Talk Shop // Tess Ramirez, My Father's Daughter Designs
Photo by Caroline Axvig
We at Fenimore Lane love a thoughtful gift – and what’s more special than personalizing artwork for yourself or a loved one? That’s why we absolutely *adore* the work of Tess Ramirez , the painter and graphic designer behind My Father’s Daughter Designs.
The story behind Tess’s business will give you chills (we’ll let her share that with you in a bit), but the drive and purpose behind this self-starter’s business is evident, right down to her passion for preserving special memories through detailed, personalized artwork. Tess has painted it all, from a bride’s shoes worn on her wedding day, to ingredients from a favorite family recipe, to a charm bracelet passed down from a grandmother – she’s even painted an eighteenth-century chaise lounge that had been lovingly passed around a family for three (!) generations. For every piece of work she commissions, a percentage is donated to various charities (more on that later, too!)
Lately, Tess has been painting up a ton of matchbook drawings, all custom to the client’s favorite restaurants. AO loved the idea so much, she commissioned her very own matchbook painting, with restaurants that spark fond personal memories, including the Rose Bar at the Gramercy Park Hotel, where she and her husband had their first date, and many more. We love Tess’s matchbook series not only for its sentimentality, but also for its sense of purpose: with each purchase, Tess is allocating a portion of matchbook collection sales to ROAR NY (Relief Opportunities for All Restaurants) & the IRC (Independent Restaurant Council). Both organizations are dedicated to supporting the hospitality industry during these trying times.
We loved chatting with Tess about her start as an artist, what drives her, her work, and the charitable aspect of her business. Read more on it all (and see BTS photos of the commissioned work) below!
Tell us when and how you started your business, My Father’s Daughter Designs?
As cliché as it sounds, I feel like starting this business was an inevitable outcome that everyone else predicted except for me. I was raised by two art aficionados—a museum curator (my Mom), and a graphics and exhibition designer (my Dad). From the time I could hold a pencil, my Dad taught me how to draw, paint, observe—my Mom taught me about the importance of history, preservation and conservation. When I was in Middle School, my Dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease—a progressive and irreversible degenerative brain disease that destroys memory and basic cognitive function. It's very confusing for a child to lose a parent while they are still physically “with” you, but mentally fading. As the disease progressed and the man he once was started to disappear, my family filled in the gaps of his personal and professional history—retelling stories of the two of us drawing together at the Louvre when I was five, reminding me how much we looked alike as I got older, and how similar our artistic styles were...how I truly was, “My Father’s Daughter.”
By the time my Dad passed away, I was a sophomore in college and art had become more of a hobby/ “party trick” I could pull out on occasion for birthday cards or sketching on vacation. Art had always been a big part of my life, but not professionally. It wasn’t until two years ago—as I was going through a bit of an identity crisis, fresh off of my third career change and still feeling unfulfilled—that I started a blog and instagram page called “My Father’s Daughter” as a way to reconnect with the part of myself I had been suppressing since he passed away. As soon as I started dedicating time each day to paint or draw it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I finally felt like myself. So, when I lost my full-time job last February, I decided to take a blind leap of faith and follow in my Dad’s footsteps by starting my own design business!
What kind of pieces do you commission?
They are constantly evolving! I like to say that I’m “an artist of objects of memory.” Nothing makes me happier than creating a one of a kind piece that—at first glance—might look like a simple still life (a pair of shoes, a distinctive vase, a house door), but is actually teeming with meaning and memory. I’ve painted a bride’s shoes she wore on her wedding day; ingredients from a favorite family recipe; a charm bracelet passed down from a grandmother; even an eighteenth-century chaise lounge that had been lovingly passed around a family for three generations.
Photos by Caroline Axvig
When and how did you come up with the idea of your amazing matchbook illustrations?
I inherited my Dad’s collection of matchbooks after he passed away in 2012 and have been adding to it ever since. Whenever I was home at my Mom’s, I would spread all of his matchbooks out on my bedroom floor and sort them by location. My Mom would narrate and contextualize each of them as I pointed to each city or country. We had a blast doing that—and I learned so much about his travels and life before me. I loved how each matchbook had a story.
When the pandemic hit, I had just decided to go full-time with my business and was working on artwork for wedding invitations. Most of my clients were postponing their weddings, if not canceling them, and I had a lot of time on my hands. I found myself painting a small group of matchbooks from favorite date-night restaurants in each of the three cities my fiancé and I lived while we were in a long-distance relationship , and had an a-ha moment. Each matchbook is beautiful, but what makes them such a compelling subject to me is the story (and meaning) behind each one. Collections are inherently personal and I wanted to expand on that idea by painting other people’s collections, memories, and stories.
What is ROAR, and how did you get involved with the charity?
Giving back has always been part of my mission at My Father’s Daughter Designs. Formally, I work with the Alzheimer’s Association, but as Covid-19 began to devastate the very restaurants I had been celebrating in my artwork, I decided to allocate a portion of matchbook collection sales to ROAR NY (Relief Opportunities for All Restaurants) & the IRC (Independent Restaurant Council). Both organizations are dedicated to supporting the hospitality industry.
What has been your favorite matchbook you’ve illustrated (so far!)
Minetta Tavern! I love matchbooks with color coordinated match heads.
What are you working on now? What plans do you have for the future?
I am SO excited to expand my original artwork and print offerings this spring!! I’ll be continuing on the theme of memory—favorite life events, milestones, adventures…. I also am dying to get into homeware—wallpaper and ceramics would be a dream.
Where can people find you and your work?
Instagram - @myfathersdaughterdesigns
Print Shop - https://my-fathers-daughter-designs.myshopify.com/
Website - https://myfathersdaughterdesigns.com/
Take Ten: My Favorite…
Food: Right now - Indian!
Drink: A crisp glass of champagne ;)
Restaurant: A truly impossible question!!!! My go-to is usually Bar Pitti in the West Village.
Film: Kiss Me Kate. Big Gene Kelly fan. HUGE.
Hotel: Hotel du Cap Eden Roc in Antibes
City: NYC, baby!
Bedding: I’ve had Parachute’s sateen sheets for years and swear by them!
Playlist: Anything I can sing along to (much to the dismay of my fiancé and dog)! You can usually find me blasting Hamilton or Frank Sinatra while I work.
Weekend activity: Museum hopping with my Mom. She’s a walking audio-guide wherever we go!
Design Book: Cabana Anthology
Matchbook: It changes so frequently! I recently picked up matches from the Colony Hotel in Palm Beach and am obsessed with them. Kate Schelter created the artwork and it's absolutely enchanting. Talk about goals!