Doug prefers
to do portraits directly from life although there are circumstances in
which he will paint from photographs. We understand that sitting for an
artists portrait takes many hours and may not be possible due to time constraints
or distances. If he must paint from a photograph, he prefers that
it be his own photograph (when the subject is within 200 miles of Denison,
TX) or that of a collaborative effort between Doug and a professional photographer
in the subjects area.
After getting
to know the subject via email and telephone conversations he can get a
feel for exactly what kind of portrait is most suitable. In addition to
painting, Doug's background includes advertising and commercial photography
so he can communicate easily with a photographer in your area to get the
correct pose, lighting and feel on a plain background - as well as
a set of purely technical photographs showing the face and body from different
angles and lighting situations which he needs to get a full three dimensional
visualization of the subject(s). Working from the studio or natural
light photographs, he paints the subject(s) into a background or situation
from his imagination or per request.
There have been
occasions when he has been asked to paint subjects posthumously - in this
circumstance, he will be happy to paint from any good photograph you can
provide and be as accommodating as possible on background choices.
Certain things may not be possible due to the fact that he has no control
over the lighting in the original photograph - painting a subject he has
never met in person must be done very close to the photographic lighting.
The more photographs available the better.
