But when, last year, Roberta, the loving wife of one of my Italian cousins, Gianni, died unexpectedly I received a Linked In message, some months later, from her youngest daughter Lucia asking if I would undertake a triple posthumous portrait commission of her mother.
Lucia told me that her mother had always admired my work and that she wanted to commission me to portray her in three separate portraits, one for herself and two as thoughtful Christmas presents for her two older, similarly grieving sisters.
It was with both with heavy heart and joy that I agreed. Heavy heart in that the commission was of a warm and charming relative, with a ready smile, who had died too young. Joy that I might be able to help Lucia and her sisters in the long process of coming to terms with her passing.
Pretty soon, Lucia selected three reference photographs of her mother that were high enough resolution for me to work from. The first was of her mum, Roberta alone, the second of her holding one of her eldest daughter, Valeria's, twin girls, in her arms and the third of her holding her middle daughter, Laura's, son.
As Lucia and I reminisced via Linked in about her mum, she reminded me how important the natural world had always been to her. I recalled a time she and my cousin had visited us in London and we had taken her in the car to Richmond Park, where she burst into tears on seeing deer in the wild. It was something she had never imagined possible in the heart of a huge city. She reminded me of her mum's love for all animals, including her own pet dogs that she and her husband now cared for.
Thinking about this important aspect of Roberta's character, I suggested that, even through the images would hang separately, I could unify them with a background colour that suggested her love of nature, and, that it turned out, she loved - green.
We then decided that colourful drawings would create the life-like qualities that Lucia was looking for within the budget set.
Roberta Zanotti Abate with her easy smile, meeting the gaze of the viewer and remaining with them though time.
One of the things that struck me in my virtual conversations with my cousin Lucia was how she could instantly put the name to an exact colour worn by her mother - something that helped me hugely in capturing her mother when colours in the photos were indistinct.
It reminded me of how the few clothes I kept from my own mum after she died can instantly bring her back to me.
Roberta enjoying holding one of the twins of her eldest daughter Valeria.
The way Roberta holds her sleeping granddaughter is now so familiar to me from holding my own grandson. The baby feels safe and secure and the way the weight is distributed makes it easy to bear the sweet weight.
Roberta in one of the outfits she often wore with Willy, grandchild of her middle daughter Laura
I had to ask Lucia to remind me of the colour of her mum's eyes. The way they almost closed when she smiled so broadly made it difficult to see. It's important details like this that a daughter would never forget.
If you are interested in commissioning a portrait which will project the memory of a loved one through time, you can find out more by clicking here.
]]>As it's not possible to show you the full painting, I just include here a close up of Coach.
Of the experience Mary said, "My husband and I commissioned Stella to create a digital portrait for a very special family birthday. It was of my grandson and his dog. Working from a supplied photo she created a vibrant picture connecting givers, recipients and sitters. She listened and captured the subjects beautifully. We highly recommend her!"
I very much enjoyed collaborating on this commission with Mary and Richard, using my artistic imagination to colour the room with the childhood colours featured on the boy's guitar in the reference photo taken by his mother. I designed the colour and shape of the floor tiles as a visual reminder of the vibrant pilates mat the boy would recognise from his grandparents' home.
I was especially glad to hear their four year old grandson enjoyed seeing it come to life brushstroke-by-brushstroke in the accompanying video supplied.
Digital paintings provide a price-point between portraits in oils and drawings. They are original artworks that exist only in the virtual space and are printed out on Canon Pro Luster Photo paper or archival quality giclee paper (depending on size and finish).
In addition to the portrait, recipients receive a 30 second video of each brushstroke made to to create the artwork.
And, if desired, as with all my paintings, I also provide an A4 sheet with a potted story of the subject to add to the legacy element of the portrait, in addition to a Certificate of Authenticity.
To find out more about commissioning a digital portrait click here.
]]>Nicola told me that her sister had, sadly, lost her pianist husband Olav in 2023 and that she, and her partner Jason, would like to commission a portrait of her brother-in-law. They hoped it would evoke his memory for her sister and their children as they prepared to spend their first Christmas without him.
Nicola says, "We had an incredibly positive experience with Stella, who created a mixed media portrait of my late brother-in-law, Olav, at his piano. Stella was extremely professional and sensitive – and we are absolutely delighted with the results.
"She very much captured a sense of Olav as a person from his wry smile to his pianist’s hands and I’m sure the portrait will be something my sister and her children can treasure in the years to come. Highly, highly recommended."
It was our collaboration - from the selection of the reference photo, to the discussion of Olav’s character and meaningful colours - that helped fuel my imagination for this drawn A3 portrait.
If you're interested in commissioning a portrait yourself, to keep alive the memory of a loved one who has passed away, please visit Commission a portrait.
You may also wish to visit my Art & Soul blog about undertaking posthumous portraits.
]]>It's been a joy to be asked to create a digital painting of Keith, the much appreciated and now missed vicar of St Milburga church in Beckbury, Salop, as a retirement gift from a photographic source.
For many years, Keith was the vicar in my in-law's village and presided over a number of special family occasions from marriage blessings to renewal of vows.
To see it come to life, click here.
If you are interested in commissioning a digital painting, please click here.
]]>2022 was a momentous year for my husband Nigel and I in many ways.
Our daughter and her partner moved out to a new home of their own and, at the back end of October, our son and his wife made us grandparents.
We have since had lots of cuddles with baby Elliot - and look forward to many more in 2023.
To celebrate, I created this digital painting on ipad pro and Procreate of Elliot. I dedicate it grandparents everywhere and hope it reminds you of the day you joined this fabulous club.
If you wish to commission a digital painting of your little grandchild and wish to find out how much it would cost and how it works, click here.
]]>Storytelling is an art, whether it's as a portrait artist like myself with a journalist background telling a person's story in words and picture, or a tv and film cameraman telling the story of a portrait sitting in moving pictures.
Steve Haskett at the Ealing Project exhibition with his video 'Stella and Marie'
All have come together in 'A Life Well Lived' exhibition currently at Ealing Broadway's new cinema and community space the Ealing Project until Tuesday.
Part of the exhibition is a video created by former freelance TV and FilmCameraman Steve Haskett, who now helps local community volunteer projects in and around Ealing by creating videos for them which will help to publicise them. To see it, click here.
Marie Drewa and Stella Tooth with Marie's portrait at 'A Live Well Lived'
I am hugely fortunate to have had Steve chart the progress of my drawn portrait of Marie Drewa, an orphan who had a difficult upbringing in an Irish nunnery before arriving in London as a young woman. It includes me "talking the story" out of Marie, which you can read an extract below.
‘A Life Well Lived’ shows the work of seven artists in a partnership between the Borough of Ealing Art Trail and Age UK Ealing. It’s a celebration of the experiences, achievements and lives of older people across Ealing. It then moves to London School of Film, Media and Design as part of BEAT's annual art trail, which takes place on 10-11 and 17-18 September 2022.
Our portrait. Your Story.
Marie Drewa extracts a life, as told to Stella Tooth in July 2022.
Marie with her portrait
I normally see my sitters face-to-face to talk through their life stories, but Marie volunteered most of hers to me on the phone when I rang to arrange our first meeting. It’s a fabulous way to make someone’s acquaintance. She later filled in some gaps when we met. Marie described herself to me in this self-effacing way: “nothing much to look at, petite (due to recovery from cancer and Crohn’s disease), mass of long hair, vintage clothes.”
Marie Drewa was born on All Souls Day - 2 November, 1950, in Dublin. She’s unsure of the exact dates of the events she recalls from her childhood, teenage and young adult years, but a visa in her passport shows she “got out” and found a job in the US from end of July 1971 via a Dublin agency.
“I thought I’d try my arm,” Marie says. “Twenty girls were interviewed and told to come back four weeks later. When we showed up we were put in one room. None of us knew each other and one by one each came out with miserable faces, until only three of us were left. I was called in and told ‘I don’t know what you have, but they picked you!’ Just three of us out of twenty. Then the hard stuff started. I was passed from one place to another to get a passport and visa, which I eventually did but after quite a lot of lying, mostly about my age.”
But in fact, a lot of “hard stuff” had already happened to Marie who, she says, was born in St Patrick’s Mother and Baby Home on the Navan Road in Dublin, where unwed women were sent to deliver their babies. It was one of the institutions, most of which were run by Catholic religious nuns, that was investigated by The Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation - a judicial commission of investigation, established in 2015 by the Irish government.
