top of page
Reflections Project
Started in 2020 the Reflections Project is a healing portraiture event.
This event happens annually in Helena Montana the Queen City of the Rockies and is hosted by Toni Thomas and many local female artists, photographers, and donors who give their spaces, their time, and their talents to make this event possible.
"The first year of the project all I wanted to do was heal my own pain. Most artists express or heal their pain on their canvases which can be a painted canvas, a wall, furniture, or other inanimate objects. My canvas is the female face, I paint faces and for me, the result of applying makeup to a face isn't in the way a woman looks when we are finished but the way a woman feels. Even a small amount of makeup can give a woman confidence and a sense of appreciation of herself. The Reflections Project was started to help myself heal through my art but also to help other women who have never experienced a portraiture event see themselves in a new way and begin to heal from their own trauma."
Most women are very critical of the way they look, they tend to only see their flaws in photos and are not able to recognize their own inner beauty in a photo. A portrait goes deeper to the woman inside, the woman willing to let herself be vulnerable in front of the camera and release her true person. I wanted to share with the women in my community who were struggling with the things life throws at them and give them some of the healing that comes from an event where women can gather and empower each other in a safe non-judgemental space. I have attended numerous photoshoot events where I have seen women blossom by the art of transformation.
When a woman attends a portraiture event she will begin the transformation process with a makeup artist, a hair artist, a wardrobe stylist, and then she is given over to the creativity of the photographer. Getting your portrait taken is a very personal moment and the results can be life-changing.
My goal is for every woman to see themselves through the eyes of someone who loves them. In a world where we think perfection is the only way to be seen the truth is that those who love us do so in all our flaws. We are only given one chance in this life and many of us know just how fragile life really is. These portraits show women who even in grief, pain, struggle, and uncertainty are willing to show their vulnerabilities and experience something they have never thought to give themselves. A portrait is so much more than a photo it is the essence of a woman from the inside out, not how she sees herself but how she is seen through the eyes of someone who truly loves her.
Portraiture
Want to be a participant?
Does the Reflections Project sound like something you would like to be a part of? Message me about the 2022 event >>
Committment
I would rather work with just a few people who are committed than a hundred people who are interested. The results of committed far outweigh the results of interested.
-Toni Thomas
Photographers
Hair & Makeup Artists
bottom of page