COMPOSED is a private, collaborative art experience that turns the personalities, choices and individual marks of your family into one original work of art.

Instead of posing for a portrait, you make one together.

Each person creates an individual painted panel within a shared family palette. Color, handwriting, pattern, composition and Braille become part of the visual language, allowing every person to leave their own mark while still belonging to the whole.

The finished panels come together as one contemporary family portrait.

THE EXPERIENCE

Every family has its own composition. COMPOSED is designed to let yours emerge naturally.

01 — We plan.

Before your session, we'll talk about your family, your space and the colors you're drawn to. I'll develop a shared palette and prepare the panels and materials for your experience.

02 — You create.

Your family joins me in my Richmond studio for a private 3–4 hour experience.

Each person works on their own panel, making choices about color, placement, pattern and personal details. I'll guide the process, but the goal isn't for everyone's work to look the same.

Quite the opposite.

The individual personalities are what make the finished piece interesting.

03 — I finish.

When your family leaves, my work continues.

I complete the finishing, varnishing, assembly and other final details needed to turn the individual panels into a cohesive, professionally finished work of art.

04 — It becomes yours.

Individual pieces become one composition.

One family. One moment in time. One completely original portrait.

WHO IS COMPOSED FOR?

Everyone.

COMPOSED is open to all ages. Young children, teenagers, grown children, parents and grandparents can all participate.

You don't need to be artistic. There is no "good at art" requirement here.

In fact, a three-year-old's uninhibited marks can be every bit as meaningful as an adult's carefully considered choices.

That's the point.

Each person shows up differently.

TIME

Plan on approximately 3–4 hours in the studio.

The exact length depends on your family's size, the complexity of the designs and even the colors you choose — some paints simply require more coats than others.

This is meant to be an experience, not a race.

INVESTMENT

Family of up to 5 — $750

Additional participants — $100 each

Your COMPOSED experience includes:

Pre-session planning and development of your family palette
Prepared individual art panels (10” x 10”) and all materials
A private 3–4 hour studio experience
Creative guidance throughout the session
Professional finishing by Merrill after your session
Your completed, original COMPOSED family artwork

Want to go bigger? Larger panels and custom configurations are available, with pricing adjusted accordingly.

WHY A FAMILY PORTRAIT?

Since prehistoric times, we've found ways to leave evidence of ourselves.

Handprints on cave walls. Portraits. Signatures. Photographs. School pictures. Family photographs. Selfies.

The way we record ourselves continues to evolve.

COMPOSED asks what a family portrait can be now.

Not simply a record of what everyone looked like on a particular day, but a record of how each person showed up.

The careful one. The spontaneous one. The minimalist. The more-is-more kid. The person who plans every mark and the one who immediately reaches for the brightest color.

Together, those differences become the portrait.

Richmond, Virginia

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