Yes, it’s difficult making a living as an artist, at least when you ask the question simply. Art is like poetry: it gets made no matter what. Selling it is another question entirely.

In the end, if you are a supporter of the arts, you can either buy a piece of art which you discover at an exhibition, or, if you’ve got the urge, you can commission a portrait.

A portrait is interesting for both the sitter and the artist.  Most people don’t know what they look like.  For them, a portrait is a way of finding out.  When doing a portrait, I discover who the sitter is during the process.  

The process begins with a series of drawings and paint sketches.  The drawings facilitate discovery of the face and body of the sitter (drawing is an easy medium to work with).  The sketch paintings allow for composition of the final work.

An illustration of one portrait can be found in this post about a portrait of my wife.

The final painting involves a number of sittings, depending on the size of the portrait.

A typical portrait costs from five to ten thousand pounds, depending on the size, and takes roughly 15 sittings.  

Every portrait is a serious commitment, not only to the sitter but to art itself.  The poetry of portraits is easy to find.  Have a look at the portrait of Aesop by Velazquez, a masterpiece of art and portraiture.  Of course the sitter wasn’t Aesop, but this portrait, whether Aesop or not, is a portrait of a man who freed himself from slavery through wit.

If you’d like to support the arts and commission a portrait, go ahead and contact me.