Concept

Throughout the history of art, artists have been commissioned to create portraits. In fact, most successful artists from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance through the 19th century made their living painting portraits commissioned by and of their royal or wealthy patrons. In contrast, there were many fewer strictly landscape works, and very few of these were commissioned except for those that depicted religious or historical scenes and including human figures, often, many human figures.

I greatly admire the “old masters” of figure and portrait painting. However, I have never been very good at it figurative painting, most probably because I have not devoted the time or effort to mastering the requisite skills, especially the ability to get a good “likeness” of the portrait subject.

So, in light of the fact that my specialty is landscape…

I am going to try something new for me: I am seeking  commissions for a portrait of your favorite landscape, coastal, or seascape scene, one that particularly excites or touches you.

How it will work:

In order to get started I need one or more digital images of one (or more) of your favorite scenes.

After viewing the submitted image(s) I will let you know immediately if I think I can do a great painting from one of them or if they just do not inspire me enough to do so. Everyones’ tastes differ (and that is a good thing really) and we both will benefit if we happen to be inspired by the same subject. Conversely, neither of us benefits if I just can not get inspired by a subject.

If I think they are good subjects, I will consult with you via email on some fine points to help create a good composition (moving, adding or removing elements like trees, eliminating distracting elements like telephone poles or extraneous structures, enhancing the lighting, etc.). I always seek to create a good piece of art, carefully composed and designed, not just a duplicate of a photo.

We can also decide on size, medium (acrylic, oil, or watercolor) and ground (canvas or hardboard—watercolor is always on high grade watercolor paper). The final price will depend on the size (see below), shipping, and whether you want me to frame the piece or ship it unframed for you to choose the frame to fit your decor (recommended). I will also try to estimate how long it will take to complete the work.

I am setting the pricing for commissioned work almost exactly the same as my current non-commissioned work available here on my website, which is:

• $150 per inch of the longest dimension for oils and acrylics
• $100 per inch of the longest dimension for watercolors.

This price assumes a basic rectangular shape, like 9″ X 12″ up to !8″ x 24″ for oils and acrylics, and standard watercolor sizes 1/4 sheet (11″ x 15″), 1/2 sheet (15″ x 22″) and full-sheet (22″ x 30″). I have never done odd shapes, like very wide and flat or tall and skinny.

After agreeing on the basics above, with your go-ahead I will invoice you for $100 deposit to cover materials to get started. This may sound like a lot for materials, but even a cursory investigation of the cost of high-quality artists’ paint, paper, or canvas in whatever medium you choose, not to mention high-quality brushes, will really surprise you.

When the painting is finished, I will take some high-resolution digital photos of it and send them for your approval.

If you accept the completed painting, the deposit will be applied to the final price and I will invoice you for the balance due. I will ship the work as soon as the invoice is paid.

If you decide to not accept the work, the deposit will be refunded only if the painting is sold from this website or from a show of my work within two years of completion. In any case, whether you accept the painting or not, following U.S. copyright law, I retain the copyright to the painting but I agree to not use your source image(s) for any further work.

Some tips on source photos and one caveat:

• The best images are from late afternoon or early morning when the light is most dramatic and there is good contrast between light and shadow.
• Strong backlighting is often very dramatic.
• Scenes with multiple structures, lots of windows or cityscapes—anything with complicated perspective and architectural detail—take considerably longer and more work to paint, especially up to my own standards, so an agreed-to premium would be added to the basic price.

If you are interested in commissioning a painting of your favorite scene, click the comment link below and I will contact you via email and we can get something started!

Thanks! I hope I can do a great piece of custom artwork for you.