Campbeltown Harbour from Dalintober, Kintyre, Argyll

COMMISSIONS

Commissioned work is often of limited interest to those outside a small circle. They are usually requested to revive fond memories of pets, houses, places and people - and in that order of popularity. Most of my animal paintings come under the title of Pet Portraits; and houses large and small are a favourite.
I sometimes wonder if portraiture is a dying artform. It used to command the highest prices - probably still does in certain circles - but it seems most are content with photographs. Somewhere, my family have a portrait of our paternal grandfather and great aunt as children, which was a photograph overpainted in oils; a practice relatively popular in the early twentieth century. Maybe this hybrid was portrait painting attempting to capture the market back from the photographer. All I can say is that if asked to produce a portrait today, it is without exception a photographic one.
As this sort of work needs to meet with certain detailed criteria to pass muster with the client, it places of necessity, limits to creative expression. Only artists widely recognised for their particular style can follow their Muse - although strictly speaking there is no Muse for painting. The jobbing artist must produce something that looks like its subject. At least that is my experience. 
So here is a gallery of small selection from my favourite commissions, in no particular order...