Portraiture as a Craft, Art Form, and Service

Personally, I believe portraiture sits somewhere between a craft, an art form, and a service. Whether we like it or not, in order to make a living as painters, we have to sell something – our time, labour, products, or services. Without being too complacent about the time and labour element, as making/creating a painting takes both, I find that a focus on those two particular approaches results in a cold and disconnected experience for both the painter and the patron, i.e., it becomes about the outcome rather than the process.

The Pitfalls of Viewing Portraiture as a Product

Thinking of portraiture as a product – a painting to cover some wall-space – begets the same end result. When paired with the emotional journey of the client in sitting for a portrait, which can be quite overwhelming for some people, the ‘product’ mentality misses a great opportunity to collaborate. It actually establishes an unequal power dynamic between the sitter and the painter that I find uncomfortable.

Portraiture as a Service

Thinking of portraiture as a service, I feel, allows both the painter and client/patron/sitter to walk the emotional journey together in conversation. The question, “How do you want the portrait to make you feel?” is far more interesting to me to explore with someone than, “How do you like this portrait I’ve painted of you?” Thinking of portraiture as a service then, in effect, is thinking of a holistic process that ultimately results in a painting which can have a far more wide-reaching impact than any imposed projection. That, to me, is a way more comfortable proposition for someone who has never sat for a portrait before.

Developing a Set of Standards

As I take the approach of thinking of portraiture as a service, I wanted to develop a set of standards or a framework to help guide the process as well as reducing the amount of variability. One easy way to do this was to limit the sizes of canvas. I started to look into traditional portrait canvas sizes and found the following information on the National Portrait Gallery’s website, which got me very excited.

Exploring Traditional Canvas Sizes

If you’re interested in the history of portraiture, as an artist or simply an enthusiast, I’d highly recommend giving the National Portrait Gallery’s site a look over. This information isn’t anything new – far from it – but it’s so comprehensive. I personally enjoy the idea of the relationship between the size of the material and canvas sizes through history, rather than an abstract ratio or popular concept of aesthetic.

Creating Useful Templates

As you’ll see in the attachments, I took this information and made a useful graphic and table to help me template options. This structured approach ensures consistency and aligns with my philosophy of viewing portraiture as a service, fostering a more collaborative and fulfilling experience for both artist and client.