A Room of Your Own
Room portraits, painted from the objects that stand for the people.
I paint rooms with the people left out. The table you eat at, the chair that is always taken, the two cups that get washed every morning. I paint the room the way you remember it rather than the way a camera sees it, with the floor tipped toward you so you can see what is on the table.
A room holds who lives in it. That is the subject, more than the furniture. These paintings are about the people a room keeps, and about how much space a life is allowed to take up.
How it works
- Send me six photographs of the room, and we talk for fifteen minutes. I want to know which objects matter and why.
- I paint the room from imagination, in thick oil, at the size you choose. There is no sketch to approve. The finished painting is the reveal.
- Eight to ten weeks from the day we start. Half of the price begins the painting, and half is due when it is finished.
- Within driving distance of Lake Charles I deliver and hang it myself. Beyond that it ships stretched, wired and ready for the wall.
Sizes and prices
| Size | Price | To begin |
|---|---|---|
| 40 x 30 in | $3,800 | $1,900 |
| 48 x 36 in | $4,800 | $2,400 |
| 60 x 48 in | $7,800 | $3,900 |
Oil on canvas, unframed, signed and dated, with a certificate of authenticity. Shipping is quoted at cost.
My promise
If the finished painting is not the one you want to live with, it joins my available work and your deposit becomes credit toward any painting I have. You will not be left with a picture you do not love, and I will not have painted something no one wants.
Questions
Do you need to see the room in person?
No. Six photographs and a conversation are enough. If you are in southwest Louisiana, I am glad to visit.
Can I ask for specific colors?
Tell me about the light in the room and what you love in it. I choose the palette. That is what you are commissioning.
What if I want a person in it?
These paintings leave the people out on purpose. The objects carry them. If you want a figure, I will tell you honestly whether it belongs.
Can I give one as a gift?
Yes. Tell me who it is for and I will keep it quiet until it is on their wall.
How do I start?
Write to erin@erinsmithfineart.com with one photograph of the table and one sentence about who sits at it.