Commissions

I take on a small number of commissions each year — I’d love to hear what you’re thinking.

How it works

The first step is to email me at hello@harryphelps.art with a description of what you’re after. It’s okay if it’s not fully formed yet — we can work together to refine the idea without charge. There’s no commitment at this stage.

In your email, it helps to include:

• reference images — inspiration for what you’d like painted,
• how big you’d like the piece to be (see pricing below),
• where the piece is going to live (e.g. home, office, wall colour, light conditions),
• and most importantly — why this piece? What does it mean to you?

The next step is to arrange a call to go over it. Once we’ve agreed the details, I’ll give you a quote and an estimated timeframe — then it’s up to you whether to go ahead.

If you decide to go ahead, I’ll ask for a 50% deposit before starting work. The first step is usually a smaller painted colour study to work out the composition and colours. I’ll share this with you for feedback before starting the final piece. The study isn’t the final piece — it’s just a chance to make sure we’re on the same page.

Once the study is approved, I’ll start work on the final piece. You can choose whether you’d like progress photos along the way, or prefer to wait until it’s finished. Once done, I’ll send you photos for approval. If you’re happy, I’ll ask for the remaining balance before shipping it to you.

Pricing

I price by linear inch (height + width). So a 12x12" piece is 24 linear inches, and a 24x36" piece is 60 linear inches. The rate is £4 per linear inch — a 12x12" piece would be £96, a 24x36" piece would be £240. For commissions, there’s an additional £100 to cover the study and any extra work involved.

Style

I’m a plein air colourist at heart — I’m happiest painting outdoors from life, capturing the light and atmosphere. For commissions, working outdoors isn’t usually possible so I work from reference photos. It really helps if the photos are good quality. I primarily work with oils, but I’m happy to try other mediums if you have something specific in mind — and I’ll be honest if I think you might be better off with another artist. Get in touch and we can chat about it.