My most important expressions are yours.

FAQs

What kinds of paintings can you commission me to do?

Have a look around my website and get a feel for the style of paintings and subjects that I do, and do well. Seascapes and landscapes are my bread and butter. I can’t change my style - its my artistic voice and its innate and deeply embedded. If you like what you see and envision something similar, we may be on the right track. If you ask me to paint like Monet (although I love his style), we won’t reach agreement.

I paint in oil paints on canvas. I like to paint large, but can do smaller paintings if it suits you and your budget. I only use oil paints for commissions. I could also paint in soft pastels if you twist my arm, but the below does not apply.

What size painting can I do?

I can paint as big as 2 metres wide, and as small as 30cm wide. I order custom canvases for your commission to suit the size you want and the dimensions of your reference photograph.

What about framing?

I usually purchase blank canvases that are already framed with beautiful Tasmanian Oak floating frames, remove them from the frame to paint, and put them back in the frame when done. This saves time and cost and the outcome is beautiful. Depending on the subject and colours used, we can discuss whether a black or white frame may look better, but the Tasmanian Oak is my favourite. If you prefer it unframed, we can agree that up front, but it won’t affect the price.

What kinds of commissions WON’T I do?

I do not paint still life, pets, people or landscapes with complex architecture. A rusty old shed or a pier might be ok but architecture requiring perfect straight lines and perspective aren’t my thing. Although I could probably give it crack, I won’t enjoy it, and if I don’t enjoy it, you won’t like the outcome. Painting portraits fills me with dread - as I say “shorelines not jawlines” - no ocean ever got upset that I got their shoreline wrong … but jawlines are a minefield. Seascapes are my first love. Landscapes are my second.

How much do commissions cost?

It depends on the size. The bigger it is the longer it takes, the bigger the canvas/frame and the more consumables I use. To make it easy my rate is AUD$0.40 per square centimetre. So for example, if you wanted a painting that is 100 cm x 75 cm, that’s 7500 square cms. 7500 x 40 cents is AUD$3,000. A 40cm x 30 cm painting would be $480. Remember, I can do custom dimensions and order the canvases to suit. Shipping is not included in this price, which will depend on size and your location.

Once we’ve reached agreement, I will ask for 50% of the cost upfront to allow me to purchase the materials I need for the project. The remainder is payable before I ship the painting to you.

What do you need to provide me with?

You need to provide me with a single reference photograph of good quality and attractive composition - a choice of a few would be great. Although I can crop the photograph to a better composition I cannot make changes to the composition. I use the reference extensively and won’t make inferences of things that aren’t there in your photograph. I may be able to subtract elements if there’s enough clue of what’s behind it, but will not add elements. You can try me, but I’ll probably say no. It’s all about getting good result that you’ll be happy with (and me feeling like its not a grind to paint it). When anxiety overtakes the joy, its not worth it for me.

Although you could say that some of my paintings are better than the reference photo, I cannot perform miracles. A great photo generally makes a great painting. When I paint for myself, I barely alter the reference, although that’s certainly not the way many artist work. I figure, why change nature. I want to paint it the way it actually was, in all its glory. Who am I to tell God how he should have made it?

How long does it take?

This depends on a number of things. Part of the discussion we will have is about scheduling, which is about what else I am working on or other commissions I have scheduled. How long the painting will take for me to paint depends on the size and the subject - could be a week, could be 4 weeks. Please also factor in drying time. As I work in oils it will take at least a few weeks for the paint to be dry enough to ship your painting to you - could be longer if I’m using palette knife and thicker application. The time does add up, so if you’re thinking of commissioning a work as a gift, you will need to start thinking about it months earlier.