Master Handcoloring Techniques Workshop with Silvia Lizama

Long before the advent of artificial intelligence, Instagram filters, Adobe Photoshop, and color film, colorists, particularly women, hand-painted black-and-white photographs. This practice responded to clients’ desires for realism while also serving as a powerful form of creative expression, transforming photographs into singular objects through interpretation and touch.

Building on this tradition, join us for a specialized, master-level workshop focused on photographic handcoloring, led by artist and educator Silvia Lizama, who brings 48 years of dedicated experience to this technique.

This four-hour workshop begins with a presentation exploring the history of handcoloring in photography, situating the practice within its artistic and historical context and highlighting Lizama’s long-standing engagement with the medium. Participants will then receive a detailed demonstration of materials and techniques, with a focus on using Marshall’s Photo Oils on silver gelatin fiber prints.

Following the demonstration, participants will apply these techniques to their own black-and-white prints. Individual guidance and feedback will be provided throughout the session, supporting both technical learning and creative exploration.

Participants will leave with a finished hand-colored print and a deeper understanding of how color can transform the meaning and expression of photography.

Come learn, experiment, and leave with a finished piece that reflects your own creative voice!

Important Information

• Space is limited. Ticket required.
• Participants must bring their own silver gelatin black-and-white prints (no digital prints).
• If you need a print made in advance, please select the “Ticket + Print” option when registering.

About the professor:

Silvia Lizama, born in Havana, Cuba, moved to South Florida in 1960. She earned a BFA from Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, and an MFA in Photography from Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. She served as Professor of Photography and Chair of the Department of Fine Arts at Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, for 37 years and was awarded the distinguished title of Professor Emerita upon her retirement in 2023.

Having exhibited locally since 1978, her hand-colored photographs have gained national and international attention and have been included in prestigious exhibitions and collections. Major awards include the Southern Arts Federation/NEA Regional Visual Arts Fellowship Grant (1993) and the South Florida Cultural Consortium Grant (1992 and 2015), as well as, a Miami Dade Art in Public Places commission for the Deering Estate in Miami, Florida (1999).

Ms. Lizama’s work appears in the following publications: Puertas a la Imaginacion, Miami, Florida (2011), Reflections: The Sensationalism of the Art from Cuba by Alexis Mendoza (2009), Espacio C: Arte Contemporaneo, Camargo, España (2006), Breaking Barriers (Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, Florida Publication, 1997), Aperture 141 Cuba: Image and Imagination (Aperture, Fall 1995), Outside Cuba/Fuera de Cuba (Rutgers University Publication, 1989), Photographic Retouching (Eastman Kodak Publication, 1987) and Darkroom Expression (Eastman Kodak Publication, 1984) among others.

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Host or Publisher Women Photographers International Archive (WOPHA)