Marie says, “I was told nothing about my mum. I was sent to another home. I don’t know for how long. Then one day, when I was about four, a man and woman came and I was brought into a room with a well-polished brown table with chairs around and was put in the corner and told to wait there. They brought me to a lovely home. The man was a big shot in the GPO (General Post Office). They already had a son who was a priest and a daughter, Pauline, perhaps 20 or 21 who also lived in the house. She worked as a seamstress in one of the big stores, maybe Arnotts or Clerys.
“Time passed and I looked forward to making my communion and Pauline made my communion dress and bought me socks and shoes and a bag to put money in. She took me to Moore Street, where my step-mum used to take me to get her veg, as the women wanted to see me in my communion dress and gave me half crowns. Pauline also took me to some of her relatives in Tallaght who did the same. But I never saw any of the money. I later discovered my step-parents had been paid to take me and that hurt. I rebelled at school because all I wanted was my mum.
“One day my step-mother told me that she would get another girl ‘so you’ll have some company’. Frances, who was older than me, and I shared a bed with a bolster in between. She would shake her head when she went to bed to get to sleep and I used to bite my nails. Our step-mother was furious as she had to get the knots out of Frances’ hair and first hit me to stop me biting my nails and then painted black stuff on them which I would bite off.
“She asked the social worker, who came every six months, to take Frances back – just like that, like she was nothing. But she was told, ‘if one goes, both go.’ So I was sent back to St Patrick’s at about 8-9 years of age for a few months then sent to another children’s home. Agencies started looking for my mum from when I was about 11. All I heard about my dad was that he had been in the army.”
When Marie was about 13 she talked to another girl in class during prayers and was told to get out of the classroom, before bumping into the Reverend Mother outside. “She said ‘you can’t walk around here all day. Go and get yourself a job.' The following morning she gave me the bus fare to go into town and I got a job as a runner in a sewing factory. With my first wage, half a crown, I went into Woolworths and bought a jar of Astral cream, a red corduroy skirt and white blouse, and a pair of nylons!
“Afterwards I worked in Jacob’s biscuit factory, where I heard a lot of girls were going to live in London. But I wanted more from life than going to England and getting married off. A nice woman used to take me from the convent on a Sunday to babysit and skivvy in the kitchen and told me about an agency interviewing for jobs in America.”
So, eventually, with tickets paid by her new employer, Marie found herself in the early 1970s in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where the Kennedys had a big compound (they in fact attended the same church as Marie). She says she met many rich people and was employed as an au pair looking after two kids, with the mother ‘about to pop’ with another.
“My life has been up and down”
“After a year or so I got ill with stomach ulcers and had to go back to Ireland to have a major operation. My American employer – a lovely lady - got in touch with me and asked if I’d like to go back again, which I did for two years on April Fool’s Day 1974. She was ‘about to pop’ again. She didn’t treat me like I was nothing, as they did in the children’s homes I’d lived in in Ireland.”
Unfortunately the ulcers returned. Another operation in Ireland followed. Marie’s next job, however took her to Amsterdam, where she worked as a chambermaid, staying there for two or three years.
She then got a job in The Tara Hotel in Kensington, which was then Irish owned. Marie had hoped to use it as a staging post to go to Canada and return to America but met her future husband Christopher, “a good husband who never put me down. I learned a lot from him as he loved history and it made life interesting”. They had a child, Philip, “a good guy” who is well educated and works in IT. They meet every weekend. Christopher died four years ago on Christmas Day, after a battle with pancreatitis.
“Nothing private about me”
Marie says, “I got kicked out of school when I was 13. My mum-in-law June Pearl was very patient and taught me how to read. It’s something I’ll always treasure. The first book I read was ‘Nan’ by Sharon Gmelch, about travellers in Ireland. June thought the words and the way they were written, would be good for me to learn. And she encouraged me to engage with the redress scheme to compensate ‘survivors’, former residents of Irish mother and baby homes. She died three years ago.”
Marie is now waiting for October when Information and Tracing Services will open following the passing of the Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022. Although she has been told her mother is dead, she holds out hope that she will, one day, have a photo of her to hang on her wall.
Marie now lives in sheltered accommodation in Acton. Nine years ago she had an operation for cancer and radio therapy. Last year she had a fall at home, broke her hip in three places and was on the floor for three hours before being discovered. She had bolts but in her hips. “Bionic woman, that’s me!”
