Hello!
I'm Caroline Hernasy, the artist at Heritage Portraits.
I create my paintings in the digital world and produce them on canvas.
I currently live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina but am originally from Long Island, New York.
I've been creating art in various forms, for a long time.
I begin my paintings with a photograph that I take in an indoor or outdoor setting, or I use one that is provided by a client. I then study the picture, develop a vision and concept of how the subject should be painted, what the background should look like, how to incorporate elements pertaining to the subject, into the painting.
If I am using a client provided photograph, I use a variety of software to correct colors, remove wear marks or lighting issues.
Then the joy begins of transforming the image into a painting. I use digital painting tablets and brushes that simulate surface and mediums - I mostly use oils on canvas.
Finally, the finished image is applied to canvas using archival inks, and if desired, professionally framed with covered backing and hanging hardware.
Every brushstroke and every creative vision is dreamed up by myself.
There are never any auto filters or Photoshop scripts applied and never any AI images or elements used.
When you look at pictures of the homes of long ago - both the grand and the more humble homes, there was a portrait. Of course, all the people in those paintings were wonderful and good people - right? Not likely.
Perfection is not possible and imperfection inevitable.
But their tradition was to preserve their roots, those who they came from and whom they loved.
For better or worse, our families are our roots, the people that we are connected to and from whom we derive so much of who we are.
All of us have
a beginning . . .
The rest of the story
My work of painting portraits began when I was at an art show in Florida. An artist there was displaying paintings that she had done that were colored replicas of original, old black and white photos. That artist brought an old photos to life in color!
I had never seen that done before and my first thought was, "that would be a great anniversary gift for my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary." Well, my brothers and I chipped in and commissioned the painting. I provided the artist with an old black and white photo of my parents taken at the Sans Su San nightclub on the night they got engaged in 1953.
And there it is! My parents loved it and it hung prominently in their living room for years.
What I did not expect, is how much that painting would come to mean to me - after they passed away.
The painting became mine and it is now in my home.
There's probably not a day that goes by that I don't pass it by and smile and say "Hi". And on days when I miss them, I find so much comfort in seeing them in that painting.
I even tucked some Scripture verses in the frame to remind me that someday, I will see them again.
I had worked previously as a Graphic Designer and digital artist and I decided that I wanted to learn how to create portraits, for myself and to give this same type of gift to others - knowing how much the portrait of my parents and the ones I have done of my two sons, mean to me personally.
I developed my own process of using photographs as the source image for paintings. Combining traditional painting with digital design, I create portraits that are in the painting style of Realism - a blend of reality and subtle interpretation that beautifies the image even more.
Creating a Heritage portrait is now one of my major artistic endeavors, and it becomes even more rewarding when a client is presented with their portrait, takes it home and later lets me know how important their painting has become to them.
See my family
Growing up in New York, I was the youngest person of a network of Italian grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and siblings. We always had Sunday dinner at Grandmas. My maternal grandparents came to America by ship, sailing from Calabria, Italy to Ellis Island in New York. Grandpa Cedraro was a tailor and played the mandolin. Grandma was a cute, plump redhead who cooked good enough to be the chef at a five-star restaurant. My dad was a data manager at an aerospace company and my mom was a tailor and dressmaker.
La Famiglia
THE FAMILY
Mom and Dad. Engaged.
My brothers and myself. Long Island, NY. 1967
Dear old Dad. WWII Vet, Bugler/Infantry/Battle of the Bulge. Retired from Fairchild Republic on Long Island, NY.
He was English, so his side of the family didn't get as much attention, but his Italian in-laws loved him! Sorry Dad, but when one side of the family is Italian, that's how it goes!
My mom, Maria (sitting) and my Aunt Rosalie. Mineola, NY.
Grandpa and Grandma Cedraro at home in North Babylon, Long Island, NY
Grandma Fortunata Cedraro, perfecting her Lasagna (from scratch) before serving.
My Mom, Maria Cedraro, prior to marrying my Dad, Born and raised in New York. Passed in 2019
My Dad, Vincent Edwards, prior to marrying my Mom. Also born and raised in New York. Passed in 2015.
Portraits seem to make manifest, the spirit of intimacy, family, and tradition more than any other item in a home.
I would love to create a portrait for you, one that will
be that item in your home that always reminds you
of who you are and whom you love.
