• What exactly do you do?  I paint portraits of people, I paint murals, and I also paint hand-lettering.

  • Do you work from photos?  I do paint from photos mainly but I also paint people live.

  • Who should I get a portrait of?  Portraits make great meaningful gifts.  You can commission a portrait of yourself, your friend’s cat, your parents, grandparents, son or daughter, your whole family, your teacher, favorite movie star, rock star, etc, etc, the options are endless.

  • What important information should I think through before commissioning a portrait?  Before ordering a portrait painting, consider where it will hang.  Its good to have a sense of the size of the artwork you will own – or gift – and where it will hang.

  • Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?  A portrait is different from a figurative artwork when the eyes sparkle with life.  I believe this is where my talent lies, in using paint to reflect the spark of life in someone’s face.

  • What is important to know about your trade?  A lot of people can paint.  It’s those who can intentionally inject life into their work that can make a painting into something more – a piece of art to be treasured for generations.

  • What type of reaction do you get from your work?  Its nice to see people being moved by the finished portrait – some even to tears.  A painting can elicit a positive emotional response.  On the other hand, some folks don’t want to see themselves – its not for everyone.

  • What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a portrait artist?  When looking for a portrait painter, ask yourself one question: “Does this painting feel alive?”  There is nothing worse, in my opinion, than a technically competent artwork without soul.

  • Besides commissioned portraits, what else do you do?  One aspect of my work that I offer is painting rapid-fire watercolor portraits live at events.  I can paint up to 6 people per hour and I really enjoy the diverse parade of faces and stories that inevitably lands in front of me.  See more about my live painting antics here… www.liveportraitpainting.com

  • You paint live at events?  How does that work?  One of my favorite Event Painting offerings is when I am hired to paint Rapid-Fire Watercolor Portraits live at a venue.  I work for $150/hour and turn out up to 7 portraits during that time.  (I have a two hour minimum.) The end result is a realistic, classical watercolor portrait that the guest takes home – free of charge.  Being that I regularly charge $150 for an individual watercolor portrait, this is a phenomenal deal.  I have occasionally had savvy clients gather a group of friends together and hire me for the day in order that they all get a deal by pitching in together!

  • Do you do any other kind of live event painting? I often work as a live event painter where I set up a large canvas and complete it during the course of an event as entertainment.  More often then not, it is themed in keeping with the event or guest(s) of honor.

  • What are the latest developments in your field? Are there any exciting things coming in the next few years or decade that will change your line of business? I have recently been hired many times as a “speed-painter” which I find very interesting since I have been in the field over 2 decades and only have heard of this term in the past few years.  I complete a large canvas at rapid speed during the course of an event.

  • What do you wish customers knew about you or your work? I work fast and intuitively which I believe allows me to tap into the pure essence of my subject without getting lost in the details.  I am not a photo-realist, but more of an expressive painter who uses the medium of paint to tap into the soul of the portrayed.

  • Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field? I am constantly learning from my work.  Every face is different, every brushstroke teaches me something about my work and my life.

  • How did you decide to get in your line of work?  I was raised by classical artists and studied it all my life.  I never “decided to get into portrait painting” – its just what I’ve always done and always will do.  It fascinates me.

  • What do you like most about your job?  I enjoy painting portraits – plain and simple.  I am happy to take direction and create an artwork to order.  And sometimes clients give me free reign and that’s usually when good things happen.