Portrait Process
“Be my muse for the day.” Robbi Firestone

Your Spirit Capture Sitting will be a joyful experience!
Our time together will consist of your favorite music, conversation, readings. We'll talk the whole time, if you like! We'll eat lunch, and share open, confidential time together, creating your portrait from places of joy, not from stiff formality. We will co-create an intuitive celebration of you.Commissions from Photographs can be arranged.

Portrait Evolution
The images below demonstrate portraits from start to finish.

Beatrix

Beatrix chose several sacred objects for her oil portrait, one of which surprised her mom! Do you see them to her right? The sitting was a beautiful, intimate experience for the three of us. A vivacious, atheletic young girl, at one point I saw her attention waning. "Beatrix, if I weren't here, what would you be doing now?" She said, "playing frisbee." So, we took a fun break in the sun and we played frisbee. She invited friends over, we made lunch, and we talked the whole sitting. Beatrix loves her Spirit Capture. And I LOVE Beatrix!!!!

Above you see her beautiful mom and Beatrix in their kitchen where we staged the sitting. Then you see a 'model shot' I took of her for my photo reference. Next is Beatrix standing with her oil portrait toward the end of sitting day. In the 2nd row, you see the portrait without the 'Spirit Capture' letter, then the back of the painting, and finally the finished Spirit Capture Oil Portrait.

Wild Bill Jones

This is the end of day with Wild Bill standing next to his piece. Then a detail closeup, and finally the completed Spirit Capture Oil Portrait of Wild Bill Jones. He's amazing.

Dyann Lyon

One of the kindest, most beautiful women I know, the first shot is Dyann Lyon's oil portrait at the end of her sitting day. The second is my 'gift wrap' presentation, then the finished Spirit Capture Oil Portrait of Dyann on the right.

Michelle Norfolk

Michelle sitting for her portrait. This shot is toward end of day. You see a bit of my setup to the right. I asked Michelle to bring a 'sacred object'. She shot this photo for her mother, and wanted it represented in her painting as it was very special to her. Do you see how I used the inspiration on the right of her head in the finished piece far right? I have no interest in photo representation of my subject. This is a very fauvist style of painting, yet it really looks like Michelle. She really loves her Spirit Capture Oil Portrait.

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My whole purpose for creating a portrait is to represent the complexity of an individual, not copy a likeness. Thousands of artists can reproduce a photorealistic, formal, stayed image of a person rendering flattened, unfeeling protraits. That painter is able to know little of the clients true personality.

Portrait sittings are reputed to be boring, formal, monotonous and stiff.
One painter I spoke to said, "I would never paint them in person! I would get too bored" Her model cannot move, talk, relax or play!

How can you recieve a joyful representation of your loved one if they can not move for five hours?

Begin Your Portrait
We'll begin your commission with a contract and your 50% deposit. In most cases I travel to your location and stay for a day or more. My travel and accommodation costs are additional, and are not included within the portrait fee.