“Portrait painting is one of my favorite activities. It is always a fascinating and challenging task to try to capture the essence of someone’s personality in paint. Although I often use photography for reference, I much prefer to paint from real life, as I do for my self-portraits. The animation of the sitter, the constant minute facial movements and changes in expression are nuances that the artist needs to observe in order to create a successful portrait, yet these nuances are not captured in a single-image photograph.
Commissioning a portrait can be an exciting and gratifying project for you to take on. But you’ll need to do some planning first. It is important to think carefully about what you want or expect from the experience and to discuss this thoroughly with the artist. I often find it useful to meet with the subject first to get to know them and their ideas a little before work starts in the studio or at the person's home.
If you would like to discuss the possibility of commissioning a painting please email me.”
- Claudia Verciani, professional visual artist, San Diego, CA