Mini Masterpiece 2018: An Artistic Storybook

1st Place: Elsbeth Schuetz, Orange, Calif.

“The Story Book” by William-Adolphe Bouguereau

Meet the Winner

An experienced oil painter as well as a nail artist, Orly ambassador and editorial manicurist Elsbeth Schuetz has always preferred painting people to objects. For her Mini Masterpiece entry, she was drawn to the desire for human connection she saw in the little girl pictured in “The Story Book.” “The little girl expresses so much feeling and thought and seems to speak to many passersby asking ‘Do you have time to read to me?’” says Schuetz. “It’s as if she could see our lost capacity for connection. Her silent invitation to connect is very compelling in today’s age of digital contact.”

To reproduce the art on a nail tip, Schuetz printed out a copy of the painting the size of the nail and placed it next to the nail tip. She marked important points such as the height of the hair, nose, and chin, and then painted what she saw. The key to creating such detailed nail art? “Patience, the right brush, a steady hand, and nooo coffee for me,” she says.

Follow her on Instagram @elsbeth211.