Your painting will be professionally framed under glass. If it has a mat around the image it will have a small space called a gutter at the bottom between the image and the mat. This is to help keep the mat clean from pastel dust that will gradually drop over time. It is recommended that until it is hung you handle it with the right side up or flat with the picture side up, again to prevent any pastel dust from dropping and dirtying the mat. Should the mat become grubby it is a simple matter for a framer to remove the painting and clean or replace the mat. Avoid hanging your painting in direct sunlight for hours each day as condensation could collect under the glass.

Soft pastels are the oldest medium known to man and is what cave men used for their rock paintings - sand, clay or ground rocks mixed with water. Unlike oils, acrylics and watercolour, your pastel painting will not crack, yellow or fade but will retain its freshness and vibrancy forever.

I use a reliable shipping company for my interstate sales. The painting will be professionally packaged to protect the glass, will be insured and have a tracking number. An extra $100 will be added to the price to cover these costs. Freight within the metropolitan area of South Australia is free.

When doing a commission I like to ask my client what the important aspects of the commission are, where the reference is from, how they felt at that time and what the mood was. I generally work from reference photographs and urge perspective clients to be familiar with my style. For a pet portrait I need 3 or 4 photographs to work from that are not blurred or dark and show the eyes clearly. We will have a brief chat about how you would like the painting to look and any specifics you want. My process is to create a sketch for you to check and then it would generally take two or three weeks to complete. The portrait will be framed under glass.

All of my pastel paintings are framed under glass, unless they are to be shipped overseas in which case, they will be matted and wrapped. Pastels are an archival chalk medium so they need to be protected from the damp and smudging.