Portrait Artist Blog

I'm SO EXCITED to share this HUGE announcement with you! Please celebrate with me as my husband, owner of Michael Martinez Fine Portraits, announces it best:

"Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera

Johnny Cash and June Carter

What do all of these couples have in common? Well, they are famous couples who have shared their art with each other and the world. While all of the above were truly talented as individual artists, after combining forces, their impact on the world grew exponentially!

With more than 30 years of business behind me, I am proud to announce a merger that aims to harness the strength of two great Houston area portrait studios! Together, we will offer superior services to our clients in and throughout the Houston area, Texas, and beyond.

With that being said, I want to share that Michael Martinez Fine Portraits is merging our family portrait business with my lovely wife’s studio, Julizza Gómez Portraits, in a partnership that will bring out the best of our strengths and create the perfect collaboration. We will deliver unparalleled portraiture, beauty, and creativity to all our clients.

My beautiful and talented wife, Julizza, has been a rock solid and successful portrait artist and studio owner in Tomball for almost 20 years. Upon meeting her as a colleague, she was a breath of fresh air and I described her as “the real deal” when it came to artists. When I got to know her, she showed courage and formidable strength as a person. Her hardworking, positive personality was on a different league. She stood head and shoulders above the rest, and her perseverance was (and still is) inspiring. I have never met anyone quite like her.

As a photographer with a lot of experience, I’m not easily impressed by people’s portrait work. I, with more than 20 years of experience at the time, volunteered to assist on her shoots because I was curious to see her at work. Even Kacey wondered what I was doing when I decided to help her on a wedding she was shooting! She intrigued me. She was different. And… she impressed me. She was able to produce gorgeous images with artistic lighting and angles that even I couldn’t picture. She stretched me and I saw photography anew. Perhaps it was the way she loved her job, or the way she was playful and made people happy. Either way, her work was fantastic. She creates feelings of confidence in her subjects like no one I’ve seen before, and her wise and artistic point of view is what made her so lovable. Over the years I’ve come to love and respect her artistry, and I know my clients will enjoy her work too. She has an obvious love for people, and when they see her talents, they will be blown away. As a mathematician, she impresses her clients with her intellect in mathematical design. I can’t wait to create beautiful, timeless art for our clients.

This merger will consequently create a studio with a combined 45 years of portrait experience. Whether you are in Houston, Tomball, or beyond, you will get exceptional portraits and service. I cannot be happier about having my wife by my side to navigate this venture with. She makes me happy, and it shows. We always said our styles were too different to merge, but as the years have gone by, we are beginning to align our visions for more impact. Please help me welcome my wife and partner, Julizza Gómez-Martínez, to our studio family." ~Michael Martinez

Just to be clear, Julizza Gómez Portraits is NOT going away! We are growing and expanding, and merging forces to be able to bring all our clients the absolute best in portrait work. If you haven't been here before, I hope you'll join our group of Collectors of family portrait art!