When Marie was recovering, she was called by Phoebe from Age UK. “She rang to see how I was getting on every couple of days. Then she said ‘how would you like to meet for a coffee?’ We do that now, whenever we can. I also go once every four weeks to the Irish Centre in Hammersmith.”
This led to my being put forward, from time to time, for suitable commissions by Annabel Elton Head of Commissions at the Mall Galleries, who specialises in portraiture.
Typically I would be asked if I would like to be put forward for a particular commission alongside two or three other artists and would send along examples of relevant work for the commissioners to see if they liked my style.
The commission
Annabel would give me a snapshot of the commission. In this case I learned that the commission was a double portrait of a couple to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, and that they would like to be portrayed in traditional dress.
This captured my imagination as I live in one of the world's most cosmopolitan cities in London, where the mix of different ethnicities, beliefs and culture enriches my daily life.
So it was that I found myself visiting Chandra and Kasmira at their west London home where they told me about their motivation and hopes for the commission, where it would hang, the size, medium and whether it would be framed. I explained the collaborative way in which I work, the process involved in creating an oil portrait and I took along some of my work for them to see in the frame - a very different experience to viewing work online, primarily due to size and texture. In return, I was shown a previous family portrait they liked.
First impressions
From the moment I stepped through their front door, I began gathering information - just as they did to decide whether I was the portrait painter for them.
I was welcomed into their house, entered leaving my shoes alongside theirs, and was and taken to a long communal kitchen uniting family households and introduced to members of the wider family who all were in on the commission.
In the sitting room, I was given tea and moreish home made snacks made with gram flour as we discussed Kasmira's disability and how standing or sitting for long periods would be impossible, and how we could work around this by my working from photos instead, taken in their daughter's light-filled home nearby.
Then I waited. And some weeks later learned I had won the commission.
The consultation
Back at their home now, we discussed the painting process in detail - when the photoshoot would be, what they would wear, the significance of their Indian and British marriage jewellery. I also encouraged them to think of the pose, which we had already determined would be half to three quarter length, providing some images to focus their thoughts. Their daughter Falguni explained that Kasmira provided emotional support for her husband. And now her husband Chandra needed to give her physical support. This, we decided, would be symbolised in the holding of hands - appropriate to hang in the private space of their bedroom, which they later planned to redecorate around the finished portrait.
I showed them my skintone "recipe" book which would help me determine the palette I would use for their painting. And we set a date for photoshoot.
The "sitting"
On the day of the photoshoot I arrived with tripod and set up in Fanguni's front room. Her presence, aiding her mother, helped create a relaxed atmosphere as we tried different poses... some with Chandra on the left, others with him on the right, some landscape, some portrait - and all with the sitters connected in different ways.
While the photoshoot was fresh in our minds, we sat down at the kitchen table to make our initial selection over tea and those amazing Indian snacks... Who would know how much preparation goes into Bombay mix?
It soon became obvious to the family how important gesture and a look could be to the portrait. Although there were some lovely images of them smiling with teeth exposed, we kept these as mementos. It's a look that suits photos, which capture a moment in time, better than paintings which seek to capture a life lived up to that moment.
In the studio
Back in my home studio I ordered up the agreed size canvas and waited for them to make two selections of photos for me to work from, that I knew would inspire me. I then provided regular weekly digital updates which I only later discovered the whole family discussed for Chandra to feedback to me. Involving the whole family in this way - children, grandchildren - added to the sense of ownership of the portrait and invested them in its legacy.
Drawing on canvas
Underpainting in monochrome
Introducing colour to the underpainting
Introduction of undiluted oil paint in 'fat over lean' process
Unusually, as a former journalist, I also provided them with a Q&A from which I would tell their stories in words.
The unveiling
Kasmira and Chandra with their double portrait
Eventually, when we agreed that the portrait was complete, I took it to show them in reality, prior to varnishing and framing, in case there were any last minute changes requested. This was their reaction:
Kasmira: "Wow! It's perfect!"
Chandra: "This is our dream. And this will leave a legacy for our children and grandchildren. I didn't expect this. It's so good. More than I expected. And we are thrilled.
"Right from the beginning of seeing the canvas to the end. It's been amazing this whole last few weeks, how we spent on this. Our journey. Something I won't forget. And thanks Stella for that. She has done a fantastic job."
