Oil portrait artists; Oil portrait by Boston portrait artist Sonia Hale
38″ x 24″
Oil portrait on Belgium linen
Jame’s mother contacted me to commission oil portraits of her three children to be done all around the same time, so the portraits were to be of the children at the ages they currently were. (The other way to commission portraits is to wait until each child is the same age, such as four years old or eighteen years old.) Working with the siblings around the same time was delightful and we enjoyed planning for each full length portrait commission. James was the first portrait commission and we decided that as is he an outdoorsy type, it’d be best to work on a boy’s outdoor portrait commission.
We enjoyed setting up on the classic stone wall with the trees in the distance for the photography session. Keeping compositions simple is my mantra, as the focal point is the child’s face and too much busy detail can be distracting. Having studied with top oil portrait artists, I know how to simplify, but also create a dynamic composition.
Once we had taken the photographs we were soon ready to select the best ones to consider for the portrait commission. This image was preferred as it reflected James’ quiet, calm disposition. I was soon working at my easel sketching him and then working on the oil portrait commission. He came by to sit for me once or twice and then I was ready to show the parents the completed full-length portrait. They had been looking for a while at artists who paint family portraits and were thrilled with the resulting portrait painting. When people ask where can I get my portrait painted, sometimes they answer is with a local portrait artist and other times, it’s an artist who is farther away. It depends upon your own preferences for artistic style. As the cost of portrait painting is high, it is good to work with someone who will make any changes that you request. I’m pleased to offer changes to those who request them and frequently my portraits are accepted with no changes.
