Maria Muller Hand Painted Photographs

My artwork is a combination of photography and painting. I photograph with black and white film – usually but not always infrared film – and then process silver gelatin prints to archival standards. Each print is hand painted with oil paint, fusing the black and white tones with color.

The technique of adding color to black and white photos dates back to the 1840s. I started painting on photographs in 1980 and it still fulfills my creative desires, even in the highly digital art world of today.