A video of the evolving painting can be found here.
]]>If your beloved says "yes", you may spend many happy months thinking about how to celebrate both your engagement - and your wedding.
Once the when, where, how and who are sorted your thoughts will inevitably turn to the what. What wedding car, what cake, what photographer, what DJ...and it's at this stage where you might like to consider commissioning a wedding portrait.
A wedding portrait is distinct from wedding photos which capture a moment in time - the moment you say "I do" or emerge from the church under a shower of confetti.
A portrait is something that will remind you of your special day in a more intimate way as you see yourselves through the imagination of an artist. Due to this, you'll be able to look at your portrait for longer, frequently finding something new to catch your attention. And it will project your image through time - a constant reminder of the start of your married journey.
Here's what one bride thought of her, and her new husband's, wedding portrait:
"I'm in love with Stella's portrait of our wedding! We're delighted with how it's captured the day in a different way from our wedding photographs. I was so happy to see our personalities shine through and, and am reminded of our special day every time I look at it." - Sophie Dopson
Sophie and John-Paul's wedding day - pencil on cradled gesso panel.
Commission a wedding portrait
If you're interested in commissioning a wedding portrait, please feel free to contact me. I am happy to work to a budget, but you can get an idea of how much a drawing, digital drawing or oil painting would cost by clicking here. I can work from a photograph you provide, but the image would need to be hi res, inspire me - and I would need the permission of the photographer to work from it.
And, if your guests are looking to give you a truly unique wedding gift, you can put my Portrait Gift Card on your list!
]]>I drew this artwork in black, watercolour pencil from a photo provided by her maternal grandmother. I used acrylic paper which provided a textured surface that helped in creating a 3D effect.
I very much like the little girl's direct gaze as it provides a direct connection with the viewer.
Children's eyes always appear big, compared to the size of their faces, as they are the same size as when they are fully grown adults.
If you are interested in commissioning a portrait which captures a particular stage in the life of your child, click here to find out what it involves and an idea of how much it will cost. If you have a budget in mind and wish to discuss how to best to maximise it, then do contact me.
]]>Back in September 2019 Nigel Hartnell visited my open studio during the Borough of Ealing Art Trail (BEAT) and he admired my musician art.
The following year, just before lockdown, he contacted me to say he was considering commissioning an artwork of his own band ‘Jump Lead’.
Nigel Hartnell vocalist of Jump Lead performing at farewell gig
He explained they had, sadly, lost their drummer, Lyn, a founding member of the band to cancer late in 2019 and had decided to play a last gig in his memory. The performance was to be recorded and Nigel said he would like the artwork not just to hang on his wall, but for use on the cover of any album they might subsequently produce.
The first part of the commissioning process involved a visit to Nigel's home music studio to see where the artwork would hang. I noted that, on the wall, he already had framed a collection of his favourite vinyl music albums - size 12” x 12".
We discussed his wish for a painting, rather than a drawing - and his budget. And it became clear that, although I couldn’t keep within the budget with an oil painting, I could by creating a digital painting, a skill I had acquired during the pandemic, which take less time to produce.
As a digital painting only exists digitally, each print from it is an original. This meant an added bonus. Instead of a single artwork, I could provide each band member with their own print, vinyl album size.
Jump Lead farewell gig
Nigel says, “When Stella visited my studio she asked if I would like the commission to be a collaboration - as this would be new territory for both of us, I readily agreed.
"I showed her two of my favourite album covers, of 'The Shadows’ and ‘Jefferson Airplane’, with the musicians with their instruments and a strip showing the name of the album - and she suggested using the band’s distinctive yellow and black graphic ‘Jump Lead’ in a similar band across the top.
"I provided her with a photo taken by my wife Kitty of the five members who comprised the band at our 10th anniversary gig. We have had a change of keyboard player since then and there was a space where his picture could be inserted.
Source photo of five of the six Jump Lead members.
"Stella, who spoke a lot to me about using diagonals and circles to direct the viewer’s eye, colours like red that jump forward, and negative space, suggested turning the keyboard on its side and getting the band member to lean on it. It worked well as the red keyboard points downwards towards Lyn and I at the base of the photo.
