Welcome
Welcome to my website. I am an artist based in Wirral, and I specialise in painting and drawing commissioned portraits, mainly, (but not exclusively), of people and their pets/animals. The latter are usually cats or dogs, but I've had the pleasure of working on portraits of horses too. And the people are nearly always much-loved family members. I'm a novice sailor, and latterly my works have included fellow sailors and their boats. People will want a portrait of, for example, their gorgeous Labrador, or long-awaited adorable baby, but also a portrait is often commissioned as a gift.
I've also had enquiries about creating posthumous portraits - a client, devastated when his beloved dog died, wanted a portrait of him as a lasting memory, a tribute, and a celebration of their master/pet relationship. This was a beautiful and unique way of ensuring that his "best friend" would never be forgotten.
So, the reasons for people wanting portraits are varied and personal. If the prospect of commissioning one might seem somewhat daunting, it really isn't, honestly! As you browse through my website, you will see examples of my work, and how straightforward it is to commission a portrait. My favourite drawing medium is soft pastels, and my favourite painting medium is acrylics. I do use oils, but you have to be patient because of the time the paint takes to dry. And during a recent studio tidy-up, I came across some hardly-used charcoal, so I'm going to have a go and see if I can create something beautiful with it. I have a B.A.(Hons) in Fine Art, and am a private tutor, mainly for GCSE and A-level students.
Although I have been working as an artist for many years, I am nevertheless always striving to learn and improve.
There are two important points I wish to share - the first is that my paintings are real paintings, and my drawings are real drawings. None are digital.
The second is that, when you log on to my website or social media, you will NOT be faced with a pop-up message asking if I can help you, or if you want to chat. I have no idea who is looking at my online presence.
And AI is growing fast isn't it? Fine Artists have to be aware of AI, and we can't bury our heads in the sand. A portrait can be produced for you by AI, and will be cheaper and quicker than a genuine hand-crafted piece of work with real paints and drawing materials.
Lots of people may choose to create an AI portrait, or have one created for them, so they may become more commonplace and less unique. However, "there are plenty of artistic aspects AI certainly can't do at the moment and many it may never be able to do. However, likely the biggest thing AI absolutely can't do is the actual interpersonal, truly sentient job portion of the work. I mean my clients aren't just coming to me to have me operate my tools and software, they come to me for ideas and concepts and creative solutions to their very unique and specific needs and problems to be solved."
I found the above quote in a Reddit thread, by someone with the user name "smallbatchb"!
In a troubled world, there is no better time than now to put some joy into your life with a unique, bespoke piece of artwork.
Finally - "Painting a portrait is not just painting a picture, it is the celebration of a person".