Commissions FAQ

Do I need to sit to have my portrait painted? No, I can and prefer to work from photographs.

Is any photograph suitable for a painting? No, not all photographs will translate well into paintings. For best results, please provide photographs at the highest resolution possible with the subject well lit from the front. I would encourage you to not get attached to using a specific photo, and instead send me as many references as possible.

How much do you charge for commissions? Here are some common sizes I use and what I charge for them:

​

5x7" oil on paper: $200

8x10" oil on cradled hardboard: $400

11x14" oil on cradled hardboard: $600

16x20" oil on cradled hardboard: $800

​

Please reach out for a quote if you would like a different size.

​

How long will it take to receive my commission? This will tend to vary a lot on the season. In wintertime, I am able to spend more time painting, while in the summer, I am busier with sand sculpture work. Please allow at least a month in most cases, but I can give you a more accurate estimate when you submit your request.

What materials do you use? I use oil paints and work on either a synthetic paper (yupo) or a cradled hardboard.

Will my painting come ready to hang? Cradled hardboard paintings come ready to hang with a wire attached. On the wall, they look similar to a stretched canvas. Paper pieces do not come ready to hang and you will likely want to have them framed.

I have this picture of myself in front of a pine tree, will you paint every single pine needle in excruciating detail with precise color matching? Also, my eyes are squinted in this photo, could you widen them for me and also remove some of the wrinkles around my mouth? I'm also sensitive about my nose so if you could replace it with Aphrodite's that would be awesome. Finding the right amount of detail to include in a piece that conveys the likeness of the subject without losing the loose painterly style that is the hallmark of my work, is to me one of the most interesting challenges in making a good painting. I would encourage you to trust me to make those decisions, but most often it will mean a simplified or abstracted color-field background, with the interplay of realism and abstraction also being at the forefront of what (I think) makes my work interesting.

​

As far as changing your eyes, I understand it can be difficult to know what elements of a reference I can and cannot change, but for the most part, please expect the pose, expression, and lighting to remain similar to the reference material provided.

Why are your color choices so weird? Are you going to give me a blue nose? Unexpected and sometimes non-local color choices are a great way to add interest to a painting, but for the most part I steer clear of doing anything too crazy with commissioned work. (Though please feel free to let me know if you want to allow me more freedom in this area). Another thing to note, is that I am colorblind, which certainly affects the choices I make with color and can make it challenging (impossible) for me to color match a reference perfectly. I've been told that my quirky use of color is part of what makes some of my work charming, but I'll leave that judgement up to you.

For all other questions, or to get your commission started, please fill out my contact form.