“Once Stella began painting, she sent regular updates until we were both satisfied that she had captured the likeness of all the band members - and that the composition held together and worked as an album cover. All of us in ‘Jump Lead’ are delighted with the result and I, personally, can’t wait to hang it in my studio!”
Lyn's wife accepting my digital painting of Jump Lead from Nigel Hartnell.
Jump Lead’s farewell gig was held on Saturday 20 November at the Old Deer Park to raise funds for the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore, where Lyn received much of his treatment throughout his illness.
Artist (left) with Judi, Lyn's wife, at farewell gig with portrait.
Jump Lead t shirt from my Red Bubble Shop (NB now closed to sell fine art Prints & Cards direct from my website)
Nigel Hartnell with in my home studio with my portrait of Jump Lead
All members of Jump Lead who performed at farewell charity gig with Lyn's wife Judi.
]]>She is full of anticipation for a fresh start with her two talented daughters - one a budding artist and the other a musician. And she's dreaming of how she will appoint her new home - and garden - with with a seaside theme.
After having bought her new home off-plan in Bude, she approached me to create a portrait of her that she would take to her new life. Every time she spoke about her plans for the future her face lit up with expectation. It was that expectation that I wanted to capture.
We spoke about how to integrate hints or elements of a beach theme into the portrait and, finally, after some discussion, we alighted on the idea of her wearing life ring earrings, a shell-inspired necklace ... and I painted behind her the pastel beach hut she hopes to create from a garden shed.
This is what she thought of the prcoess, "Stella has done a fabulous portrait for me at a time in my life where I'm at a huge turning point. Her kindness and patience and artistic vision are amazing. The entire experience was shared and each step was carefully communicated. It was a truly inspiring and creative experience. The end result a stunning portrait commemorating my new beginning in Cornwall. I couldn't ask for a better experience. Stella is a real star that shines bright in the artistic world and it was a real privilege and honour to work with her. Thank you for ever."
- Barbara Wichmann 10/8/2021
The commission process
After agreeing a budget, and the payment of a deposit, we arranged a sitting. Barbara bought a couple of outfits to try out, and some jewellery, and we decided on an image of a beach hut to use.
Once Barbara had decided what to wear, we had a photo session in my home studio with natural light illuminating her face from the side. We selected the photos I would work from - and I then noted her colours in oils using the colour palette I had chosen, paying particular attention to the colour of her skin on her face and neck and her eyes.
Charcoal underdrawing
I started by producing a very simple, precise charcoal drawing on the cradled gesso panel we decided I would work on, to give the portrait a modern, borderless look. I recorded in the drawing the proportions, features and planes of the face.
Acrylic wash
I began by applying a thin, acrylic wash (imprimatura) over the entire panel. I used ultramarine and raw umber pigments which gave a coldish mid-tone. It dried quickly and allowed me to start painting without much delay.
Thin layer of burnt sienna and burnt umber for the face/neck/arm
A thinly applied layer of burnt sienna and burnt umber for the flesh areas mixed with the subsequent paint layers and helped unify the painting.
Underpainting
I started introducing the colours of the planes of the face and paid particular attention to the neck ,where the skin is thin and delicate. This is where, eventually, the brushstrokes would need to be more subtle.
Blending
Then I started adding the dress, building up the oils fat over lean to prevent cracking and reflected some of its colour under Barbara's chin. I also began the process of blending the planes of the face.
Palette
Burnt sienna
Yellow ochre
Cadmium lemon
Burnt Umber
Cadmium red
French ultramarine
Prussian blue
Titanium White
Barbara Wichmann with her portrait.
]]>You can now choose to have your portrait drawn, painted in oils - or created as a digital painting!
Oil paintings are more expensive than digital paintings as they use real paint, canvas/cradled gesso panel and brushes, are labour intensive needing around three months to paint, and have an often glossy, textural surface.
Digital paintings, conversely, are created with a pressure sensitive stylus and tablet (I use the ipad pro) with digital paint, canvas and brushes provided by the Procreate app). I employ the same skills as an oil painter but can produce digital paintings quicker than oils, as there is no drying time, typically in 1-2 weeks. They are professional printed as a high quality print which is colour-rich.
Linnea Kempe of the Meadows Duo
A single portrait costs £400 + £60 per extra person.
You will receive a simple, square unframed/unmounted professional print on Canon Pro Luster Photo paper.
