FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
Please review my Standard Pricing Summary in the "Featured Projects" section of my profile before reaching out to help determine if I may be the right portraiture artist for you. My paintings are priced by canvas size, not subject matter. After we come to a conceptual agreement on the project, which I do for free and with no obligation, I require a 50%, non-refundable deposit to begin painting with the balance due at the time of delivery. Additional fees for taxes, shipping, rushed orders, etc. may be included in the final project quote.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
Patrons begin the process by emailing the image(s) they would like for me to stylize and paint. I encourage clients to submit more than one image, as some photos make for better paintings. In general, the better the quality of the photograph(s) (e.g., focused, well-lit, high definition, etc.), the better the final painting. I will “crop” the photograph as necessary to work with various canvas dimensions (along with possibly proposing some other “edits” to improve the overall composition of the painting). We exchange feedback to clarify the project until we have an agreement on the final image and canvas size, at which time a final price can be presented. As I use oil paints, sufficient drying time is necessary before may paintings can be varnished and shipped. I usually advise people that it will take between 6-8 weeks to ship paintings after I begin, and I always provide an estimated shipping date as part of the contracting process.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I am primarily a self-taught artist. When I was very young, I took great interest in the oil paintings of my Grand Aunt, who began a rather prolific artistic career later in her life. She acted as an early mentor, talking to me about her process and techniques as she painted. Apart from drawing every day and a few courses in high school (and serious consideration of pursuing a college degree in the visual arts), I put my art on the side-burner while I pursued a different professional career path. Presently semi-retired from that work, I re-dedicated myself to my early love of painting (just like my Grand Aunt did). I am humbled that my art has been well-received early in this later-life endeavor, and I routinely appear at premier, juried art festivals and shows.