Ordinary People

Where are all the Portraits of Ordinary People?

Who has their portrait painted these days? When we think of portrait commissions, stuffy old paintings of eminent public figures might spring to mind – business leaders, politicians, academics, scholars, philanthropists, activists, sports figures and celebrities. All worthy figures. But why is it that portraits are predominantly reserved for these individuals? Where are the portraits of the rest of us?

Cost is a significant factor. Not everyone can afford a commission. There’s also a widely held belief that portraits are primarily commissioned to recognize and honour the most worthy members of society—those with notable achievements or significant contributions. But what about ordinary people? What about the great hordes of the “unworthy”?

portrait of Michael, a homeless person who was living in a shelter at the time I painted his portrait

Meet Michael. He was homeless at the time I painted his portrait above, and had recently been given a space in a homeless shelter, along with his dog Floyd. By any measure Michael was as unworthy as they come, but he was a valued and trusted friend. It was an honour to paint his portrait and listen to his story.

Portraits of the Everyday People

I am continually frustrated by the reinforcement of the belief that portrait paintings are still the preserve of the privileged elite or the extraordinary. The BBC series “Extraordinary Portraits” describes itself as showcasing “breathtaking portraits of people with incredible personal and powerful stories—creating a picture of modern Britain.” What rubbish! We are all special, and we all have stories to tell, if only people took the time to listen to them.

artist painting portrait in studio

The Project

In exasperation, I proposed to a friend that I would create a series of portraits of ordinary people—people who could not afford a commission but who would love and appreciate a painting of themselves or a loved one. My friend suggested I could pick “worthy” cases like nurses or doctors. No, no, no! With the greatest respect, the “worthy” have received quite enough attention lately. I want to focus on the overlooked masses. I want to paint the ordinary.
This series will aim to democratize the art of portraiture, shining a light on those who are often forgotten or overlooked. It’s about taking the time to hear those quiet voices, and listen to their untold stories.

Why Commission a Portrait Painting

subject posing in artist studio for portrait

Why do people have their portrait painted?

This is a question I often ask myself. Commissioning a portrait is not a spontaneous decision. It requires an investment of time and money. It’s not just about recording a likeness, otherwise a photo will do. So why choose to commission an artist to paint your portrait? And is there a serious role for portrait painting in the modern world?

portrait of Egyptian artist Tarique M
Egyptian artist Tarique M with my portrait of him, standing in front of one of his landscape paintings

Fear of Death

I have heard it said that portraiture begins with a fear of death – an anxiety about impermanence.
When I lost my late partner to illness, I turned to painting to somehow fix, make real, my fading memory of her. I became acutely aware that with every passing day I had to think harder to recall her smile. I felt compelled to paint her a number of times after her death, I suppose in an attempt to preserve my relationship.
I have countless photos of my late partner, but I find none of them as evocative as my paintings of her.

portrait painting of artist's late partner veronica
Veronica

Status

In the past a portrait was a symbol of wealth and status. But that was mainly down to the cost. Nowadays art materials cost a fraction of what they did, and artists are similarly no longer a scarce resource. For that reason a painted portrait won’t afford you the status that it would have in the past, so that’s no longer a reason to commission one.
However, the good news is that commissioning a portrait is more affordable today than it has ever been.

How Much Does a Portrait Painting Cost?

detail of portrait of woman in blue denim jacket

It’s not just a moment in time

A painted portrait can be so much more than just a snapshot of the sitter – it is a record of the sitting and the entire time spent posing for the artist. It can also tell a story. It can allude to their past, and even suggest the future.
I am sometimes asked to paint a portrait to commemorate a special moment in a relationship. It might be an anniversary or birthday, or even a celebration of surviving an illness. I like to think that the portraits I have painted are more than just records of my brief encounter with the sitter, but are evocations of special moments and memories.

portrait painting with closeup, showing detail

“Portraiture stands apart from other genres of art as it marks the intersection between portrait, biography and history. They are more than artworks; when people look at portraits, they think they are encountering that person,”
Alison Smith, chief curator National Portrait Gallery London.

