FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
My pricing is based on the following factors per project type. If I am doing the design for a mural or painting, a design fee will be involved based on how complicated the client wants the work. 1. Murals- factors I consider. A. Indoors or Outdoors? What type of Wall treatment, ie. Concrete, Corrugated Steel, Stucco, Wood Blinds, Brick, Fine Particle Latex, No Texture. An outdoor mural will require additional prep before painting. I'll need to power wash the surface then treat it with a degreaser and a primer so that the paint will stick to the surface. Painting on Steel requires a different specialty paint than painting on Concrete. Indoor Murals may require sanding down of texture, which takes times. AND ALL Murals will be coated with a sealer after completion. B. Does it require special equipment, ie. scaffolds, or stairwell platforms. Do I need to rent a scissor lift? Will I need to power wash and treat the surface before painting? Will I need to mask off large areas to prevent the mural from interfering with other ongoing work? If other contracts are sawing and sanding, its best to wait until they are finished and the are is free of dust and dirt. C. Does Sales Tax Apply? Is this Commercial or Residential? If the building is Commercial and a brand new buildout then the State of Texas does not require sales tax. If the building the mural is being done is Residential or the Mural is being done in a Commercial space that has already hosted a business, the State of Texas requires sales tax. D. If the Mural is residential and indoors, I need to take in consideration where the mural will be as this will affect the paints that I use. For example, if the work is in the Kitchen or Bathroom, I need to use paints suitable for high-traffic, high moisture and easy to clean more in the Commercial grade spectrum.. If the mural is being painted in a nursery, I would use cadmium free, cobalt free and manganese free paints in case a child might scratch the work at a later date. No matter what I do, the work will be sealed either with a UV resistant Glossy, Matte or Satin finish based on the customer's preference. As you can see, I take my work very seriously and in my 20+ years of experience I know what paints will last and which ones will fade right out. I also take into consideration TIME. Though I always overestimate my time, if the client has a rush deadline, they will pay a premium for it. I have to sleep sometime too. :) PAINTINGS & PORTRAITS: For these I look at the complexity of the work, the size and the medium, whether it's Oil or Acrylic and whether the work is a rush job or not.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
For Murals, I like to see the space in person before giving a final estimate. It's better for me to know as much as possible for me to give them an accurate quote. I provide them with a time line, walk them through my process for completing the work and then I text them images as the work progresses so that there is no lack of communication. For Paintings, we work through the design and schedule sittings or viewings where the customer can come in and model if it's a portrait or come and view the work in person during the various stages of completion at my studio in downtown Houston. I also walk them through the process at the beginning, and send text images of the work in progress.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have been painting commerically since 1999. I have an Associates of Arts from San Jacinto Community College where I trained under the late painter, Ippy Greer and metalsmith, Allison Black-Scully where I organized the first mural for that college in it's student center (it is still there!) I did Mosaics for Solid Sands Studios which created mural size glass mosaic paintings for the Royal Carribean Cruise Lines in the early 2000's. In 2010-12 I returned to college to finish my Bachelors of Fine Arts from the University of Houston in Studio Arts-Painting and have won awards for my work as a student there and since then. Then I worked as the lead Houston artist for Painting With a Twist for 6 years, managing and training more than 40 artists and seven locations on how to work with non-painters and make decent work. This year, May 2020, I will graduate with my Masters of Fine Arts in Studios Arts having trained under the Southern Gothic painter, Michael Roque Collins, the abstractionist painter, Carlos Canul, world reknowned ceramicist, Hans Molzburger and master printmaker, Esther Delaquis-Badoo, all award winning artists. You can find my work in private collections in 30 states and 7 countries along with some commissioned work at the Baker Hughes World Wide Headquarters in Houston, Texas. I have owned and operated my own studio as a permanent resident of the Hardy & Nance Studios since 2013. You can find my studio door open every third Saturday to see what I am working on. This year I was asked to be a social influencer for the Derwent colored pencil company and will be releasing reviews and tutorials in this medium along with others on my youtube channel, artbystacyhouston. But all the credentials aside, I just love making paintings and being able to translate my own and other peoples dreams into this fantastic medium.