Candace Karch's charming photographs of her 97 year-old muse

These images of 97-year-old Marie Ulmer from American photographer Candace Karch are incredibly charming. Marie is an artist and has been making a piece of work everyday for the last 90 years. Throughout Ms. Ulmer, Candace documents Marie’s life: in some images she’s in the throes of creating, others she’s reclining theatrically on a blanket-laden settee or simply reading with her magnifying glass. It’s a beautiful portrait, with humour and vitality framing every image.

But Candace is careful to show each part of Marie’s life and it’s her more vulnerable moments, when she’s leaning her tiny frame against the fridge or is lying in a hospital bed, that allow a more complete and honest picture of Marie to be formed.

Petite and spunky, Marie is a shining example of embracing life and dedicating her days to her art. She is a shining beacon of joy and inspiration. Candace says of the project, “In the years that I’ve been photographing [Marie], I have discovered her alter ego, the personality she never explored, and she has developed in front of the camera to become my muse.”