This professional photo paper delivers vivid colours, reproduces sharp details with rich blacks and smooth tonality.
The paper is designed to provide a consistent look and colour when viewed under various light sources.
It offers exceptional image quality, longevity and protects images from degradation caused by gas and light..
You can choose from 12”x12” or 8”x8”. To suit the shape of a digital painting, I can also produce artwork in A4 size.
For framing options please click here to see my blog.
Jamie Moses of Los Pacaminos
]]>Get them used to the camera
The best shot is a candid one, when they have forgotten the camera. Lower your face from it to show your own eyes from time to time.
Focus on the eyes and get in close
If there is light on your subject's face, falling on their eyes, it will make the photo instantly come alive. If they are not facing you, focus on the eye that is nearest. Mouths closed (in the case of children) work best for photographic references used by artists.
Get down to their level
If safe to do so, take the shot at your subject's eye level. You can even get creative to exaggerate the size of your child by getting lower than their eye level and shooting upwards.
Try to make your child's or pet's face the brightest thing in the photo
This doesn't work for all occasions but you can move your angle to photograph them against a dark wall rather than a very bright sky, for example.
Keep the background simple
To focus on the animal/child. Cropping can allow you to fill the photo with more of what is important. Off-centre shots can be more interesting.
Consider shooting your children from behind
]]>
Stella’s work will always have a special place in my home and in my heart. She painted a rich yet delicately executed portrait of one of the most special women in my life - my mother. It doesn’t get much more sensitive than that for an only son! Her work captured beautifully the strength and positive energy of an amazing woman. Stella is a pleasure to deal with and her painting is exquisite. Thank you. Matthew Newton
Stella has done two pieces* for me over the years which were extra-special presents for my members of my family: a sketch and an oil painting. I've been absolutely delighted with both. Stella involves you in the creative process and produces beautiful work. Tim Beeson-Jones
*Tim has since commissioned a further oil painting from family photographs.
News broadcasters
Prior to retraining as a portrait artist, I worked as a print journalist & news pr for BBC & Sky News where I looked after the public image of journalists, such as the BBC's Kate Adie, George Alagiah & John Humphrys as well as Julie Etchingham, Presenter ITV News at 10 & Sky News' Adam Boulton & Jeremy Thompson. It has been insightful portraying them in this more personal way. And I'm grateful to Sky Correspondent Robert Nisbet & his partner Alexis Mavrikakis for commissioning me.
What they thought of the experience
"It's rather odd having someone do your portrait while you're working. They say the camera never lies... sadly, neither does the artist. I rather hoped she might iron out the wrinkles."
- John Humphrys, then Presenter Today programme, BBC Radio 4
"Being scrutinised by an artist's eye is a world away from sitting in front of a news camera – a far more personal and exposed experience – but the fact I know how gentle and endearing Stella is made it an altogether easier time than I’d imagined."
- Julie Etchingham, Presenter News at 10, ITV News
"Because we are looking out from ourselves most of us don't know what we really look like, let alone what impression we make - a portrait is the best way to find out and Stella has an artist's eye and professional insight when it comes to people from the media world like me."
- Adam Boulton, Presenter Sky News Tonight
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I believe you can foster a child's innate creativity by exposing him or her to influences that provide them with inspiration.
It was certainly true of me. My dad had studied watercolour portraiture for many years and wrote poetry. So I don't think it was a coincidence that, many years later, I retrained as a portrait artist.
My mum was always thrusting a book in my hand if I dared to complain I was 'bored' and the love of words she nurtured in me set me on the road to a career in journalism - and the study of languages.
My brother-in-law would break off from trying to teach me to play guitar (well, at least I can still play 'Streets of London'!) and would ask, "Who's your favourite Beatle?" and there, before my eyes, would emerge John Lennon, not as I'd seen him on my sister's record sleeves in black and white but in the glorious complementary colours of pop art. It was incidentally that portrait that sprang first to mind when the terrible news came in 1980 that Lennon had been shot...
My brother-in-law could often be found after work, creating his beautiful pictures in his front room. With his canvas illuminated by an angle poise lamp and a tiny photograph of magnolias my dad had taken attached to his easel, gridded up to match his canvas, before my eyes magnolias would emerge. A riot of realistic pattern and rhythm in blues and greens made you feel engulfed in the tree. I now proudly own the print of the painting he gave my dad as a 'thank you' for the inspiration.
