Discussion with the client is welcome and necessary throughout the portrait procedure. Of utmost importance is a trusting relationship between the painter and the client. It is in my clients’ best interest to accept input and assistance in choosing the setting, wardrobe, pose and lighting for the subject of the painting.
It is not just how I place paint on canvas that makes me an artist. It is how I see, arrange, compose, and “feel about the subject” that are of equal, if not more, importance. I work carefully with you to ensure that your painting will be a true, classic portrait, that captures the likeness as well as the spirit of the subject.
Whenever possible, I prefer to spend some time merely chatting with and getting to know the subject for an hour or so before any sketching or photography is done. It is during this time, as well as throughout all interaction with the subject, that I am watching for “unintended revelations” — those moments when pretense is discarded and the soul comes to rest on the surface. These are the gestures, the expressions and the attitudes that I capture in my memory, to recreate on canvas a true likeness — a reflection of the person that is known, not just a correct arrangement of features.
For our first meeting, I schedule a sitting and/or photography session at your convenience. This first session or “sitting” can take place in my studio or at your home, office or other location, and will take from two to four hours. During this first session I may do a preliminary color study from life. Extensive photographic reference material is gathered to allow me to proceed in my studio after the sitting concludes.
- All photos are kept in strict confidence, and are for my use only in creating the final painting.
- No photos can or will be displayed or published without written consent of the person whose image is in the photograph. Your confidence is assured.
Source of Reference Photography
It is important to understand, that, except in the case of posthumous portraits, I do not work from photographs other than those shot by me. The way I photograph is guided by my sensitivities as a painter, and observer of people. I’ve have learned over time that here is no way to convey to another photographer what I need. It is purely a matter of instinct. I make no exceptions.
Photography Fees
In principle, I do not charge anything extra for the photo session, as that is part of the commission. If however the portrait commission is terminated, and my client wants the photographs, a fee of $75 is to be paid for time and materials, and the photographs will be delivered on a CD.
Otherwise, the only cost for photography would be travel expenses to locations farther than 50 miles from my studio. I am willing to travel round trip to any location worldwide at nothing more than the cost of my expenses plus a reasonable amount more for my time.
