Boardroom portraits, Memorial portraits, Retirement portraits, Couple portraits, Children’s portraits,
Family portraits, and Family Landscapes.
From head shots to full length, serious to casual and everything in between.
Creating portraits has been my passion since childhood. With every portrait, whether it’s human or animal, my goal is to bring them to life on canvas. This means each painting or drawing
I create has a natural and typical expression, a spot-on likeness, and is a sensitive, natural rendering – never stony or wooden. On top of this, the portrait must satisfy as a beautiful
work of art.
After thirty-five years of professional portrait experience and thousands of satisfied clients, I understand and can control all these elements while working closely with the client
to meet their individual needs.
I work only with photographs provided by the client, if they are of sufficient quality (and sometimes even if they are not). Working from photographs allows me to capture an expression
exactly, whether it is serious, slightly smiling, or a moment of sheer exuberance. I can advise on the choice of photograph for expression and pose and refer to other photos to adjust
the details.
It is always exciting to see what I will be asked to paint next. I hope you’ll give me the chance to make your personal project special!
A pastel made from the customer’s snapshot. Elements were softened and background figures eliminated to enhance the painting.
Clothing is one detail that can be changed. Here, Officer Bailey of the CPD was painted in uniform rather than the tuxedo in the photograph.
A pastel vignette from an old photograph. Making a color painting from a black & white source is not a problem.
A pencil drawing from the customer’s photo. I vignetted the scene and added in their two French bulldogs from separate photos as requested.
PLEASE NOTE: Graphite pencil is shiny where it is darkest and the softness of the original is not easily picked up by a camera. Please be aware that the light areas in the middle of the drawing are reflections in the photograph and NOT in the original drawing.
Here, a casual shirt was requested in place of the formal tuxedo. It could easily have been the reverse, if requested.
A color portrait in oil is easily made from a black & white reference, as long as colors are agreed upon. The "staring" eyes were softened.
This is one of my favorite portraits. A pastel vignette of a lovely man, a psychologist, and master close-up magician. Here, I opened the eyes a touch, softened the shadows, and eliminated the background for a pleasing, high vignette.
A small B/W source photo made into pastel and expanded, with casual shirt replaced with a uniform.
A 20" x 24" oil portrait made from a relatively small sepia photo.
A charcoal drawing. Sometimes photos are not very good, but modern digital editing allows for improvement of the source photo. By adjusting the contrast I was able to see details in the face which, in turn, allowed me to make a portrait that is better than the original.
I get many requests to do portraits of couples. It could be a wedding picture, you and your spouse for an anniversary gift, close friends, a mother and child, or your spouse’s parents. As you can imagine, they make wonderful surprise gifts. Often I work with the client’s photos in this instance, as they are often one-of-a-kind moments. If what you have isn’t perfect (and it is fairly rare that both people look their best in one photograph) you often have the option to use two separate images to make the painted double portrait. I recommend that the photograph with the best expression be used, as I can always change the background, clothes, colors, hairdo, eyeglasses, etc. Care must be taken to match the lighting as best as possible when using different photographs for each person. For example, do not mix outdoor shots with indoor shots, as you will have a very artificial outcome. The viewing angle must also be considered, as you would not want to mix a shot from below with a shot from above: again, a very artificial look will result. With this in mind, there are still many possibilities to mix and match to get the most satisfying double portrait possible.
Ideally, a family portrait is painted from one shot, or from the same photo shoot. This gives the most consistency of lighting, vantage point and personal relationships. As with double portraits, photographs may be mixed and matched to come up with the best portrayal of each member of the family. Did a family member blink? No problem! Does someone have a bad expression? Easy to fix: use another shot for that person. It is also possible to add someone in who missed the photo shoot. Just find a few shapshots of that person and I can usually paint him or her into the final portrait. Another interesting idea is to have multiple images of the same person at different ages and/or expressions.
A pastel of three generations. Here, the background and hands were removed and the whole was softened and vignetted. The harshness of the original photograph is toned down while the authentic expressions and clothing remain true.
Imagine a beautiful painting of your kids cavorting in the backyard, giggly and smiling with wind in their hair and the greenery and flowers of spring as a backdrop! Wouldn’t you love to have a painting of your child when he was fishing for the first time with his grandfather? …the lovely photo of your daughter walking among the wildflowers? …that shot of your husband and daughter on the shore or the whole family walking on the beach last summer? Wouldn’t it make a perfect painting! The memories are precious. The possibilities are endless! This is what I refer to as a family landscape: a painting from your special photograph of people in a landscape or seascape, a moment in time, doing what they like to do. It would normally be called a genre painting, but it stars you and your family, with the people much smaller than in a normal portrait but still identifiable. It’s a lovely way to add landscapes or seascapes to your home but with a personal touch. It always tells a story! Let me help you translate your precious photographs into an heirloom family landscape. (Prices vary widely depending on the complexity of the subject and how many people are portrayed.)
Here, the photograph was a great candid shot but needed some adjustments. The photo was the last in the roll, hence the strange left edge (yes, film!). I filled in some areas with more grass and trees, using other photos taken of the area, enhanced the colors and changed a couple of shirts for the right pop of color.