The sitting and the importance of drawing

I find drawing is an essential step in the process of producing a portrait. Even when asked to work from photos, I will never skip the preparatory drawing stage. The act of drawing, of closely observing the subject for two or three hours,  reveals qualities and attributes that I would not have noticed otherwise. This close observation enhances my understanding and connection with the subject, which I believe  leads to a more intimate and informed representation of the sitter.

drawing of still life

“Drawing takes time. A line has time in it.”
David Hockney

The Process

What distinguishes portrait painting from photography is the extended process required to produce a painting. I will have to go through the same steps that a portrait photographer will go through (choosing pose, attire, lighting, location) but that will only be the very first step in a longer and sometimes arduous journey.
I paint in oil paint. It can be a challenging medium, what with the fumes and long drying time, but it is so versatile and can produce sublime results. I am constantly learning new methods and techniques. I did once dabble with digital art. It’s just not the same. I soon saw that no computer algorithm can recreate the wonderful unpredictability of oil paint. The same things that are so frustrating about this medium are also it’s greatest qualities. When you load a bristle brush with a lump of oil paint and run it along the coarse surface of the canvas, you can’t predict exactly how it will turn out. It will often disappoint, but sometimes the simplest brushstroke can amaze. When you buy a painting, you are buying the product of that struggle between artist and medium.

portrait painting of redhead with detailed closeup

Is Portrait Painting still relevant?

So those are some of my thoughts on why commissioning a portrait painting is still relevant in this day and age. In the modern world where all the talk is about NFTs and AI, there is a reassuring beauty and appeal about a traditionally painted portrait. It is so much more than just a likeness rendered on canvas. It is the product of a long process. It’s a journey that starts with the subject sitting down in front of the artist.

artist painting a portrait in the studio

Available for Commissions

You can find more information here: How to Commission a Portrait
I have a price guide here: How Much Does a Portrait Cost?

If you’re interested in commissioning a portrait, or would just like more information, please do get in touch. I’m happy to arrange a phone or video call, or a studio visit if convenient. First please email via address on my Contact Page.

I have written a few case studies of previous commissions. They show you some of the decisions that had to be made in commissioning a portrait:
Portrait Case Studies

selection of portrait paintings from the artist's studio
selection of portraits in my studio

Further information about the relevance of portraiture:

Why do Painted Portraits Still Matter? from a lecture by Sandy Nairne, Director, London National Portrait Gallery, given at the Canberra National Portrait Gallery in 2006.

Sotheby’s Talks: Facing Now: Why Portraits Still Matter with Simon Schama, Eleanor Nairne, and Helena Newman

Working Methods – Underpainting and Glazing

two recent portrait paintings with one unfinished, still in underpainting stage
Two portraits – one unfinished in underpainting stage

Painting Technique: Glazing

I often bore people with long conversations about my use of glazes, without realising they don’t know what I’m talking about. So I thought I’d write a post about this wonderful technique, and how it has transformed my art.
It’s not complicated. Glazing is applying transparent layers of paint over another dried layer of opaque paint. One benefit is that highlighted areas retain their saturation and luminosity, and don’t turn chalky, as is the case if you mix colours with white. Shadow areas can achieve a depth of colour you can’t achieve with a simple layer of opaque paint.
The disadvantage in using this technique is it relies on some forethought in preparing a suitable underpainting, and that underpainting has to be allowed to dry before applying the glazes.  This obviously slows down the painting process.

Note: I use oil paints, and everything I say applies to that medium. You can just as easily use glazes with acrylics, but I’m not qualified to advise on which mediums to use.

details of two paintings demonstrating use of glazing over underpainting
Underpainting stage compared to a finished painting with glazes applied

Grisaille Underpainting

Traditionally a “grisaille” underpainting was monochrome, but I tend to add a little colour during this earlier stage. I am careful to keep the tonal value in shadow areas fairly light, as glazes will deepen the final  tone.
The most difficult thing is anticipating how the glazes will look, especially as I might end up with six or more separate layers of glaze, to achieve the desired effect.

two paintings demonstrating the use of glazes

How Glazes Transformed my Art

When I studied at art school, there was no instruction in painting techniques. We were left to experiment and find our own means of expression. I embraced speed of execution and painted in an “alla prima” technique – wet paint onto wet paint. It was fine for landscapes (yes, I used to paint landscapes) but I became frustrated that I could not achieve the effects I wanted when painting portraits and figures.
It wasn’t until I resumed painting years later, that I took the time to study traditional painting techniques. It was a revelation. Now I had the tools to create the paintings that I wanted, and it has allowed me to explore portraiture and nudes, which have always been my first love.

painting demonstrating use of glazes
When applying glazes, you can use a cloth to remove the glaze from small areas

Glazing can be spontaneous

Having written about all the methodical preparation required in using this technique, I should add that they can be applied as freely and loosely as you like. The only limitation is the need then to allow each layer to dry. But if use an alkyd medium like liquin, or just add some to a traditional glaze medium, it will speed up drying times considerably.
Technically you should only use transparent or semi-transparent paints with glazes (transparency/opacity is marked on every tube of artist oil). You can use the same technique with white or opaque colours, but it will give an entirely different effect. One example would be using a thin glaze with zinc white to paint the bloom on grapes.


If you like the effects achieved with glazes, you will find that all the paintings in my gallery pages have been painted using this technique.

Gallery Page

If you want to read more about the use of glazes, there is an interesting article about how Vermeer used this technique in his paintings:

essentialvermeer.com/technique

Portrait of a Singer

portrait painting of young country singer

Several years ago I had the pleasure of having a young singer/songwriter by the name of Devon Mayson pose for a portrait sitting. This was just one of a series of portrait sittings I arranged at the time, all with different sitters.  They went well, and I recall Devon in particular was fascinating to work with. But at this time I chose instead to concentrate on figure studies and my Relationships Series paintings, so the drawings and photos from these sessions have remained unused. Until now.
In the past few years portraiture has become a much more important part of my art practice, and so I have been taking another look at the reference material from these earlier sittings.

detail from portrait of singer

This is a portfolio piece, to demonstrate my skills to potential customers, and also to give them ideas for what they can have in their own portraits. This is an example of how the introduction of a landscape in the background can add visual interest to a portrait. It is a device I have used frequently in commissions – the main risk is that it can distract your view from the sitter. It was sometimes used to good effect in Renaissance portraits. Artists like Titian would usually set the sitter within a neutral, abstract space – possibly for economy. However the addition of a window view, as in the examples below, opens up the space and adds an extra meaning to the portrait..

titian and possibly Giorgione portraits, showing technique of adding window in background
Two examples of Renaissance portraits with window in background

If you are interested in commissioning a portrait, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. My email address is on my Contact page. I have also produced some portrait case studies which might be helpful – they are below this blog post.

The model for this paintings was singer/songwriter Devon Mayson. From her website:

“Devon is a singer, songwriter and instrumentalist whose unique style is shaped by influences from the musical worlds of Country, Folk and Pop”

Her website is here: devonmayson.com

Portrait Case Study 1

commissioned portrait painting of woman in blue dress sitting on a chair

I have collected some case studies of recent portrait paintings, detailing the decisions that had to be made in planning each painting. I hope they might be useful to anyone thinking about having their own portrait painted.

Portrait Case Study 1. The Blue Dress

  • Size and pose: This is quite a large portrait, at over 100cm tall.  Given that we quickly agreed on a large canvas, it was then a choice of choosing between a full length or 3/4 length pose. We worked through a variety of standing and seated poses, finally agreeing that this seated position looked best.  We paid great attention to the placement of the hands – trying to avoid them looking awkward, while also looking interesting in the final painting. Apart from adding greater visual impact, this size canvas does allow for working in greater detail on the whole figure and on the clothing.
    the artist peter d'alessandri standing next to a large commissioned portrait painting
  • Style and clothing: We were limited by the chosen date for the sitting being a blazingly hot summers day, so a loose summer dress seemed the most comfortable option. It wasn’t the first dress pulled from her wardrobe. We considered quite a few options, and in the end agreed that this dress looked nice on her and would add some interest to the painting.
  • Setting: Ordinarily I liked to have sitters pose in their home environment. Apart from being more comfortable, the decoration and furnishing of a room often says something about the sitter. In this particular case the sitter had just sold their old home and was staying in rented accommodation, awaiting a move to their new home. So this bland Airbnb flat certainly didn’t say much about the sitter, but it was a suitably bright and blank backdrop. I chose to include some of the fire surround just to add some visual interest, and to help set the sitter in space.
    background props of boots and flowers in a portrait painting
  • Props: The items in the background (shoes, book, flowers) were added later, and weren’t part of the original brief. As I worked on the painting, I felt that there was a lot of dead space in the background that wasn’t doing anything. I also was not fully aware during the sitting what a pivotal time this was in the sitter’s life, and I felt I should include something (spring bulbs) to suggest the fresh start the sitter was experiencing. The boots and book are indicative of her great interests. I could have thrown in lots more, but I did not want the props to distract from the figure.

If you have any questions about commissioning your own portrait, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. My email is on the Contact page


Portrait Case Study 2.  Renaissance Garden

portrait painting of girl wearing a headscarf and woolly jumper, with colourful landscape in background

This is not actually a commission, but was painted as a portfolio piece – a painting that I could show to prospective customers and take along to art fares. In the event, it was snapped up by a collector shortly after I finished it, so now I only have the photos to share with you

