Frequently Asked Questions

Probably not!

I’m embarrassed to say that I do a horrid job of updating my website in general, and my available original art is probably the area I’m most delinquent in at any given time.

Please contact me regarding available original art.

Probably! Please contact me. Of course, paintings will never be identical, but I’m generally happy to work with you if “the one” got away.

Absolutely! Please see my commissions page for more info.

I offer free local pick up in Kansas City (western suburbs) or shipping.

Freshly painted oil paintings need some extra consideration when it comes to shipping. Oils take extra time to dry, so extra time is needed before shipping to ensure there’s no damage to the painting.

(Please see also “Why might my painting cost more than the base price?)

Don’t worry! My base price covers everything in a typical painting!

The base price includes:

• all the materials needed (canvas, paint, mediums, etc)

• The consultation and planning time to design your painting

• Me recreating the picture you provide as-is (with the understanding that it will be recreated in my painting style and in the color scheme we decide on together) as a painting.

(See also, “What does the base price include?”)

Your painting will take a minimum of 6 hours (and often lots more!). That said, I do not charge by the hour.My base price covers everything in a typical painting. It assumes you provide the image you want painted, as-is.

What it doesn’t include include are things that significantly increase the time/skill it takes me to paint your painting. (See list at the end of this answer.)

Here’s an example:

You want to commission a painting of Grandma’s house. You have a great shot of her house from a good angle. You remember that she always had her ‘78 Buick parked out front, but your photo doesn’t show the Buick. I can absolutely add that sort of thing! (I know details like those are woven tightly into our dear memories of places and people!) That said, once I get an image of the Buick, I have to do quite a bit of extra drawing and painting work to get it to “look right” in your painting. I have to make sure it’s the right size, recreate the drawing of the car so it’s angled at the correct angle, incorporate the colors appropriately into the scene, shift the lighting, etc. Size-wise, the Buick might not seem like a big addition, but things like that can easily add hours to the process. I’m more than happy to do them, but I do charge to account for the extra time spent.

Everything below adds significantly to the time I spend and the work I have to do to make your painting look the way you want.

The base price does not include:

• Adding elements into the painting that aren’t in the original (e.g. if you want to add Grandma’s Buick into the driveway, or a tree where there isn’t one)

• Changing the time of day (as I have to significantly plan for and change lighting, shadows, coloring, etc)

• Changing the angle of elements in the painting (e.g. “I have a photo of the house from the side, but I want the painting to show the house from the front”) as this involves significant redrawing, changes in lighting and color, etc.

• Images that are significantly more complex than normal (e.g. normal complexity would be a painting of a typical suburban house, while a victorian style house with lots of extra gables and details would be “more complex.”)

• Me sourcing a photo of the scene you want for you

• Me creating a scene from your description

To be clear, I won’t ever add charges after we decide on a design together.*** You’ll know of any charges up front before I start. I’m always more than happy to brainstorm and talk through options. You get to decide what you want in your painting!

*** The exception to that rule: After we agree on a design and I start painting, you’re still allowed to change your mind, but it might change the price.

• Classic look

• Edges are wrap-painted so it’s ready to hang without a frame if desired.

• Arrives with hanging wire or sawtooth picture hangers attached.

• Oils take time to dry enough to be safe to ship. Please allow 3-6 weeks for completion.

• Prices start at $198 plus shipping for 12x12in or 11x14in.

• Please see “Pricing Considerations” for more information on pricing.

• Pieces are often softer and have a lovely translucent quality.

• Art should be framed before hanging. Watercolor framing needs a little bit of extra consideration whether you plan to DIY or professionally frame (just to ensure the glass doesn’t directly touch the image). I’m happy to help.

• Faster turnaround (often 2-3 weeks) because there’s no extra drying time. Rush orders are sometimes available in a few days for an extra charge.

• Prices start at $198 (plus tax and shipping) for 11x14in or 12×12in.

• Pieces usually have more “movement,” and lean towards brighter, more intense colors.

• Art should be framed before hanging. Soft pastel framing needs a little bit of extra consideration whether you plan to DIY or professionally frame (so that the glass doesn’t touch the image directly). I’m happy to help.

• Faster turnaround (often 2-3 weeks) because there’s no extra drying time. Rush times are sometimes available in as little as a few days, for an extra charge.

• Prices start at $198 (plus tax and shipping) for 11x14in or 12×12in.

• Totally unique to you and yours.

• You choose the color scheme, shape of shield, etc.

• Can be created for weddings, families, extended families, etc.

• Faster turnaround (often 2-3 weeks) because there’s no extra drying time.

• Prices start at $275 for 12x18in and include a shield, initials, and up to 5 elements (small images and text banners) that are special to you.

• Additional elements can be added for $20 each.

• All art is created by hand and even the smaller pieces take hours of work (at least 6-7 and often closer to 10 or more). Oils are painted in multiple layers, and each layer needs time to dry before adding the next.