A painting of the one you lost can give great comfort to you or a friend who is grieving their loss. It
brings the person to life in a way that a photograph cannot. Whether oil or pastel, it is made of pure
pigment which ensures that with proper care it will last for generations, usually much longer than
photographs.
A challenging and delicate specialty, creating memorial portraits requires the utmost in sensitivity
and creative solutions with the least amount of reference material. Great care must be taken to ensure
that the true personality shines through in the painting, no matter the quality of the source material.
This is not the time to rely on amateurs, friends who mean well, or artists who do not specialize in
portraits. You need an artist with extensive experience in painting both from the live model and the
photograph, as well as a talent and passion for portraiture. For this reason many artists shy away
from the task, but I consider posthumous portraits my specialty.
Clothing is one detail that can be changed. Here, Officer Bailey of the CPD was painted in uniform rather than the tuxedo in the photograph.
"…I gave one of my sisters and her husband a portrait that you so gorgeously did. They both loved it so much that they took down a portrait that some friends had spent huge dollars to have done as a gift to them. The minute they saw the one you did, they removed the hugely expensive one and have admired your portrait ever since. You absolutely do the most incredible art work."
– George Dubiecki
Agoura Hills, CA
"Everyone noticed all the wonderful and giggly detail you included in the portrait, even and including his impish grin and dirty fingernails. You are truly a very fine artist…"
- V. Kagan, Ventura, CA
regarding a child‘s portrait
"Today I received a framed photo of the portrait you did of my granddaughter, Rachel Bloom. I have to let you know that I was overwhelmed by the likeness. The portrait looks like she wants to leap out and speak to me. I want to thank you so much for doing such a magnificent job, it is probably the best portrait painting that I have ever seen - and I'm pretty old. Again, in gratitude, I want to say thank you.
- Alice Bloom
California
"[The portrait] was a hit! Thank you. It is beautiful.
– Florence Mond
California
"The portrait could not have been more life-like and captured the essence of this remarkable young man who was taken from us so tragically…"
- Leroy D. Baca
Sheriff, Los Angeles County
"There are no words to tell you what this painting of Earl means to us. When we brought it home from the funeral we did not know if we would be able to look upon it for a while. However, we hung it in the center of our home and it has been a comfort that words cannot convey. Your gift is surely God-given, as the painting is so very much more Earl than the picture you painted from..."
- Bill and Terrie Scott
Parents of Earl Scott, CHP
"In about 1978 or 79'... I saw your work and KNEW you were the one I wanted to do the portrait of our 17 year old daughter who had died in 1977. We have treasured this portait all these years and ran across your website today and wanted to thank you again for doing that for us. Thank you!"
- Linda & Bob Trivers
Texas
"I just want you to know that I sincerely appreciate the beautiful work you did on my portrait and the portrait of my mother. The likenesses and the colors were superb, and both portraits made wonderful gifts…"
- J. Brazan, Sr.
Whittier, CA
"On the day of the wake it was placed near him and I would never have made it through that day, if it weren’t for the portrait."
- Deborah Francis
Widow, P.O. Richard Francis, C.P.D.
"Despite never having met him, you managed to capture perfectly not only his appearance but also his personality: the twinkle in his fun-loving eyes, the kindness of his easy smile….Our daughters, aged only 7 and 9, continue to be amazed how the ‘painting looks just like Daddy.’ What they do not understand is that your portrait will help keep his memory alive for them even as passing time works hard to fade it from their young minds."
- Michelle R. Walker
Widow of Lt. Michael Walker, CHP
"The loss of Deputy Ron Ives was heartbreaking to us and we were comforted by your generous gift. It is these acts of kindness that got us through one of our darkest times."
- Captain Pete Ortiz
Rancho Cucamonga Police Department
"Thank you so much for the beautiful portrait of Alex. Words cannot express our appreciation for this incredible gift….You captured his true essence perfectly in this portrait..."
- The Valadez family
"This is wonderful!! And perfect. No changes needed!!!"
- Ruben Acevedo
California
Size | Pastel/Charcoal/Graphite | Oil |
---|---|---|
8″ x 10″ Head and shoulders | $300 | $600 |
12″ x 16″ Head and shoulders | $400 | $750 |
16″ x 20″ Head and shoulders | $550 | $1100 |
20″ x 24″ Head and shoulders | $750 | $1500 |
24″ x 30″ Half figure with hands | $1000 | $2000 |
30″ x 36″ Three-quarter figure with hands | N/A | $2850 |
32″ x 40″ Three-quarter figure (life size) | N/A | $3500 |
40″ x 72″ Full length (life-size) | N/A | $4500 & up |
Prices listed are for one subject. Additional subjects are charged at 2/3 the price of the first. Special
backgrounds, military uniforms, bridal or other unusually detailed work may involve extra cost. Listed
prices do not include framing which is available from the artist. State and local taxes will be added
where applicable.
Terms for custom portraits: One-third is payable upon completion of the color study and photographs.
The second third is due when the preliminary sketch is approved, and the final third is due when the
portrait is delivered. For head and shoulder portraits, color studies and preliminary sketches will be
eliminated and one half is due before the painting may begin.
Note: If you are unsure what your portrait will cost, or are on a budget, I may be able to suggest
alternatives. Please don’t hesitate to talk with me about your individual situation.