Bay Area artist Deborah Oropallo slathers on the layers of meaning, and techniques.

She starts off with your basic digital photographs taken from various sources, fiddles around with them a bit, then transfers them onto paper using a pigment based printmaking process. They are then further coated with materials like encaustic and oil paint to create a very va-va-voom finished product.

Though she's best known for her images that portray ladies dressed up in fabulous costumes ranging from superheroes to fairy tale protagonists, Oropallo also employs her tiered technique to create pictures of humble everyday objects. She's set her attentions on toy guns, train tracks and even plain old rubber gloves.

My personal favorite body of work by Oropallo however, has to be her “Heroine” series from 2012, which phonetically alludes to the word “heroin” as well: drug induced violence is suggested by the bandaged, broken and bloodless bodies that constitute this particular series. There's still something sexy and classy about them though...must be the heroin chic effect.