November 2014 - Ben Lustenhouwer

30 November 2014

Portrait of a paella

It’s been 25 years since we arrived in Valencia. We came for one year but never left. Since then I could work exclusively with portrait painting. One of the first contacts we had in Valencia was the German Consul. I remember he said: “Ben, if you want to integrate well here, you should know whether to talk on Monday morning about football or paella“. I think we are very well integrated, but whether it was due to the advice of the consul I do not know. I do love football and paella though. I myself think that making friends is one of the most important things that you need to do to feel at home in a country. And we have made countless friendships in the recent decades. One of our many friends is Maria. She is a pianist and teaches at the conservatory. Last year I made a short video when she played Camille Saint-Saëns with her friend Carla.

This weekend we were guests of her parents. Vicente, Maria´s father, is a specialist in making paella in the traditional Valencian way. Below is a photo report, and a link to the recipe of traditional Valencian paella.

16 November 2014

The final check

In my post two weeks ago I talked about portrait painting and the applause of uncles and aunts; the worthless fame. What you really need is a critical eye of someone who understands matters. Someone whose opinion you appreciate. Someone who does not give compliments just to please you. Formerly, before a painting left my studio, my daughter came to approve the product. And when she had critical points, she almost always was right. She is married now and lives in Madrid already for five years. This week she is staying with us. So I can call on her scrutiny. The family portrait, which I have shown you before, is in it´s final stage. Together we have gone over. Beside a few little things I got her approval and for her part the painting can be delivered. Of course I also sent an image to the client. They are very enthusiastic. (aside from some small comments). After these corrections the painting can be varnished and shipped.

2 November 2014

How make money from portrait painting?

portrait of a man. — Oil on canvas 74 x 61 cm

Every so often people ask me how to start getting portrait commissions. And also someone asks for tips on pricing. Do not expect me to give you a presentation on business plans. I am not an expert, not in the least. I believe that it just comes down to using your common sense.

What do you want?

1. portrait painting as a hobby?

2. portrait painting as a full time professional artist?

It comes down to quality.

If it is just your hobby, mainly family and friends will be your clientele and prices will be relatively low in the beginning. If making a living from painting is your goal, then the question is: is your quality good enough? Is your artwork spiritual and essential? These are questions you need to answer yourself. Because in your immediate environment people always think you are fantastic (the so called applause of uncles and aunts; that fame is worthless). Self-criticism is important. You’ll have to decide where your level is compared with colleagues. The internet is a very useful tool. Look for good painters who do commissioned portraits. Relate their work to yours. Once again be very critical and honest with yourself, I can not emphasise this enough.

Well, assuming you think the quality is high enough to announce yourself in the market, then the next question is about the revenues.

What are my prices?

Try to find out what colleagues charge and adjust your price accordingly. You have to remember here that your geographical location plays a role. Do you live in a big city, in the US for example, or in a remote village in the interior of let´s say India. That makes a huge difference. Some more advice: try to find a good gallery that wants to represent you. Setting your prices that way you can still decide to increase them in the future. It is impossible to lower prices overtime. Clients from the past will feel cheated. If there is a lot of demand you may consider to raise the rates. If you hardly ever get assignments it means that you are too expensive or that your quality is not appreciated.