single focal point is handcolored can be greatly effective. A young girl holding a flower where only the flower has a gentle, subtle shade added to it makes a elegant statement.

Yet equally as effective is an photo that has been transformed into a personal artistic statement. The photos of notable artist, Padgett McFeely, is a perfect example. Her pieces range from the classical hand painted photograph to the extreme heavily painted photograph

Since the advent of photography in the early 1800s, photographers have been creating hand colored photography. The excitement upon seeing a life-like image recorded for the 1st time in history gave way to prompt dissatisfaction owing to the fact that the real life colors were not recorded. Early on, daguerreotypes and tintypes had color painted to the surface for the function of making them look more normal. The large majority of clients for the new aspiring photography artist sought out portraits of loved ones and the sole way to delight these customers was to add color by hand. This trend prevailed into the mid-20th century prior to the debut of colour film.

Once color photography was perfected for general use, hand-painted photographs were no longer considered main stream. Now, some artists carry on the tradition of this technique in and of itself as an art form. The new world of digital photography now enables both professionals and novices alike to enjoy the tradition of embellishing their photographs with ease, as well as offering a way to create a fine art photographic print. But there is still nothing like an original silver gelatin photographic print that has been hand-painted. There is an unworldly quality to hand-painted fine art photography which equals no other.

A hand colored photograph is a form of unique fine arts as well as an enduring treasured work of art. Oil paint is one of the most normally used mediums. It is brushed directly on the top of the original black and white photograph. The oil paint actually seals the surface of the print, which results in the handpainted photograph being more archival than an conventional black and white artisan photograph. The photographer is in no way limited to oil paint. A wide variety of mediums can be employed in the technique of coloring photographs. Watercolor, acrylic, color pencil, chalk pastel, crayon, magic markers - the sky’s the limit! The surface of the print must be taken into consideration, however. A paper with “tooth” is necessary for pencil application, for example.

McFeely refers to her imagery with a sense of reverence. “Capturing illusions of reality on film by utilizing the raw purity of black and white photography is intrinsic to my work. As my imagery advances through a variety of stages, I am in essence seeking for that dream in the back of my mind”. Enter into her dream world and explore the beauty of a hand painted photograph.

To see samples of McFeely's Hand Colored Photographs visit www.GoodHandArts.com.
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