Basking Ridge Artist Brings Cherished Memories To Life Through Watercolor

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — With the stroke of a paintbrush, Basking Ridge artist Paige Kelly-Silverstein can bring people's cherished memories to life in her custom watercolor paintings.

Kelly, who teaches art at an elementary school in Clifton, started creating custom watercolor paintings for friends and family for years and recently branched out to share her art with the public.

"I've been doing them for gifts for years now, for friends who are getting married, for friends who bought new homes, family members who have sold childhood homes. And then I'm recently like, 'You know what? Maybe this is something I could start to do as a side hustle'," said Kelly-Silverstein to Patch.

Her paintings are mainly of homes and places that have some signifcant meaning to the client. A family's home, a childhood home, a restaurant where a proposal happened, a wedding venue, and more.

"I recently finished a painting of a restaurant where a couple had had their first date. It was a birthday gift for her boyfriend, which was a really sweet thing," said Kelly-Silverstein who added customizations inside the painting. "I added their favorite drinks into the photo, so little Easter eggs that really make it personal to them."

Kelly-Silverstein not only loves the outlet of painting but also loves being able to see into her clients' lives.

"I think when you're painting someone's home, it's something very personal to them, like most of their lives are set inside. So you get to kind of imagine what their everyday might be like," said Kelly-Silverstein. "If it's a memory of a childhood home, you get to talk to them a little bit about their favorite memory. You learn a lot about a person based on their home, and you might see something from the outside, but it's everything on the inside that brings back those memories that have happened. So it's just a nice way to bring someone's past or even their future, of everything that could happen inside to life."

Her passion for art started at a young age and was encouraged and nurtured by her father.

"When I was a kid, I was not great at academics. I struggled really hard with reading, math, writing, history, science, and this is the one place that I could really feel like I could excel at something," said Kelly-Silverstein.

One summer day while painting at a friend's house, Kelly-Silverstein remembers her dad saying, 'Oh, you're pretty good at this.' And the next day, he took her to a craft store to get an easel and watercolor.

"He just really encouraged me to keep going and have at it. And once I got to college, I knew I wanted to do something art-related. I wasn't sure exactly what yet, but teaching just kind of felt right," said Kelly-Silverstein. "I've made a career out of it, and I love everything about it."

Now with her watercolor business taking off, Kelly-Silverstein has completed commissions in various locations, including Florida, New York, and Italy.

She uses high-quality photos given by clients, often from Zillow listings or Instagram, to create personalized paintings of homes, venues, and special places. And she prefers watercolors to bring that dreamy aspect to a painting.

For more information on Paige Kelly-Silverstein and her custom watercolor paintings, visit instagram.com/paigekelly.designs.

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