Mona Lisa Framing, on Highland Place in Maplewood, is offering a special idea for holiday gifts this year.
The store is hosting artist Dorian Vallejo, who creates custom pencil portraits and oil portrait paintings. To see Vallejo’s work, visit his website.
“This experience is great for kids,” said Mona Lisa’s owner Krista Hyer, “because it’s not technology. It gets to the core of creativity. [Vallejo] draws you and it looks exactly like you.”
The store is offering a $200 pencil portrait for only $100, or an oil portrait for $1,500. Both include a $50 voucher toward a custom framing package. Pencil sketches take approximately thirty minutes.
Some parents scan the finished portraits and use it for holiday cards, Hyer said — a way to double your investment.
The first two sessions are sold out, but there is still availability for Saturday, Dec. 13 and Sunday, Dec. 14, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The portraits are by appointment only, so call (973) 762-2777 to book.
Mona Lisa Framing, 7 Highland Place, Maplewood, 973-762-2777, www.monalisaframing.com.