• Please make sure to discuss options if you need a rush piece (less than three weeks for watercolor/soft pastels/local-pickup oils or 4-6 weeks for oils that we ship in the mail). These are sometimes available for an extra charge starting at $39+ (price increase for large or complex pieces, or super fast rush orders. “Help! I forgot my wife’s birthday is this Saturday!”).

• Watercolors and soft pastels will generally be ready in 3-6 weeks.

• Oils take extra time to dry enough to touch (at least a few days) and even more time to be safe enough to ship in a box. Oils need 5-6 weeks of lead time to be able to ship. Local pick up can happen faster.

• Complex or very large pieces may require extra time. I’ll let you know if any extra time is needed during our planning phase.

1. You pick a photo that you want painted (e.g. Grandma’s house, a vista from your last mountain adventure, a beach shot from your honeymoon). For watercolor crests, there’s not one big picture I need, but rather pictures of the smaller elements you want (e.g. pics of the skyline of the city you met in, dogwood flowers because lots of them bloom near your house in the spring, a suitcase because you love to take trips together, etc).

2. You reach out via this form with some details of the project you want. You can also message me on Facebook. (To be quite honest, it’s often best to do both as I don’t check either every single day and I wouldn’t want your message to be overlooked!)

3. I’ll email/text/message you back and ask more questions and for the photo you want painted.

4. Consultation and planning. We’ll discuss back and forth, and settle on plans for the painting, usually via text. I’m happy to help you choose between photos, decide how to crop the painting, etc. Often I’ll send a “rough draft” photo with your original pic cropped the way you want. Sometimes I’ll digitally draw on parts of it to help visualize elements we discuss. This is the time I will discuss any extra charges if applicable. (See other FAQs for info on what the base price does/does not include.) I don’t start painting until we’re both happy with the plan!

5. You send me a 50% downpayment via Venmo (preferred) or this website.

6. I finally start painting! I generally text you progress pictures, and I often send additional questions. (Pro tip: If you see any issues or anything I miss, PLEASE SPEAK UP ASAP! Early on, it’s usually fairly easy to make changes.)

7. The painting process generally takes, at minimum 6 hours, and sometimes much more depending on size, complexity, etc. Occasionally I’ll prep and paint an entire commission in one session. More commonly, however, your painting will be created over multiple sessions. For example, during the first paint session of a typical oil painting, the canvas gets a coat of underpainting and then I “sketch” the image on the canvas with paint. All of this dries, and I often mix up my color palette (as most of the colors I paint with are mixed-to-order vs. using the color as-is from the tube. The next session is where I block/paint in big areas of shadow and work out composition details. That all dries. In subsequent sessions, I’m adding in elements, tweaking colors, adding details, etc.

8. As the painting gets close to being finished, I usually send you a final pic and we can do small adjustments if needed.

9. Drying time and shipping. Drying happens in minutes for watercolors, and days or weeks for oil paintings. When it’s ready to ship, I try to get it out to you within a few days. If I know you have a tight timeline, I’ll ship it as soon as I can.

Oh goodness…I hope so! :)

But seriously, I put a lot of time and effort into planning your painting before I grab a brush.

My planning ALWAYS includes significant discussion with you regarding:

• Color scheme - I like to coordinate with you or your gift recipients’ tastes/home decor if desired. For example, some people prefer neutrals, or love bright colors or moody colors, or their whole living room is bright blue and they want this to match. That sort of thing.

• Painting style - For oil and soft pastel paintings I have a fairly distinct style that leans towards “loose” and impressionistic. When left to my own devices, I also tend to incorporate a mix of colors you’d expect (“the grass is green”) and pops of colors that you might not expect (“that green grass has flecks of yellow ochre and blue and some red here and there”). I know that sounds odd in writing, though I promise it works on canvas. BUT I always ask you which direction you want me to lean. I can absolutely leave the quirky colors for another painting, and I can lean more towards impressionistic or more towards realism in the style. For watercolor paintings, I still ask for your input, but most of my watercolors lean more towards realism so it’s less of a consideration.

There are a few common reasons you might not have an actual picture of your desired scene:

• You have a photo, but it’s not a great photo

• You have a photo, but it’s at the wrong angle

• You might know of your place, but you don’t have a photo. (e.g. We spent every summer of my childhood at Table Rock Lake, and I have lots of memories but no photos).

• You have a description, but no photo

That’s totally ok! I’m happy to help modify or create an image if you don’t have a good photo of it.

That said, my base price includes me recreating an image from a photo you give me, but not creating an image from scratch or significantly modifying a photo you don’t want to use as is. These are considered extra services (with extra charges).

Please also see: “What does the base price include?” and “Why might my painting cost more than the base price?”

