Custom
Designs

Here's your chance to commission a unique, one-of-a-kind keepsake to be treasured by you or someone special for years to come.

Here's how it works:

1) TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT: You email me your idea. Typical subjects would include your home, pet portrait, a favorite vacation spot. Attach photo(s) of your subject, and I'll take a look. (Please, no people portraits, no sports team logos, no corporate logos, and no copyrighted images.) If you don't have photos, but request something like "Canals of Venice" I will research photos of your subject and show them to you with suggestions for interpretation. Pleae note: If you furnish photos of, say, a pet, please provide the most accurate photos possible. I can't tell Spike's true expression if the eyes have "red eye." And I can't paint Fluffy's beautiful tail if it's hidden in the photo.

One of my loyal collectors took this photo (at left below) of Big Ben, on a trip to London, and asked me to create a very special keepsake of her trip.

2) PRICE: First of all, My work is absolutely guaranteed. If you are not completely satisfied, you will not pay. Average price for custom designs is around $125. Simpler designs will be less than that. Designs involving unusual detail or extended research will be higher. Typical price for Pet Portraits is $150. All Custom designs require research, creative originality, a significant amount of communication with the purchaser, an approval process, and are one of a kind originals, so a great deal of extra time and originality is involved in their creation.

3) QUOTE: After I study your photos, and before I paint, I will quote you the Cost for the finished piece, and give you an approximate completion date. Cost will include shipping anywhere in the continental U.S.

4) PREPAY HALF THE FEE: Before I paint, I will ask that you submit your credit card information, and half the fee will be charged up front. The balance will be due upon shipment of the final APPROVED piece.

5) WAIT PERIOD: For custom designs, there is usually a wait period of several weeks. Requests for custom eggs will be honored in the order received. I will let you know the anticipated completion date before your piece is painted. Your completion date may be several weeks away, so please allow adequate time.

6) APPROVAL PROCESS: After your custom egg is painted, and before it is clear-coated, I will send you photos of the piece for your approval. If you request any changes, adjustments can be made at this time, before the piece is clear-coated. When you have approved the photos of your completed piece, it will be coated in approximately 15 layers of high gloss polyurethane and allowed to cure, a process which will take two weeks. When the piece is ready to ship, I will charge the remaining half fee to your credit card, and I will ship your commission by Priority Mail. Remember: My work is absolutely guaranteed. If you are not completely satisfied, you will not pay. After you receive the egg, if for any reason you are not pleased with the result, you may return it to me and I will refund the cost. But remember, you will have seen very accurate clear photos of the finished piece before it is shipped to you, so there should be no surprises.

7) Please observe these GUIDELINES:

When choosing a subject, please consider the 'verticality' of the egg shape. Taller images are better than wider images.

I am a pictorial artist, not a graphic artist. Please don't ask me to do sports logos or other copyrighted logos (for example, Harley Davidson.) Also, I don't do graphics or formal lettering, so please, no company logos, insignia, or military emblems.

Please be aware, close up portraits of people painted on a round egg will have some natural distortion, due to the roundness of the egg. I do not recommend close-up face shots. Waist-up or full-length is preferred.

Your completed piece will be my vision of any photos you submit. Every effort will be made to create a faithful reproduction of your photos. But please remember this is an artist's interpretation, and allow for some creative license. Remember, you will be sent clear photos of the finished piece before it is shipped, so there will be no surprises.

Click here to view photo gallery of custom eggs: