The following is just a brief explanation of the chain of events that you as the client would be interested in. This is not going to be a tutorial in oil painting. If that were the case I would not be able to explain it because I’m not sure exactly how I come up with the final painted image. I guess the best metaphor that I can come up with is that it would be like trying to explain to someone how to ride a bike, we all can do it but trying to explain how we are able to do it is near impossible.
The process is very similar in my original work as it is with my private commissions except you have to factor in that there is no set format in my original work so the process of getting the original image is much more complicated and you have to factor in that trying to get the right models for my work is near impossible and trying to convince them what I am doing is art is usually an exercise in futility. My less then stellar personality doesn’t help on that front either! So, I will just give a brief explanation of the process involved in producing a private commission. This will be of interest to you if you are interested in commissioning a painting.
I try to work as much as possible from a series of photographs that I take. I try not to deviate from this step unless for some reason I am unable to take the photos. A good example of this would be if the subject is dead and only a photograph exists. If this is the case the photo will have to be of high resolution, good composition and containing all the information needed for a final image of this scale. Also, I try to stay clear of professionally shot photos. The lighting in a professional painting does not work well with the image that I am trying to produce and also borders on plagiarism.
That being said lets get on with how a commission is produced if it all goes perfectly, which it hardly ever does!
The first step of course is a discussion of the project with the client that has contacted me to have work done. We discuss the complexity of the image, logistics to their location for the photo shoot and all the aspects involved in getting an image that I can work with. By the end of this conversation a price will be set and we move on to the next step.
The next step is fairly straight forward. I will travel to your location to shoot the high resolution digital pictures. Travel will be discussed in the original conversation discussed earlier. A variation on this will be shooting the photos when I am on the road. When I travel long distances on my bike I bring all the photo equipment needed for the images that I need. If you see me at an event or on the road, chances are that I am able to shoot the pictures needed right then for the painting.
When I return to the studio I will edit the pictures and e-mail you the images that I feel are appropriate to produce. I am a stickler on starting with the right image and won’t start unless I know that I am able to produce a quality painting from the images that I have in front of me.
Once the images are approved I begin a full charcoal under drawing on the canvas. At this point I should tell you that the canvases themselves are all 30”x 40” and of the highest quality that I can find. They are not cheap, as a matter of fact all the materials for the paintings are of the highest quality and therefore the final painting is one that will stand the test of time…I’m talking about hundreds of years.
The under drawing is quite an undertaking in itself. When completed they contain a finished image in black
and white with all composition problems worked out. They have taken up to 90 hours in the past and could actually be sold on their own as a completed piece. Although I might tend to go overboard on this step I have found that this can’t be skipped to get the image that I am trying to produce. When I am satisfied that the charcoal image is a strong one and can stand on its own as a completed piece I move on to the next step which is the actual painting process.
The painting process that I use in these images is actually the process used by the ‘old masters’. There allot of faster, simpler and cheaper methods with today’s technology. The reason that I use the “old master” technique is that their paintings are still around after hundreds of years. The newer materials that many painters use may be just as good but I am not going to take the chance of something unexpected going wrong simply because this technique hasn’t been around long enough to show its shortcomings.
The painting itself (not including the under drawing) can take up to 150 hours. Drying times and color theory issues can slow the process down even further but they are unpredictable and can’t be factored in. What I am saying is that each painting is its own animal and hold their own set of problems that I have to overcome. When they do arise I usually just pull my hair out and question my career choice until I am finished.
When the painting process is completed they have to dry. Oil paints produce the highest color quality and greatest longevity out of all the painting mediums, their down fall is the drying time.
Luckily I have been doing this long enough to be able to work with and around these times and know just when I can move on to the next step without effecting overall quality. When I feel that the painting has cured enough (usually at least a week) I apply a temporary protective varnish. The reason for this is to “reactivate” any colors that may dry flat due to whatever techniques I used to apply them and provide a protective coating to protect the painting from the elements such as light and abuse. When this step is cured the images are fairly resilient. They can more then withstand the daily abuse that they may in any environment in which they are displayed. They are not indestructible and you need to be aware of conditions that might affect the paint but all this will be discussed when you receive the painting.
That brings us to the issue of shipping. I package each painting myself and have had great success in shipping them over the years. I usually ship them via UPS or FedEx and have never (so far) had any problem with them. The purchaser pays for shipping and the price depends on logistics but it usually falls right around $100 dollars with insurance which I highly recommend. Shipping times again depend on logistics but they are usually under a week. The painting arrives to you ready for framing and this can be done at any quality frame shop close to you. I will give you recommendations on the frame to best accent your painting but the final decision is entirely up to you.
Of course there are always variables to this chain of events. Any changes or problems will be discussed with the client via telephone of e-mail. Progress pictures can be sent via e-mail during the painting process at no extra cost.
I hope that this gives you some insight into what is involved in your order and I look forward to discussing your project.