If you wish to commission a portrait, I'll be happy to discuss the details over the phone or in my gallery in Rye, where I can illustrate the possibilities with some of my paintings.

I paint in various styles, sizes and media. Each commission evolves as we clarify both your and my idea of what we want from the portrait. And then the painting happens.

To give a general idea of the procedure, I should like to describe some recent commissions:

Anne Phillips.

This portrait was painted completely from life, the way I usually prefer it with adults. It took 12 sessions of 3 hours each.  My sitters often worry about being still for such a long stretch of time. As a matter of fact, it is not that bad, as they come to think at the end of their experiences. A commission of this size and degree of detail costs around £4000. 

Emma and Camilla.

With children I often resort to painting from photographs. However, I need to spend at least two sessions with them of about 2 hours each. During this time I watch the children, their relationship, we chat about this and that. All the while I sketch and make lots of photos. With the information I collect on this first session, I work later on the composition. After that I usually need another session for more specific photos and sketches. A portrait of two children of a similar size to this cost about £7000.

Eva

Eva is my daughter. This portrait was painted entirely from a photograph. Before I painted it, I was reluctant to "copy a photograph" as a way of painting a portrait. Still, sometimes this is the only practical possibility. I decided to experiment and to see, how good a painting I can make out of a photograph. A portrait of a child on a canvas size 24"x20" to 30"x24" will be priced at around £4000. Whenever possible, I still prefer to spend some time with the child beforehand sketching and making photos.

Daniel

This portrait of Daniel was painted in three sessions, each of about 3 hours. The first session was devoted to sketching; the second  saw the start of the painting, and in the third I gave it more definition. A portrait in a similar, rather loose, style would be executed in three to five sessions of approximately 3 hours each and would cost £1500-1800 for a canvas size 20"x16".