The Painting Process

I enjoy painting from life, so I encourage my clients to come to my studio as many times as possible. However, I don't like to make too many demands on my sitters' time and I can do with three or four sittings, depending on the size of the painting.

I frequently travel to paint a client at his or her own home or office. Two, maybe three, days are needed to do the preliminary studies, more when I start work on the actual painting.

I try to make my sittings informal and relaxed with frequent breaks. Once started clients usually get involved in the project and enjoy the experience. Suggestions and contributions made by sitters are welcome and always helpful.

My painting style adheres to the traditions of the old masters, particularly to the draughtsmanlike approach of D�rer or Holbein and modern masters such as Andrew Wyeth or Pietro Annigoni.

I paint realistically without being photographic. The portraits are given an accurate likeness and a strong presence. Finishing paintings to this degree of realism is time consuming work, but the shimmering, glowing quality of the finished painting makes it worth the effort.

Fees range from $10,000 to $30,000.