FAQs
How long does it take to do a painting?
Of course it depends. Oils take longer than pastels, large paintings take longer than small ones, and then there's all the time spent doing things to support the creation of a given work which usually isn't considered, but from the standpoint of a working artist must be factored in.
Actual easel time accounts for no more than half the time spent in getting a painting out of the studio and onto a suitable wall. Stretchers or panels must be made. Preliminary drawings or research is done. After the piece is completed it must be photographed (both digitally and traditionally), framed, documented, packed, and shipped. Supplies must be bought and paperwork kept up. Marketing in the form of putting together shows, doing mailings and other correspondance, and maintaining this website must be done. And always there are brushes to be cleaned.
A pastel normally takes from 10 to 15 hours easel time. A small oil, from 15 to 25 hours. A large oil, from 25 to 50 hours and up. Multiply those times by 2 and that's how long it takes to do a painting.
How long does it take you to reply to my e-mail?
Again, if I'm sick or out of town my response time will suffer, but I always try to answer any e-mails as quickly as possible.
Do you work from photographs?
Yes. Even when a painting is begun on site, I finish it in the studio referring to photographs of the scene. One learns much more about the real world by painting it than by photographing it, and this shows in the work. Photographs distort perspective, often dramatically, from the way the human eye perceives it; they mask detail in shadow areas which go black or highlight areas which go white; they certainly distort color, and they rarely present an ideal composition. Photographs do, on the other hand, offer me a fantastically greater range of images to start from, they contain a great deal of valuable detail information, and when light and sky conditions are ephemeral, such as at sunset, they provide a wonderful aide de memoire.
One might ask, "so how did Church paint Twilight in the Wilderness" back when color photography didn't exist? Apart from being an extremely gifted artist to begin with, he sketched and sketched and sketched, he used his memory, he used his sketches to jog his memory, and he used his imagination. Photography will never replace these artist's tools. I work frequently from quick sketches--not even sketches, really, more notations. To learn more, please refer to the section on my technique.
Do you do commissions?
I have done in the past. I will work from your photographs but it's important to me to have experienced the actual place. We can discuss it if you're interested.
How can I purchase or see an original painting?
I am represented by the Sherry French Gallery in New York City. If you're in the Detroit area, call me to arrange a studio visit. See the Contact page for more information.
How should your artwork be framed?
Works on paper should be framed under glass. The artwork should be mounted on archival quality mounting board (sometimes called museum board). There should be a separation between the glass and the artwork. A matte will suffice for this, or the artwork may be framed matteless but with fillets (strips of wood used as spacers--not to be confused with filets) separating the mount board and artwork from the glass.
Pastels should be handled with great care as they can be easily smudged. I use fixative as a final coat but never enough to secure all pastel particles as this would deaden the colors. Expect some pastel particles to fall onto the matte over time just from normal environmental vibrations (footsteps, trucks going by). If acrylic sheet is used instead of glass, a 1/2" minimum fillet should be used.
Oils can be hung frameless, in theory, but a frame provides protection and just looks better. In general I prefer wood frames over metal for all my artwork but that's just my personal preference.
Is your artwork a good investment?
This question comes up because of the publicity art prices get at auction. My feeling, and that of most artists, is that art should not be collected as an investment but because the art speaks to the collector, giving him or her something intangible, uplifting, enjoyable, surprising, lasting, renewing, satisfying, elevating, enlightening. Art is basically one soul communicating to another, after all, and I doubt you'll get that by framing your stock certificates and hanging them on the wall.
That said, my work has increased in value by about 500% since 1990 and around 2000% since I first started selling art professionally in the early 70s. As editions sell out and as more originals sell, the value of all my work increases. However, I offer no guarantees whatsoever that the value will continue to increase. In short, buy art because you love it, not as an investment vehicle.
What are your prices?
Prices ($US here) for oil paintings range from about $1,000 for a small one (approx 10" x 10" or 22cm x 22 cm) to $5,000 for a medium size piece (24" x 36" or 53cm x 79cm) to upwards of $10,000 for a large one (48 x 48" or 106cm x 106cm). Pastels are about 10% less. Prints are far more affordable.