COMMISSIONS
I'm available for portrait commissions in oil and charcoal. If you're interested, or just turning the idea over, get in touch. The conversation costs nothing and occasionally leads somewhere good.
““I had the pleasure of discovering David at last year’s North Valley Studio Tour. I was instantly drawn to his work. Among the many great pieces on display, one portrait stood out in particular: a stunning painting of his father. The emotional depth of the piece left me in awe—I felt as though I knew him.
David’s exceptional talent and ability to capture not just the likeness but the essence of his subjects inspired me to commission a portrait of my husband Marvin. The results exceeded all of my expectations. It authentically captured Marvin’s mannerisms, sense of style, and his personality. He sees beyond the surface to reflect the soul of his subject. We couldn’t be more thrilled with the result.
David is a true master of his craft. I wholeheartedly recommend him.””
THE PROCESS
Having a subject sit for a portrait is a luxury — a real one, measured in hours and availability and the particular patience it takes to hold still while someone stares at you with professional intensity. Most commissions don't work that way, and that's fine.
I typically work from photographs. For new commissions, I arrange a photo session at my Corrales studio — an unhurried afternoon where we work through wardrobe, pose, background, and the other decisions that turn out to matter more than you'd expect. From the session I'll select a few strong references and share them with you before anything gets started. You'll know what the painting is working from before the first mark is made.
If a studio session isn't possible, existing photographs can sometimes serve as reference — provided they're of sufficient quality. This is worth a conversation rather than an assumption either way.
Once the reference is sorted, I work through sketches and tonal studies — quick, rough, not intended for anyone else's eyes. If you'd like to see how the design problems get solved, I'm happy to share that process and keep you in the loop. Some clients want to see everything. Some prefer to wait for the finished work. Both are reasonable.
TIME FRAME
Turnaround varies by scope and schedule. The honest answer is that a good portrait takes as long as it takes, and I'd rather tell you that upfront than quote a deadline I can't keep.
COST
Commissions are priced individually — size, number of subjects, background complexity, medium, and a few other variables all factor in. I'll give you a clear number before anything begins.
A deposit of half the agreed price is due at the start. The remainder when the work is delivered.
“Of course we’d seen David’s work before commissioning him to paint our beloved chocolate labs, Mabel & Molly, so we fully expected to be satisfied with the results. Hard to describe how much he exceeded our expectations. Probably because David’s work is about more than results. He shares his process. We saw the paintings come to life in layers: sketches…colors…shades…heart & soul. So now we have this stunningly beautiful art we commissioned, holding a connection we never imagined. ”
“Several years ago, after seeing some fantastic paintings David did for a friend, I knew I had to have one. He painted a remarkable still life of my favorite room in the house, complete with my dog Murphy. I couldn’t know then how important this painting would be to me. I’ve since moved from that home, leaving behind many memories, but now this painting is the piece of art in my current home that everyone is drawn to. I believe it is already a family heirloom, and it won’t be the last painting I commission from David!”