Hi, I’m Syra Greider.
I’m a Manheim, Pennsylvania based artist and the person behind Black Feather Art. I work primarily in colored pencil, pastel, and graphite, with a special love for portraiture and artwork built around memory and connection.
I’m drawn to the moments people want to hold onto - a child at a certain age, a beloved pet, someone you miss, or an ordinary photograph that means far more to your family than anyone else could know. My goal is to turn those photographs into handmade pieces that feel personal, warm, and lasting.
I believe artwork doesn’t have to live in a gallery to matter. Sometimes the most meaningful piece is the one hanging in a family home, carrying a story from one generation to the next.
My Approach
My path to becoming an artist has been a little unconventional. Before art became such an important part of my life, I spent years working as an Expanded Functions Dental Assistant, a career that required precision, patience, attention to detail, and the ability to work carefully with my hands. Later, while pursuing my degree in biology, I found myself becoming increasingly drawn to art and eventually developed a passion for portraiture.
My art education has been largely self-directed. I began by teaching myself through experimentation, books, YouTube tutorials, and countless hours of practice before moving into more structured learning through Patreon and professional art courses. Along the way, I have been heavily influenced by artists and educators including Gemma Chambers, Emma Colbert, and Graciela Bombalova-Bogra, whose approaches to colored pencil, pastel, portraiture, color, and capturing the character of a subject have all helped shape the way I see and create art.
That ongoing process of learning is still very much a part of how I work. I’m not interested in simply copying a photograph. I want to understand what makes that particular image meaningful—the expression, relationship, personality, or memory behind it—and translate that into something handmade and lasting. I love experimenting with different materials and techniques, and I approach every portrait as both an opportunity to preserve something important for someone else and an opportunity to continue growing as an artist.
When I’m not making art, I’m usually spending time with my three young children and my loving husband, tending to our two dogs and our little homestead, or finding inspiration in the everyday life happening around me.