Collector Circle

An unusual challenge

‘Jay, the portrait is magnificent!’
A collector in the US enquired if I could create a painting of his pet Casper who had recently passed away. What was intriguing about this particular painting is that I needed to do it to match another artwork of mine this gentleman owns which was acquired right near the beginning of my art career (that was only in Spring 2019, seems like forever ago!), where I hadn’t developed my new ‘signature’ style of vibrant backgrounds, vertical slashes and a monochrome palette on the subject itself. 

I also did many of my early works in oil paints, where-as now I prefer to work in acrylics only as the drying times are far quicker. So, this new piece also needed to be in oils. 

Challenge accepted! Here’s the finished piece.

 
‘Casper’
16 x 20″
Oil on deep-edge box canvas

‘Jay, the portrait is magnificent! You did a great job of capturing the spirit of Casper with your oils and canvas. The process was painless from start to finish and I appreciated the updates along way to keep me abreast. The end result is nothing short of incredible.’ – K. Haydek, USA. 

When collectors tell me that I’ve captured the spirit of the subject it really fills my heart. The process is not something I can explain, it’s more a feeling of expression to try and find the essence of the subject and bring it alive through paint. It’s far more instinctual than logical. Where a photo is often devoid of spirit, a painting breathes with life. I think that’s one of the key things that raises a work from just being a painting to being ‘art’. But what do I know?! 

If you’re thinking of acquiring a commission, please do get in touch to discuss.