American-born painter Cayce Zavaglia paints and hand sews these photo-realistic portraits, which are made with crewel wool and acrylic paint on linen. The textural images are very intricate and mesmorising. She turned away from using oil paints while pregnant with her daughter, to avoid harmful substances like turpentine and varnish....

American-born painter Cayce Zavaglia paints and hand sews these photo-realistic portraits, which are made with crewel wool and acrylic paint on linen. The textural images are very intricate and mesmorising. She turned away from using oil paints while pregnant with her daughter, to avoid harmful substances like turpentine and varnish. Zavaglia dds: “I kept thinking back to a crewel embroidery piece that I had made as a child and wondered if it would be possible to sew a portrait…or perhaps use the material in a more modern way.”

Images by Cayca Zavaglia

Aunt Lin, Cayce Zavaglia

Sophie, Cayce Zavaglia

Abbi, Cayce Zavaglia

Greg, Cayce Zavaglia

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