ALL PAINTINGS...

--Are acrylic on stretched canvas (or canvas board) and signed "RS". The back of the paintings have the full title of the painting written on them as well as my full name and the date the painting was finished.

--Are rectangular however some photos were taken from an angle to avoid glare so they may appear slightly asymmetrical. It isn't easy taking a photo of a painting.

--Are treated with a permanent protective varnish when finished.

---Are framed with wood covered in heavily-varnished bean appliqués. I make these frames myself and they look it (i.e. the beans are not perfectly symmetrical and the frames probably aren't either).


COSTS:
Currently April, 2009) my paintings are selling for between $600 and $1000 plus shipping (usually $15-$150 depending on where you live and how big the painting is). The painting price is determined by the size, detail, the frame, and how nicely the painting came out in my opinion. If you want to be on the list of people who get notified as soon as I have some new paintings up for sale e-mail me at handsomefamily@mindspring.com and let me know (you only need to do this once). You can also e-mail me to find out the exact shipping costs for a specific painting to a specific address.

COMMISSIONS (PET PORTRAITS or SPECIFIC ANIMALS or HUMANS or THEMES):
I'm currently (April, 2009) accepting painting commissions, which means that if you have a specific animal or animals or a person or even an idea you'd like me to paint then I can do it. For a portrait I'll need some good quality photos of the subject. You can e-mail them to me or send them through the mail (I'll send them back to you with the finished painting, but don't send me anything priceless in case my house burns down or a tidal wave crashes over me while I'm painting and your photo is forever lost) plus some details about what you'd like me to work on. For pet portraits I like to imagine what Heaven looks like for your furry friend. I'll always discuss ideas with you before I start painting, but don't require money up-front. Also: I like to frame the paintings myself with homemade frames that I applique with heavily varnished beans. You can see examples of my frames on this website (look at any of the past paintings sold). Let me know if you want your painting to remain frameless and I can refrain from beaning.


COSTS:
Commissioned paintings cost between $750 and $1050 plus shipping (usually $15-$150 depending on where you live and how big the painting is). The cost of the painting is determined by the size, detail, and the frame. The average pricing is as follows...

Small (aprox. 14” x17”) usually $750 plus shipping
Larger (aprox 20” x 24”) usually $800 plus shipping
Largest (aprox 22” x 26”) usually $850 plus shipping (Some countries have size limits for mailing so that larger paintings will cost significantly more to ship than smaller ones so email me what country you live in when inquiring about a painting).

NOTE: I add $50 to the price for each extra person/animal in the painting.

SHIPPING:
I usually send UPS ground in the US and USPS outside the USA. Within the US the costs usually are around $10-$30. It's probably around double that to go to Canada and triple that to go further afield.

PAYMENT: I can accept a personal check for US dollars or you can wire me money to my bank account or you can send money through paypal (please add on 3% for paypal cause they take that out of all money received). What I usually do is paint the piece without any money upfront then I send you a photo of it through e-mail when it's done. If you’re pleased with it then I await payment and send the painting out once moeny is received.

TIME-FRAME: I get backed up with commissions and it sometimes takes 3 months or so for me to begin on something once it's commissioned. E-mail me at (handsomefamily@mindspring.com) for more details about my current schedule and let me know what you'd like painted.

DISCLAIMER: Before you commission a painting from me have another look at my finished works. I am not a traditional portrait painter i.e. if you send me a picture of your dog sitting in the driveway I might paint your dog up in a tree and if you ask for a picture of a lion I might paint the lion walking on a sea of flames whether you asked for flames or not. If you want a photo-realistic image of your pet or you want something that doesn't have an air of the surreal about it then please don't hire me to paint you a picture. I am incapable of copying your photos or requests exactly. If this idea bothers you then you probably will not be pleased with my finished work and should hire another starving musician/artist to paint a picture for you.

RETURNS: I do require that you pay me for a painting before I send it out to you. For commissions I will take a photo of the painting when its done and e-mail it to you. If you’re happy then I ask that you pay me the total amount before I mail the painting out to you. You can pay me by check or money order for US dollars or by paypal (though you need to add on 3% to the total to cover the fees) or by bank transfer (you’d have to check with your bank how much that costs you).


FURTHER QUESTIONS:
Please e-mail me if you have any other questions or comments or just need someone to talk to about this scary world.
handsomefamily@mindspring.com

Thanks for looking at my paintings---Rennie Sparks