Pascale Lef - Motto Portraits - Assignment or Performances

English version

English version

Motto-Portret is a concept by painter Pascale Lef:

The artist creates a portrait based on photos and words. These are mottos that relate to or describe the person being portrayed.

These unique works can be commissioned or ordered as live performances, in which the face and text gradually appear before the audience.

Ideal as a personalized gift (for a birthday, wedding, retirement, tribute, bar mitzvah, etc.). Each portrait combines images and words to reveal the essence of a person: their identity, powerful phrases, slogans, motivations, and above all, what we want to remember, reveal, repeat, tell, and pass on about them.

Tell your loved ones with a work of art that you love them and why! 

Video Concert Performance - November 30, 2025

Option 1:

Order a Motto portrait by Pascale

Ordering a Motto portrait works as follows: After you have paid, all you need to do is provide the text and good-quality photos of the person to be portrayed. Once approved, Pascale will send you an agreement with delivery dates; please allow for a delivery time of approximately one month. 

Option 2:

Motto-portrait performance by Pascale 

Offer a unique artistic experience: Pascale creates a live portrait of the person based on photos and words or mottos provided in advance. She depicts the person on a vertically stretched silk canvas. With backlighting, the silk reveals the colors of the ink like a living stained-glass window, creating a poetic and compelling atmosphere.

A handwriting that becomes a face...

The text, dedicated to the person being honored, can be prepared in advance or collected together with the audience. Under the guidance of the artist, everyone can participate by dictating or writing a few words directly onto the canvas, making the work very personal.

A tailor-made performance 

The duration of the creation is fully adapted to the event. Pascale adjusts the speed, space, and gestures to the location and depending on the program. 

A sustainable work of art

After the performance, the fabric is fixed to restore its soft silk texture and extend the life of the colors. The original artwork is then handed over to the buyer. Signed and numbered giclée prints (or screen prints) are also available in A3 or A4 format.

A valuable souvenir

The Motto Portrait is an elegant way to capture the memory of a musical, theatrical, or ceremonial event. A work that captures emotions, wishes, and memories, like an open guest book. 

Why have Pascale create a pictorial performance?

To capture the visual and emotional representation of a musical, theatrical, or ceremonial moment. A work that captures both the moment and the words—like a living, open guestbook.

Formats:

 • Original performance:

43–48 inches x 54 inches

• Available Giclée prints: 

A3 or A4 size

The photo of the couple shown here (click on it) was originally ordered to celebrate a wedding. The dress code was that each guest wore one color of clothing from head to toe. This color was then used by each guest to write their best wishes to the bride and groom. Size: 190 cm x 140 cm. The bride and groom enjoy diving as a hobby...

About Pascale Lef: 

Visual arts and performances

Pascale is a French-Dutch multidisciplinary visual artist based in Amsterdam. She graduated from the Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam in 2016.

She maintains a close connection with music and sound, both in her work and in her life.

One of her works, a 13-meter-long graphic sound installation entitled "Manifesto," was exhibited in 2017 at the COBRA Museum of Modern Art in Amsterdam. 

She also inspired writer, poet, and punk rock icon Patty Smith, who purchased one of her prints entitled "Liberté" (Freedom): a work that combines words, lines of sound frequencies, and poetry.

Pascale plays the piano and won first prize twice at the Nérini Competition in Paris, at the ages of 10 and 12.

It is interesting to note that she also has a preference for traditional and artisanal painting techniques, such as oil paint, tempera, and batik on silk.

In her works, her artistic development consistently emphasizes the importance of physical perception in the final result.