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Centuries ago, one way to tell the wealth and class of a family was to see how many oil portraits they had around their home. During these times, only the most privileged and well off families could afford these types of extravagances. Now anyone can have a family or person portrait done. You just need to know what to look for.
One of the biggest misconceptions about oil portraits is that they require you to sit in the same position for hours and hours on end, usually over several sittings, to allow your artist to complete your portrait. While this used to be the case, these days you can simply send a photograph off to an experienced and capable artist, sit back and before you know they'll send you a completed portrait right back.
One of the interesting things about having oil portraits done is that you'll have a lot of options. Usually these types of portraits are done on canvas, but the size of the canvas can vary based on what you're looking for. You can order a painting that is small enough to hang in a hallway or a bedroom. Or you can order a painting that will hang grandly in your living room and become the focal point. The choice is yours, you simply have to decide what would work best for you.
Another thing to consider is that it's usually best to have the person who does your oil portraits handle the framing and matting. This way, when your portraits arrive you'll be able to hang them as soon as you'd like. Otherwise, you'd likely end up putting off taking them to framers. By the time they got done with them and got them back to you, weeks or months would have gone by – never mind the extra expense! You'll want to choose your framing and matting options based not just on the colors in your paintings, but you should take into account the décor of the room you plan to hang it in as well.
Obviously you need to find the right artist to handle your oil portraits as well. Be sure that you're not overpaying – but get a decent quality product as well. You can probably find a student at a local art college who would paint your portraits for next to nothing. However, if the end product is not something you'll want to hang in your home and be proud of, you'll clearly not have gotten a very good value. Your best bet is to find an artist who is skilled and experienced but offers reasonable prices, such as www.jimgleason.com.
Oil portraits make a great, classic addition to any home. If you're in the market for art as it is, why not consider art that is specially made for you and will have a very deep personal meaning? You'll want to make sure that you choose an artist who takes their craft seriously and will deliver a portrait that is beautifully made and a testament to it's subject.
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