Sachi Starbuck, artist

Sachi is the ten-year old daughter of Eliza Starbuck, co-owner of Flowercup Wine in Cold Spring, NY. For three years now Sachi has helped design and execute the chalk murals on one of the walls of the store. The mural is changed every six to eight months. Sachi and her mother do equal parts of the drawing. "After a little pre-drawing concept discussion Sachi directs the subject matter of the murals." her mother said.

Sachi was a good sitter. She allowed me to consider without interruption what I was to do. Her mother stood far off in a corner of the room silently observing. When I took a break and Sachi leaned against a pedestal, I said, “There, that’s the next shot.” Her mother, without hesitating, picked up the pedestal and positioned it where we had been shooting a few minutes earlier.  Help like that and vanishing into a corner during the photography is not always understood by those attending a shoot.

Eliza explained: "My mother was a photographer and I worked as her assistant on her shoots from age 12 through the end of high school. Thus I earned my ability to see where and when a pedestal is needed and when to melt into a corner."

Apart from drawing and painting Sachi loves clothes and has appeared in outstanding outfits on all the occasions I have seen her, ranging from fashion today to one of her grandmother's shawls.