Visit my Gallery

Art: This time, its Personal.
With a Spirit Capture Portrait, you are the Masterpiece.

Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a sitting take?
The painting will take one day per person painted. I'll be in your home for 6-8 hours each day. You will most likely sit for only 4-5 of those hours.

Do I ever get a break?
LOL! You’ll get as many breaks as you need. I need 'time outs' too in order to see with ‘new eyes’. This will be an enjoyable, easy experience for you. We’ll BOTH move, talk, listen to music, stand up and stretch, eat, drink and be comfortable. All your needs will be met!

What is the day schedule like?

• 10AM or 11AM arrival.
• 1-2 hour setup time.
• We'll discuss your clothes, setting, pusaka, etc.
• You will have plenty of time to get ready.
• You show me where you plan to hang the piece. I do my best to design your portrait for your planned area.
• You get comfortable in your chair, and I lay out my palette of colors.
• You pose for a couple of hours (don’t worry, I’ll coach you).
• Lunch.
• You pose for a couple more hours, until you start feeling tired.
• We'll stop spontaneously if you feel restless, or if I feel I need distance from the piece.
• 1 hour breakdown of my materials.
• Estimated 6PM departure.
  

Important:
This sitting will feel like play time, yet will require my diligent focus.
Please respect my need for your full presence during our sitting.
It's a time for us to be alone –just you and me… no blackberries, children visiting, soufflés in the oven (unless thats your bliss!!!), cell phones, cute new lab puppy, or plumbers coming on our day. No matter how ‘important’ the distraction, I request that you send it away.

Do I have to sit perfectly still?
We will most likely position you in the most comfortable chair you have. Back straight. Legs uncrossed. This feels unusual for some people. I will direct your position so that your body will have as much comfort as possible. This is not always the most comfortable for your mind. This is where you will have to trust my experience, for if we have to change your pose halfway thorough, it will change the position of your shoulders, neck, head, eyes…completely changing my painting. This is not something that is possible midway through a portrait.
I prefer you to sit still. Sometimes people will speak in order to not be ‘truly seen’…is that you? We’ll sincerely talk the whole time, but No chatter. I’m not interested in ways you normally distract someone from seeing you. I will honor you fully by asking questions about what you love, what moves you, what life means to you; focusing on who you really are. Delightful periods of silence could occur, when you might slip into an exquisite form of their own contemplation, meditation or quiet.

Will it hurt to sit that long?
I’m interested only in your comfort and joy- I don’t like painting faces in pain.

Can I ask questions while you work?
Of course! Our conversations are highly confidential, and I hold ‘Practitioner Consciousness’ around them.

Can I see the painting before it has been completed?
Absolutely not. Your painting will not be viewed by you until I deliver it completed.

Can you paint my picture from a photograph?
Yes, but I do this portrait thing because I love to Know people. Human beings are exquisitely beautiful creatures; complex, exciting, rich and evocative. Photographs eliminate the Spirit Capture essence from my experience as painter, and yours as client.

Can I use the painting for my Christmas cards/website/business cards etc.?
Yes. You can reproduce the painting for Christmas cards or to email to family members (non-commercial purposes). For commercial use such as a website we’ll need a licensing or work-for-hire agreement and a different pricing.

Can you paint my baby?
Yes! We will plan a brief play date so I may get to know your child. I will paint the portrait from a photo. I love children, and commanding them to be still is against their nature.

How about my older child?
Yes. Kids over eight or nine can be part of the portraiture process. We'll take more active breaks, and goof around a lot during the session to help them stay at ease.

Can I bring my baby for my adult sitting?
Absolutely not. Do not have your pets or child under 9 present in the house during our adult sitting unless they are completely under another adults care. No pets or children please.

I adore children, which is why it makes it difficult to focus on the parent. When children are present, the facet of your personality—parent—is dominant. I am interested in other facets; perhaps parts of you long forgotten will emerge, and it's my pleasure to remind you of those beautiful long losts.…

Also, the materials I use can be damaging if spilled.

Can you make me younger/thinner/more beautiful?
I believe that everyone is beautiful when they are open to being truly seen. If you open your self to share this intimate experience with me, I will paint the beautiful person I see to the best of my abilities.

I painted Isabelle at 80+ years. She brought forth a mischievous young side. I painted what I saw and am told the portrait is young. The ruth is, so is Isabelle.

What will I wear?
Whatever your heart desires. There are no rules here. Something delightful. We will decide together what you will wear by the way your face lights up when you choose. I’ll help. You don’t have to know before I arrive.
.
I am inspired visually by fabrics, flowers, baubles, makeup, anything joy-provoking!. Get creative! This is your chance to be a Hollywood set designer, stylist and makeup artist. Be the person you envision yourself as and the process will be even more fun!

I do not guarantee that everything you’ve chosen will be in the final painting. I will choose the objects I get ‘hits on’ which fit in the feeling and composition.

Can you paint me nude?
I enjoy painting nudes. Or with a drape for texture and color.

What do you mean by, “Hold a sacred object in your lap?" What’s that?
I describe a ‘sacred object’ as something you hold dear, which magnifies the part of your true Self. Something that inspires you, enriches your life, reminds you of a wonderful facet of yourself.

This object may or may not make it into the final painting in form, but it will be reflected in your expression.

Will it be what I expect? Will it look like a photograph of me?
Please do not have expectations. I can guarantee that what happens on the canvas will not be something you could expect.

Please study my website, and digest my style. There are magnificent, techically accurate, photorealistic painters who can depict this exacting style. This is not my vision. My purpose is to honor the you in the most dynamic, warm, lush interpretation your spirit affords. .

Some people are shocked when they first see their portrait, expecting a mirror image. It’s a strange phenomenon, being painted. If anything, expect to hate it. Your loved ones are most likely to say, ‘Wow! It's exactly you”. You will grow to love it, I am confident, if you don't at first unveiling.

Beatrix still says, "Mommy! It's my twin! It's like a mirror!"

We all have visions of ourselves. I see a vision of you. I paint what I see. My artisian perspective. Spirit Capture is not photo realism, but a stylized version of you.

(By the way, Life is rarely what we expect. That’s when it gets really good, isn’t it?)

What size will it be?
I will execute your portrait no smaller than 24"x 30."

Why me?
Because you are gorgeous. I know this, and I’ve never even met you. Because you deserve to be adored and remembered. Because you deserve to be seen. Most everyone would enjoy the gift and experience of sitting for my portrait! This is a priceless present for a loved one; and a most beautiful gift to give to yourself.

Me, a Muse?
Many people have expressed the dream to be an artists ‘Muse.’ This is your opportunity. I truly believe that every person is beautiful when they allow themselves to be seen. Please let me see you and deliver a portrait that will bring you joy. I promise I will paint the beautiful person I see to the best of my abilities
.
You are the most precious gift that could be given.
You are the most valuable gift that could be received.
The value of your presence is immeasurable, immense, and priceless!
-Carla Brown, Inspirational & Motivational Speaker