ABOUT ME
ABOUT ME
ABOUT ME
My name is Erin Ferraro and I’m an artist, wife and mother of three who specializes in watercolor portraits. I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art with a concentration in illustration from California State University Northridge and attended intensive summer courses at Otis College of Art and Design. As a child I studied art from a you
My name is Erin Ferraro and I’m an artist, wife and mother of three who specializes in watercolor portraits. I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art with a concentration in illustration from California State University Northridge and attended intensive summer courses at Otis College of Art and Design. As a child I studied art from a young age. I loved to draw and art class remained my favorite subject in school no matter what age I was. My High School portfolio gained me acceptance into the BFA program at California State University Long Beach where I started studying initially, then later transferred to Cal State University Northridge. As much as I always wanted a career in art, my career path following college graduation led me towards retail management and business development. I was able to incorporate my art background into marketing and merchandising within my last position managing a flagship spa and retail store for 7 years. The location served as a worldwide model for the company and I wrote numerous business articles that were published in trade magazines. During that time I married my wonderful husband and I worked full time up until the birth of my first child. Since then I have been lucky to be able to stay home to raise our three children and am thrilled to be pursuing painting again. My paternal grandmother was an incredible artist and she also painted portraits when my father and his siblings were young. I love that I’m keeping the tradition going and honoring her memory through my paintings.
Medium
ABOUT ME
ABOUT ME
I currently work in watercolor and occasionally incorporate gouache paint as well. I love how the fluidity of watercolor gives paintings a whimsical feeling and I think it lends to a more emotional and expressive tone in portraits. Watercolor has a sheer transparency which creates beautiful skin tones and shadows when layering colors, but
I currently work in watercolor and occasionally incorporate gouache paint as well. I love how the fluidity of watercolor gives paintings a whimsical feeling and I think it lends to a more emotional and expressive tone in portraits. Watercolor has a sheer transparency which creates beautiful skin tones and shadows when layering colors, but still allows for precise details which are so important when capturing the delicate feature of a child’s face or the character of one's home. I have experimented with many mediums and while I enjoy painting in oil and acrylic, my favorite medium in school was always watercolor. With my concentration of illustration in college, my paintings were finely detailed and perfection was my focus. While I now love the more organic approach of watercolor portraiture, many years of studying detail in drawings and paintings has helped build a foundation for capturing likeness and the fine details that matter most in portraits. While it’s not the easiest or most forgiving medium, I was up for the challenge and felt that if I was specializing in portraiture of children, pets, and homes then watercolor was a must!
Process
Inspiration
Inspiration
I paint from a favorite photo of your choice and we can work together to choose the best option. Simple photos snapped on phones can work well and professional photos are always great too. I love when there’s details on a child's face such as some sunshine on the hair, or light highlighting one side of the face as it adds interest and he
I paint from a favorite photo of your choice and we can work together to choose the best option. Simple photos snapped on phones can work well and professional photos are always great too. I love when there’s details on a child's face such as some sunshine on the hair, or light highlighting one side of the face as it adds interest and helps make the painting pop. Siblings can be painted together or separately. And as I’m an animal lover I enjoy painting portraits of pets!!
Inspiration
Inspiration
Inspiration
My three young children inspired me to start painting childrens portraits. Like many parents, I snap photos of my children all day long on my phone. Thousands of photos which keep adding up and hundreds saved in a favorites folder trapped in my phone. When I decided to start painting again I immediately knew I would start with some of my
My three young children inspired me to start painting childrens portraits. Like many parents, I snap photos of my children all day long on my phone. Thousands of photos which keep adding up and hundreds saved in a favorites folder trapped in my phone. When I decided to start painting again I immediately knew I would start with some of my favorite photos of my children. This started my portraiture painting journey to turn favorite photos into personalized and lasting memories to enjoy for years to come. It would be an honor to create a custom portrait for you and I promise it will be created with love, capturing a cherished fleeting moment in time of an adored child, pet, or home.
Erin Ferraro Art
