LIGHT DRAWN DREAMS

April Graves’ heirloom portraits are rooted in imagination, family, and heart.

A young girl in a gossamer gown, fairy wings glistening, gazes over a summer garden bursting with brilliant blossoms. It’s like a vision from a childhood storybook. This image, created by portrait artist April Graves of Lake Forest’s Light Drawn Studios, blends the best elements of two art forms—digital photography and oil painting, in her signature mixed-media approach.

Like the many works she has created for clients around the world, the painting perfectly reflects her studio’s mission, which, as Graves explains, “takes a moment in time and gives it to clients to have and to hold for generations and tells the story of the deep love they have for family, the bonds that tie them together, and the story of their children’s imaginations.” In short, her goal is to create tangible expressions of her subjects’ most beautiful dreams.

Graves, who is also a philanthropist and inspirational speaker, founded Light Drawn Studios in 2002, shortly after her daughter was born. “With a young child, I needed to transition out of my work as a children’s fashion designer, but wanted to continue to work creatively,” she explains. The way it transpired is serendipitous fun.

“From high school on, I always had a camera with me,” Graves recalls. She studied apparel design at Iowa State and went on to operate a children’s fashion design company and a small boutique in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. To market her designs, she styled and shot her own photo sessions and displayed the images in her shop. One Sunday, a longtime customer—whom she knew as a corporate attorney—walked in wearing a cleric’s collar. “It turns out he was also a minister,” Graves laughs. “I had just gotten engaged and asked if he could perform my wedding ceremony. He agreed on the condition that I photograph portraits of his daughters. And once I started doing portraits, word got out, and everyone wanted one. So, this loyal customer helped start two of the most important things in my life—my family and my portrait business.”

In her early studio years, Graves specialized in oil-tinting black-and-white portraits. Then, about three years ago, she felt called to further elevate her artistry by delving more deeply into oil painting, even though “mixed-media, oil-embellished portraiture is really a rare art form with very few artists practicing it at a high level worldwide,” she says. To master the techniques, Graves studied with leading practitioners and has continued refining and advancing ever since.

At Light Drawn Studios, her “art from the start” philosophy touches upon each part of the process, going far beyond the traditional photo session. Drawing on her background in fashion design, she maintains a collection of fanciful costumes, many of which she designs herself. She conceptualizes and builds immersive sets, scouts distinctive locations, and carefully curates every visual element. Graves even guides clients through thoughtfully sourced frame selections, overseeing framing and installation to ensure the finished work perfectly suits the intended space.

Most importantly, Graves invests time in truly getting to know her subjects. Each portrait begins with an in-depth design consultation, during which she learns how her clients wish to display the artwork. This consultation also begins a collaboration on every detail of the upcoming session—from location and wardrobe to styling and accessories. The result is imagery that reflects not only likeness, but story.

Once portraits are taken, Graves meets with clients to select their favorite images, which may be destined to become a mixed-media painted portrait, archival prints housed in a bespoke album, or photographs preserved in an heirloom treasure box.

With images selected, the artistic journey deepens. Before printing clients’ selected images, Graves hand-edits each portrait, digitally underpainting to refine tone, color, and detail. Prints created for albums are produced archivally on a variety of acid-free artist papers. At the top of the line? The treasure boxes and one very exclusive album are produced in a castle in Italy out of paper made from cypress trees on a family estate.

Meanwhile, her mixed-media portraits are printed in-house on canvas and then transformed further. With her brushes and palette in hand, Graves applies oil paint embellishments, adding texture, depth, and luminous dimension.

In addition to these bespoke commissions, Graves also creates a select number of limited-edition works each year, offering collectors the opportunity to acquire her signature style in a more accessible format. Her private portrait practice, however, remains intentionally intimate—she accepts just 30 commissions annually, ensuring each project receives her full creative attention.

“The work I do is deeply satisfying,” says Graves. “I am 100 percent committed to inspiring the human spirit. Every session we create is heart-centered and focused on making an impact.” That impact extends beyond her clients and into the broader community.

Among the non-profit organizations she has supported, Graves launched the “Beautiful Things with Wings” project, an initiative that has raised more than $1 million for WINGS Program, Inc., a non-profit organization providing housing, integrated services, education, and advocacy to end domestic violence. “It’s important to me to use my work for community impact,” Graves shares, “I am always open to helping more.”

“I am humbled by the work I get to do, the people I get to meet, and the opportunities that have unfolded before me,” she reflects. “I consider it the greatest honor to create legacy artwork that tells the story of my subjects in a way that will transcend my lifetime and theirs. It is a gift!”

For more information, visit lightdrawnstudios.com.