Art

I paint mostly in acrylics on canvas. Here, you can see my recent works. Many are available as fine art prints and other merch in my Shop.

I love painting portraits; faces fascinate me. You can find out about commissioning a portrait of your own below.

Commissioning A Portrait

Price

Prices are determined by size and somewhat by subject complexity. The basic prices for common sizes of acrylic paintings on gallery-wrapped canvas are listed below. If you’re interested in something bigger or slightly different, I can easily make you an estimate.

Shipping and/or delivery are extra. We can discuss your shipping preferences during the planning stages.

SizeBase Price
8 x 10″$200 CAD
11 x 14″$385 CAD
12 x 16″$480 CAD
12 x 12″

16″ x 16″

18″ x 18″
$360 CAD

$640 CAD

$810 CAD

Time

Portraits take a few weeks or more to paint. It depends a bit on the complexity of the subject — how big is the finished piece? How many people are in it, and are there hands and feet showing? Are the background and/or clothing very detailed? Each element adds complexity.

I do keep in touch during the painting process. After our initial decisions of canvas size and source photo, I’ll send you periodic updates as I work. If you have a special date in mind as a due date, I need to know well in advance so I can work within those parameters. If life intervenes and I have to delay the finish for some reason, I’ll be up front about it and work with you to make alternate arrangements.

Payment

It’s important to me that we both feel comfortable working together. A portrait is a big undertaking for me, so a non-refundable deposit of 40% is required before I start painting (but after we’ve settled on a source photo and made all our plans together, of course). The balance (plus shipping costs) will be due once I’ve finished. You can pay via PayPal or etransfer before I ship you the painting or when (if) I deliver it.

Satisfaction

I want you to love your painting. If you know you like my style of work, then that’s a good sign from the start. (If you don’t prefer my painting style, then I am definitely not the right artist for you, and that’s okay.)

My goal is to know as much as possible about your expectations and hopes and favourite colours BEFORE I begin. I’ll send you a list of questions before I get started.

A good source photo is absolutely essential to a good finished painting. I’ll tell you if I don’t think I can work from your photo, and we can work together to get a photo that I can paint from.

You’ll have a few chances during the painting process to gives me feedback. Many things change throughout the course of a painting, so the most important moment will be when I think I’m finished. At that point, if you have any qualms about the likeness, it’s time to speak up! Small refinements are totally possible.

Subject Matter / Source Photos

What makes a good source photo for a painting?

  • Natural light that shows skin colour accurately
  • Shadows that are light enough to show detail and aren’t weirdly placed across key features
  • Crisp, clear focus on well-lit eyes
  • No distortion at edges that makes people or pets seem stretched
  • Familiar and beloved facial expressions
  • Flattering angles
  • Good focus, no blurring of important features

What if the source photo was taken by a professional photographer?

If they’ll sign a release form to allow their work to be used for this purpose, then it’s fine. Otherwise, you must own the copyright to the photo you want me to use.

Will you take a source photo for me?

If it’s geographically possible, yes! We can arrange that.

What if we can’t get a good source photo?

Sometimes we have to call it off. Sometimes, I’m willing to try it with the caveat that you might not love it (which I’d hate). Sometimes non-ideal photos present an interesting challenge for me, and I like a good painting adventure. We’ll talk about.

Will the painting look exactly like the photo?

Ah, no, definitely not. In terms of recognizing the person, yes! That’s important. But everything else is free game for artistic license. If there are important elements you’d like included, or things you’d like me to remove, I need to know.

Can you make a painting that incorporates multiple photos?

Probably. For example, if you took 6 family photos and everyone looks good in separate takes (argh!), and all the photos were taken at the same time (in the same lighting), then I should be able to use the best shot of each person and mash them all together. I’ll be able to tell you for sure after I see the photos.

Privacy and Copyright

Will you show pictures of my commissioned portrait on the internet?

I would love to be able to show my work to the world, but your privacy and safety are more important to me. With your permission, I will post photos on my social media and online portfolio. (We can even talk about different levels of permissions.) But if you prefer that I don’t show a single whisper or hint of your loved ones online, I won’t.

Will I be able to make copies of my commissioned painting?

Your finished painting belongs to you, but I, the artist, retain the copyright to all my work. If you want to license it for commercial use, that’s a separate agreement that we need to make.

For sharing photos of your gorgeous new painting on social media with your friends and relatives, you don’t need any special permissions from me. Go ahead and share the love!

Will you make prints of my finished commissioned painting?

I retain the copyright to all my work. But I will never sell prints of your portrait to the general public without your express written permission.

If you would like to purchase fine art prints of your commissioned painting for your own use (like gifts to relatives), then I can have some made for you.

I’d love to hear from you! To start a conversation about commissioning a painting, send me a message here: