At first glance, the paintings by American artist Cindy Press look like photographs. Upon closer inspection, the fine brushstrokes and hand-painted shadows become visible. The black-and-white color scheme is a production of reduction that focuses our attention on the essential: the muses’ sensual expressions and auras. They appear rebellious, seductive, or slightly melancholy, but always strong and self-confident.

The pieces remind us of fashion photography’s visual vocabulary, which reflects the artist’s background. Press has enjoyed a successful career as a designer. She now finds inspiration for her paintings in fashion magazines and editorials. She also draws on her own experiences and on the idea that: “There is so much more behind a person’s appearance.”

Cindy Press was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and has a BFA in Fashion Illustration from Moore College of Art and Design. Her paintings and drawings have been in numerous exhibitions throughout the United States, including New York’s The Other Art Fair. Press lives and works in White Planes, New York.