A genuinely bespoke
Portrait service

A truly personal experience and a remarkable journey to create a beautiful hand-painted oil portrait.

What Is A Portrait?

A portrait is more than just a photograph or a painting; it is a process and collaboration.

A portrait is an experience.

Ultimately, when you commission a portrait from me, you will end up with a bespoke, hand-painted oil painting that will adorn your walls for decades if not longer. But a portrait is more than that.

When you commission a portrait it is really the beginning of a journey to better understand yourself and/or the sitter. It is an adventure; an attempt at distilling a multi-dimensional living being into an abstract two dimensional image using light, form, shape and colour.

Bespoke Portraits by Portrait Artist Robert Moutrey

The Portrait Experience

In the instance that you wish to commission a portrait of yourself, the process involves coming face-to-face with questions such as: “how do you see yourself?”, “how do you want others to see you?”, and “how do you want to be remembered?”. It is as much a journey of self discovery and finding wholeness as it is about a picture to hang above your fireplace.

When it comes to commissioning a portrait of someone else, there is no greater gift – the portrait itself becomes a translation, a depiction of your projection of the sitter and a rare opportunity to fully express what it is that binds you together.

Is a portrait right for you?

You should consider commissioning a portrait if…

  1. You want to curate your family’s legacy, commemorate your loved ones or celebrate your successes
  2. You love art, have always wanted to invest in it and work with an artist, or,
  3. You long for time to slow down and to capture fleeting moments of beauty to ensure they are never forgotten.

"This was such a wonderful experience. I’ve never had my portrait painted before and I was a bit nervous. But Robert made the whole experience so fun and immediately put me at ease. I’m thrilled with the result and so pleased that I have this momentous reminder of a really important time in my life. Plus he’s a thoroughly lovely man. I couldn’t recommend him enough"

-- Imogen Johnson-Gilbert
Seamless process

How It Works

01 Share your vision

You get in touch with me and we begin our conversation. This is where our collaboration begins. We find out the subject and the paintings intended impact.

02 Set Budget & timeline

You tell me your budget and when you would like your painting completed. I will provide a quote with options and we'll agree the best approach.

03 Studies & Design

I produce studies and designs either from life, photographic or digital mockups. We'll talk about them together before settling on one to take forward.

04 The Painting

I bury myself away for days/weeks/months to create a beautiful painting for you to take home for the rest of your life. For larger paintings, you are more than welcome to visit the studio to see your painting in progress.

time & energy

I will off 100% of my time, energy and attention to understand your wants, needs and more importantly hopes for you painting with 1-2-1 interaction.

Highest Quality Materials

I use top of the line oil paints for the brightest, most authentic colours on the market.

Traditional Methods

I want your painting to last a lifetime so I use tried and tested methods that have been developed over literally hundreds of years.

Robert Moutrey

Portrait Artist
Find out more

Why work with me?

I offer an exemplary service – from initial consultation through to delivery. 

Often the art world feels exclusive, intimidating and inaccessible – you must have fortunes to own it or take part in it. I hope to remove some of those obstacles and reconnect the tradition of portraiture with real people.

I feel so passionately about the power of portraiture and the impact it can have on peoples’ lives. I enjoy every stage of creating a portrait and it’s this passion that sets me apart. I want to know you, I want to collaborate together, and I want you and I to make a beautiful painting together.

Satisfied Customers

“I commissioned Robert to create a painting for my sister. It was so much fun, he involved me at every stage - it felt like a collaboration. I ended up with a gorgeous painting and it had the desired effect, my sister cried with joy. I can’t recommend him enough."
Dane Cross
“When Robert presented us with his painting of our eldest son, I was overwhelmed with emotion. Not only was it a wonderful painting, it carried with it so much weight knowing that so much time and attention had been invested into capturing my son’s energy. A perfect gift for a loved one."
Caitlin Birley-Brown
“Robert unveiled his portraits of my wife and I at our wedding. We hadn’t really considered how well an oil portrait would accompany such an occasion but it was an elegant addition to the event. They will take pride of place in our home.”
Sam Asbury

get a free quote for your portrait

Complete this simple form and I will reply with a personalised quote within 48 hours. Please provide as much detail as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some answers to questions I’m asked about my services often.
If I missed anything, please do not hesitate to contact me. I’ll be happy to help

The cost of bespoke, hand-painted portrait depends on two things: material and time. Obviously, the larger the painting, the more time and material that goes into it. But a larger canvas doesn’t necessarily mean a more expensive painting. Things to take into account when coming up with an portrait idea are: the number of sitters in the painting, how much of the body is in the frame (i.e. shoulders up? or full body), how much detail is in the background, and of course, how large you would like the painting to be when completed.

For more information about the specifics of costing your project read here.

There are many factors that impact the answer to this question, for instance: source material (will I be working from a photo, from life or a combination of the two?); painting medium (I can use mediums in the oil paint to help speed up drying time); how complex the painting is. If there is a birthday or event that a painting is required for however, I would recommend a minimum of 3 months notice. Oil paint in it’s traditional state can take 6-12 months to dry, and should be dry for a year before varnishing. 

Yes I do.

There is no greater challenge than painting ‘from life’ in the realm of portraiture and the labour of which often bears the most fruit. However, it can be timely and expensive to work from life and not everyone has the resources to support it.

Where I can I will always push towards at least a staged photoshoot to collect as many references as possible. But I will absolutely facilitate your needs should there be a particular photo you wish to be replicated in oil.

For more information about the source material of your portrait read here.

I’ve created a whole blog post about the size of portraits with measurements and suggestions to help you make your decision. 

For more information about the sizes of portraits read here.

Framing is a separate art and skill in and of itself. I am building upon my knowledge and practice to be able to offer this to my patrons at no extra cost, however for the time being I am unable to do so and so you will need to arrange for your own framing.

I work with a specialist art courier service to package and deliver your painting safely. Delivery is a separate fee and will be estimated before the painting begins so that you have full knowledge before moving ahead. Where I can, I will personally deliver your painting, however this might not always be possible.

Not find what you're looking for?

For more information on pricing, sizing, framing, delivery and everything else relating to my portraiture service, please check out my resources for Patrons using the link below

More Info
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