Commissions

We have a discussion email or phone, on what you have in mind for your space. We can go from ideas, openness to my ideas, or work from a photo you have or have seen. Any style, any colors, any scale. Good to hear details about wall placement: approximate size, feel you wish to evoke, natural light incoming during times of day and or any supplemental light in that area. Wall color, furniture, things around the room and a photo or 2 helps. General style of the décor today and what you want in a long-term art statement piece. How much traffic or entertaining in that space? My graphic designer and I work up some images in photoshop and send you up to 5-7 to see if you like the track. No direct sunlight is best. Currently taking commissions of 40”+ Open to site visits and covered travel on projects of scale or complex installations, from my studio in the PNW.

Currently, commissions have a set rate x length x width. If the piece is more tight-lines, photo realistic, that takes more time and focus on detail to finish or if panels are in excess of 84”, as larger simply takes more physicality, and the investment a bit more. An industry-standard 50% deposit engages the project in the work-flow queue and gathering materials for yours. Studio pricing has simply evolved from supply and demand; one painter, one brush. I am the only one doing the painting, no interns or assistants. Hand-built art takes time; each one has over 10,000 brush strokes, each one fired with the blowtorch to adhere to the one below. My style is best described as loosely-tight, atmospheric, and more abstract or impressionistic than photo-real. A take on the real, expressed in many layers of beeswax; surreal perhaps. There is an aliveness, and even movement, in the final piece, more visual interest as my styles and techniques evolve. With your input and then trusting, letting me work the magic in the beeswax layers, it is a win-win! Also, care of the piece once it arrives is a careful unpack and installation protecting the corners and surface and the art is best kept out of extreme heat and cold, as well as out of direct sunlight. Melting point of the beeswax is about 170 degrees.

The commission queue stays pretty full and I work in projects as they float in. Each piece takes a couple months to complete. We at the studio have learned hard-deadlines or tight turnarounds, are less ideal so I can really open the piece up. It also gives me a little extra time to ‘live with the piece’ in studio, to study it in different lights, and add minute touches or refinements. Unscalable and unhurried, this hand-built art process. Supply chain, materials and shipping, help crating and freighting have been variable as of late. That said, we discuss ideal timing and everyone stays flexible. We are also finding it is best to ship close to installation date, such that the piece does not sit too long in storage, and we always recommend it doesn’t sit in cold or heat. Communication works for all these, and we send instructions on how to open the larger crates. Fedex freight priority ship generally. Note: Freight rates have really increased since 2020.

Once we decide on the composition and style, size, I order custom cradled 2” deep birch panels. They have built-in wall cleats on back for flush wall-mount and looks beautiful. I also order high quality professional prints that I glue to the panels, and then I added the highest quality RF paints encaustic medium in layers. Each larger piece ends up with about 20 thin layers of beeswax and pure pigments. I carefully fuse each layer to the one below with a blowtorch, creating a glowing luminous piece. Lots of scraping and mark-making. I am really in love with the work and the process- each piece is a full energy exchange with tools, torches, tricks and great care, considering your wishes. Will then send you final approval photos, and or save time for refinements you may wish. I simply love this work, and believe it shows in each piece. After 20 years, I have learned some techniques and tricks such that each new piece I take on benefits from that deep pool of mastery within this medium. There is a saying, ‘Once you go wax, you never go back.’