  • Canvas Size: I chose a 50cm x 40cm linen canvas for this painting before I even started. It’s quite common to start a commission with a decision about the canvas size. It might be to fit in with your budget (larger paintings will incur more costs), but more often it’s because most people have limited space to display artwork.
    This particular linen has a very nice surface for portraits; although the weave is still visible, it’s less intrusive than cotton canvas. The smoother surface allows for more detailed work.
  • Pose: I worked through quite a few different poses with the sitter. She had a wonderful calm demeanour about her, which I wanted to capture in this painting. Having already decided on the canvas size, I was limited in my selection of poses. A full body pose would have meant her face would have been quite small on the canvas. I find this size ideal for a head and shoulders portrait, being large enough that I can introduce quite a lot of detail in the face. We went through different poses with arms crossed, or the model sitting. In the end I chose this standing pose. The model had such excellent posture, and that wonderful poise, that I wanted to try and capture it with the simplest of poses.
    detail from portrait painting - head scarf on portrait of young woman
  • Style and clothing: I asked the model to select her own clothing, giving consideration to how she wanted to be portrayed. She arrived wearing a colourful headscarf and loose knit jumper, which suited her well. The jumper provided a nice contrast in textures, which worked well in the finished painting.
    renaissance garden in background of portrait painting
  • Background: I initially planned this portrait with just a plain background, but I quickly realised there was a timeless quality about this model, which got me thinking about Renaissance portraits; where they might sometimes introduce a section of landscape in one of the top corners. This was a useful device to add depth and perspective to the composition, while also adding colour and visual interest to the painting. I was more interested in the latter, and how a serene vista would complement the model’s calm manner. I also wanted to demonstrate how alternative backgrounds can be easily introduced into a commissioned portrait.
  • Props: No need for props with this portrait. The smaller canvas didn’t lend itself to being cluttered with objects. With similar commissions of this size the sitter has  asked that they be painted wearing a particular piece of jewellery, which was of sentimental value.

progree photos of portrait painting
Progress photos, showing the monochrome underpainting.

Painting technique – Glazes and underpainting

The photo above shows the painting at three different stages. I had already worked out the composition on paper, with preparatory drawings. The underpainting is painted with a monochrome or very restricted palette. Once I was happy the tonal values were correct, I introduced colour into my palette. The final photo above shows the painting just before I add the colour glazes. It’s a traditional technique can add a wonderful luminosity to the highlights, and a depth of colour to the shadows that simply cannot be achieved with other techniques.

I have written a blog post about my use of glazes. You can find it here: Glazes and Underpainting


Portrait Case Study 3. The Dancer

portrait commission of a ballet dancer

This was a challenging commission. It taught me a lot about ballet, and also about specific problems in painting “action” poses. I was approached by a ballet teacher who wanted a portrait of herself in a recognisable dance pose. Being a lifelong admirer of Degas’ wonderful paintings of ballet dancers (here’s an example at the Met), it was a commission I couldn’t refuse.
I was concerned that my studio would not be big enough. Although fine for portraits, I felt it might feel cramped if she started throwing her arms and legs around. Despite my suggestion to have the sitting at her dance studio, she preferred to come to my studio.

various ballet poses for portrait commission

Problems holding a pose.

The first problem I encountered was that it proved difficult to hold any dance pose long enough for me to produce a useful drawing. Gestural charcoal sketches were okay, but the more detailed drawings I like to produce were not possible, and the sitting became quite a challenge for the both of us. I can see why Degas favoured pastels.
As soon as I had enough sketches,  I suggested my client should run through her repertoire of ballet poses, and I would start taking photos. She looked through the photos every now and again, and we would adjust the poses accordingly.
Apart from the different poses, we also tried different outfits. In the beginning the tutu was my least favourite outfit and I couldn’t see it making it to the final painting. By the end of the sitting we had lots of photos of various ballet poses carried out in three different outfits. My client checked through them, pointing out any where the pose was not up to standard, and then  I undertook to work up some sketches from the remaining photos, offering some alternative layouts.

alternative layouts for ballet dancer portrait commission

A choice between two poses and outfits

I couldn’t find the original sketches, but did manage to find photos of these later oil sketches. We had already eliminated alternative poses, and I offered my client two slight variations of this pose. Although I hadn’t been keen on the tutu at first, by this stage I felt it looked the better outfit, and made for a more balanced composition. Also the pose on the left looks that little bit more dynamic.

What did I learn? Ballet instructors are very demanding about their dance positions being spot on. I got into trouble with some wonky arms in my first sketches.  Second, although I’m very happy with how the painting turned out, I still feel that it would have added extra visual interest if it was set in a dance studio. Finally, if I’m presented with a similar dance challenge in future, I would forgo my usual preparatory sketches, and would instead video the sitting while taking photos. I think that would be a more useful record than my charcoal sketches. I have started to use video even with my traditional portrait paintings (especially when the sitter can’t pose in person), as it can sometimes give a better sense of what the sitter really looks like.


If this article has given you the inspiration to commission your own painting, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me – use the email address on my Contact Page.