Signature Art Portraits

What is a Signature Art Portrait?

This is one of the questions I am asked most often.

Before I was a photographer, I was an artist. Long before I ever picked up a professional camera, I spent years drawing and painting portraits in oils, pastels, and other traditional mediums. Over the past two decades, I have continued to develop both my photography and fine art skills, often creating portraits of my own children as well as commissioned work for clients.

A Signature Portrait is the culmination of those two worlds.

Each portrait begins with a custom photography session. The photograph provides the foundation of the artwork, allowing me to preserve the true likeness, expression, and personality of your child with a level of realism that is difficult to achieve through painting alone.

From there, I begin the artistic process.

Using techniques developed through years of traditional portrait painting, I carefully enhance the image with painterly brushwork, artistic refinement, and fine art detailing. In many cases, additional traditional artistic techniques are incorporated throughout the creation process. The result is not simply a photograph, nor is it a traditional oil painting.

It is a commissioned fine art portrait that blends the realism of photography with the beauty and timeless character of classical portraiture.

WHY DO YOU NEED TO PHOTOGRAPH MY CHILD?

Because the portrait session is an essential part of the artwork.

Light, expression, pose, wardrobe, composition, and connection all play a role in creating the finished piece. In order to create a Signature Portrait that meets my artistic standards, I need complete control over the image that serves as the foundation for the artwork.

For this reason, I do not create Signature Portraits from snapshots or photographs taken by others.

DO I HAVE TO LIVE NEAR YOU?

Not at all.

Families travel from throughout Alabama and across the Southeast to commission Signature Portraits. Many make a special day of the experience because they understand they are investing in a piece of artwork that will remain in their family for generations.

WHY CHOOSE THIS OVER A TRADITIONAL OIL PORTRAIT?

Traditional painted portrait commissions often require months of work and can cost well into the five-figure range.

My Signature Portrait process allows families to enjoy the beauty, elegance, and presence of a classical portrait while maintaining the authenticity of their child's likeness and making heirloom portraiture accessible to more families.

The finished artwork is museum-quality, archival, timeless, and designed to become a treasured part of your family's story.