I offer a variety of "bonus products featuring your original image. They make fantastic gifts:

• Coffee mugs and tumblers

• Greeting cards

• Additional prints and printed gallery-wrapped canvases (e.g. duplicates for other family members)

• Tote bags

• Ornaments

• Puzzles

• Swimsuits (ha! I really can, but for whatever reason I’ve yet to sell one).

• And more! I can provide a complete list upon request.

I knew that title would get your attention! LOL

Ok, I don’t like making people cry, but no joke…roughly 4 out of 5 of my clients, unprompted, send me a message that sounds something like this:

“I just gave the painting of Grandma’s house to my mom and she bawled.”

“I haven’t seen Dad cry in years, but he did when he saw the painting the cabin we used to stay at when we were all kids.”

“I tear up when I look at our family crest on the mantle. It captures everything I love about my people.”

…I get that kind of comment so often that I’ve been trying to figure out a way to work it into my business cards.

Something like, “Making people cry since 2018.” Would that be weird?

But seriously, I’m a sentimental soul, and it’s incredibly special to me to be trusted with your project. Painting commissions that help people connect with memories of places and people they love is my favorite part of the job.

(See also the two questions above regarding pricing.)

The base cost of a commissioned painting covers one entire standard painting. However, some requests take a significant amount of extra time to fulfill, so I charge more to cover my time.

• adding elements/objects to the picture - $25+ each

• changing overall color scheme - $39+

• changing the time of day/lighting - $59+

• changing the angle of the picture/painting - $159+

• sourcing a photo for you (e.g. your photo isn’t “painting worthy” or you don’t have a photo) - $39+

• I create an image for you from a description - $99+

• Particularly complex images/houses/scenes - $59+

• You change your mind after the painting is well underway - $29+

Again, I never surprise people with extra charges after the painting starts! You’ll know of any extra charges before you pay any downpayment.

Oil paintings are known for their classic, “timeless” look. They tend to be the first choice for art that you want to have forever. They also feel “substantial” and have more gravitas, generally speaking, than other mediums.

• The edges of my oil paintings are wrap-painted so they’re ready to hang without a frame if desired.

• I prefer to frame the oils I have on my own walls. For more info, see the framing information page.

• They arrive with hanging wire or sawtooth picture hangers attached.

• Oils take time to dry enough to be safe to ship. Please allow 3-6 weeks for completion.

Watercolor pieces often have a softer look and a lovely translucent quality.

• Watercolors come unframed.

• Watercolor art should generally be framed before hanging. Watercolor framing needs a little bit of extra consideration whether you plan to DIY or professionally frame (just to ensure the glass doesn’t directly touch the image). See the framing information page for more information.

Soft pastel paintings usually have more “movement,” and lean towards brighter, more intense colors. With these paintings in particular, I personally lean towards very playful colors and color interpretations…more so than in my other mediums.

• In the art world, art made with soft pastels is called a “painting.” That said, soft pastels are kind of like really fancy chalk, so art made with them is basically chalk on specially prepared paper.

• Soft pastel art should definitely be framed before hanging (to protect the chalky surface). Soft pastel framing needs a little bit of extra consideration whether you plan to DIY or professionally frame (so that the glass doesn’t touch the image directly). See the framing information page for more information.

• I choose to add a very light fixative on my finished soft pastel paintings to help maintain the integrity of the final image. In decades past, these fixatives could sometimes change the color or look of the art. However, in my experience, the more modern fixatives not only protect the art, but make little or no difference in the way art looks. To be honest, I cannot tell the difference between the paintings I’ve sprayed and not sprayed, so I have to keep track of which ones I do in my records!

For all painting kinds, find more info on how to frame on my framing information page.

Oil on canvas paintings - not unless you want to! I “gallery wrap” paint the edges of all of my oils, and attach hanging hardware before I send them to my customers, so you can definitely hang them up as soon as you get them. That said, I like the look of framed canvases, so I tend to put mine in simple “canvas float frames.”

Oil on panels or boards - probably! These are a canvas surface wrapped around a thin, sturdy board (or similar painting surface). They’re usually less than ¼ in thick. Most people frame these. I do no attach hanging hardware to these. (FYI, most of my oil paintings are oil on canvas. See above.)

Watercolor paintings - Yes! Watercolors are painted on heavy paper, so they aren’t really suited to display without a frame. Best practice is that you frame these so that the glass of the frame doesn’t directly touch the art (to protect the art).

Soft Pastels - YES! These are, in essence, fancy chalk paintings. I know you know what happens when you rub your finger across chalk, so the importance is pretty self-explanatory. I DO add a light fixative to my soft pastel art when it’s done, but that’s not meant to be the only protection for the final image.

ALSO, with soft pastels, even more than with watercolors, it’s important for the glass of the frame to not come into contact with the surface of the painting. It’s fairly easy once you know what to do, and I can walk you through what to get and how to do it if you’d like!