It’s been quite a while since the previous post. Thank you for your patience. Let me explain what has been happening.
When I was a little girl, one of my dreams was to be an artist. The works and reproductions of master artists from the past all seemed so impossibly magical – especially compared to the results that emerged from the crayons and poster paints in my childhood art supplies.
Then at age 14, a magical gift arrived. Back then “home” was a dilapidated mobile home in rural Kentucky in a village of 300 people. Clothes were always purchased used. Water in the basin of the commode regularly froze in winter, as did the pipes. Food was usually present, though often of questionable freshness or nutritional value. Paper was difficult to come by, and the most reliable source of an ink for drawing was the poisonous berries from a plant everyone called “poke.” It was into this environment my first oil painting set came through the post from a loving parent in California. The set included:
- two stiff boar bristle paint brushes
- 8 tubes of paint about the size of your little finger
- two small canvas boards.
It felt like a miracle. The nearest grocery store was a 30-minute drive away. An art store, if you could even find one, would have been in Louisville, an impossible 2-hour “hope the car doesn’t break down on the way there” drive away. Every dollop of that paint got used! The results were two alla prima paintings, featuring the arena for horseback riding that my grandfather and I built when he visited, and a nocturne of a tree in the moonlight. Not masterpieces, of course, but they looked like the subjects enough to fuel a young imagination.
Those loving parents welcomed me to live with them after that, in sunny Southern California, where there was an abundance of opportunities. You could be a high school student by day, and study oil painting at night offered through the local community college. It was only the most rudimentary information, but at least it was time playing in the paint. You could also work part-time at an arts and crafts store helping customers and get an employee discount on paint – a great way to learn about the materials and basic color mixing.
Yet it wasn’t obvious where to find people who could teach how to create a good likeness or how to make something look three-dimensional while using color. Even the great masters of old learned through apprenticeships. Those knowledgeable experts existed of course, but where? Dreams of painting in oil paint were shelved as I pursued another great love, until later.
It is now later. Fortunately for all of us, the world has changed dramatically since then, giving us access to knowledge and opportunities never before possible, opening the doors to many dreams. Here is where I’d like to share some of the magic of that childhood dream being realized with you.
Just as barriers to world class knowledge for creating art are breaking free, barriers to creating magnificent portraits are coming down as well. Instead of being limited to the artists who live within a day’s travel by horse, and spending hours and hours modeling for your portrait – or worse yet – harnessing a fidgety child or beloved pet to model for repeated sittings for hours and hours and hours on end; you can hire your favorite artist, the artist of your choice, from anywhere on earth. We can meet live over the entire planet’s distance in real time. You can submit reference photos to your artist and spend your own valuable time doing more of what you love to do.
Do you have a favorite moment in a photo that you wish was captured with the authority and tradition of an oil painting? Maybe it’s of yourself or a precious loved one. Is there a special place in your home or workplace where seeing that portrait – the one that lovingly captured the essence of you or your loved one – would brighten your day every time you gazed upon it?
Building my mastery in oils requires expensive materials and dedicated practice. In order to gain more practice, continue experimenting, and find my painter’s voice in oils, I’m making a very special offer to you, my loyal fans and collectors, before it’s available to the general public.
For the first handful of you who claim it, I will do a realistic portrait of a single subject in oils for you for only $150 (or ¥20,000) plus shipping costs to your location. If this idea appeals to you, please read and consider the following rules for this iteration of “Teresa’s Portraits.”
The Rules for Teresa’s Portraits:
- The painting will be done on canvas board (mainly due to space and weight limitations) but is open for negotiation if you would prefer a different surface.
- You will need to provide me with a reference photo or photos. The better the quality of your references, the better the quality of the finished piece.
- Unfortunately, no changes in subject matter can be made after the painting process has started.
- Please understand oil paintings take time to paint, and months to dry before you receive them.
- Payment for the commission needs to be received before I begin painting.
- The artist retains the copyrights. (That means that I can post photos of the artwork, or I can sell or license photos of the artwork. The person who commissions the artwork would need to ask for my permission to post photos online and does not have the right to sell those rights to anyone else.)
- Even before announcing it to you, my loyal collectors and subscribers, there’s already a waitlist.
If you know the prices my work usually sells for, you’ll understand why I’m only doing a handful of paintings at this extremely low rate. Be one of this first group to ask for your own, original one-of-a-kind personalized oil painting, and your name will be added to the waitlist for the next available opening.
If this idea of owning an original Teresa Bolen oil painting of the subject of your choice – you, a loved one, or beloved pet – is at all exciting to you, and you’re ready to commission an original oil portrait; or if you have additional questions, please contact me through the contact page.
If this isn’t your cup of tea, no worries. You will still be notified and be able to see my work in shows and galleries as those opportunities continue to unfold.
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