Looking at that print now, I'm reminded of when I commissioned an Annual Report for the BBC World Service which the head of the service liked but said, "I can see this was created by someone with young eyes". I sadly have now come to understand what he meant as John tells me he could no longer paint something as intricate as the magnolias now. And I suspect the same to be true of me!
As my art is mix of both realistic 3D detail and the flattened backgrounds of pop art. I can clearly see the influence of John's art on me. Wonder if you can see it too?
Shahen Galichian Police Dog Hogan
]]>He was also a poet whose war-time verses my mother Anna - then an interpreter - typed out and translated into her native Italian. Copies of the poems - about the war, love and his feelings for England - are now kept in the Imperial War Museum.
Following in his footsteps
It was 10 years after he died that I followed in his footsteps to study portraiture - in oils. And when my mum died some years later, his beautiful portraits - and poems - passed to my sister and me.
These two female portraits, the first of American film actress and dancer Myrna Loy, and the second of a friend from before the war, now hang where I can see them where I wake. They have taught me much about subtlety, how an artist can draw your attention to what he's interested in by omission as much as inclusion, and how to bring emotion into a portrait.
The third painting is one of my beloved childhood mouse - Topo Gigio, the lead character of a children's puppet show on Italian television in the early 1960s. Dad could easily have represented him from the front but I remember him turning my Topo around in his hands and positioning him against the light when I begged him to paint him. Dad was clearly interested in the shape made by the silhouette of his ears and, in abstracting the background, made it appear that Topo was looking out - perhaps towards the future into which I would move and, eventually, with great sadness, leave them both behind.
It was that thought of moving into the future that inspired this oil painting of 'Mum and me' from an old transparency. My mum remains forever with the viewer in the present while I seek adventure.
Arts as legacy
It is this legacy that is the most beautiful thing about the arts. They leave a trace of the both the creator and the subject behind even when they have been long gone.
So, in these dark winter days, where the Covid-19 vaccine is bringing hope of a return to some form of normality, and warmer temperatures are being forecast, I share with you this poem written by my dad in November 1943. He was then stationed in Italy, having fought in the North Africa Campaign. And the Italian government had, that October, joined the battle on the side of the Allies. I don't know whether he had yet met mum, who he later married in war-ravaged Italy. But his thoughts were turning to the green grass of home...
One fine day by Alexander, George, Heath Saunders
I stood 'neath the arch of heaven
with the sunlight streaming down
on the emerald fields of England
and plough-land rich and brown.
I gazed at the sight before me
while the soft sighing wind seemed to say
go forth meet the glories of nature
for this is England, in May.
A perfume sweet and evasive
pervaded the air, - was it thyme
verbena or first early roses?
No! No, this was May - Lilac Lime.
All the cares of the world were forgotten
as from me the years seemed to fly
once more as a child, I walked freely
a mite 'neath a flawless blue sky.
I wandered way down to the valley
still shedding the glistening dew
and saw from a woodland pathway
carpets of yellow and blue.
From the trees a million small voices
proclaimed the crowning of Spring
and the rustling leaves seemed to echo
urging all beings to sing.
A brook with its bubbling waters
making their way to the sea
chanting, eternally, chanting
the beauties of nature are free.
And turning I made my way homeward
humming a melody gay
Inspired by this transfiguration
of England! - in Spring time, - in May.
]]>Step 2 - laying in the colour 'fat over lean', adding stand oil to the solvent.
Step 3 - checking the painting hangs together with my brush touching each part.
Steps 4/5 - check client happy (digital photos) and wait for paint to fully dry.
Step 6 - varnish.
Step 7 varnish ready for the unveiling!
]]>So you want to be a rock n' roll star – just for one day? Now you can! What they said: "A hugely enjoyable experience – with a unique artwork at the end!"
]]>If you want to find out what it’s like to be a rock star, you can commission me to give you the next best experience where we'll discuss the clothes you’ll wear, music you’ll move to, instruments you’ll play and poses you might strike. Then - lockdown restrictions permitting - you'll take to the Half Moon stage while I photograph you in action! Your permanent reminder of your 15 minutes of fame will be my photos of you preparing - and my drawing or oil painting of you.
Here's what my first would be rock 'n' rollers had to say about the experience: "A hugely enjoyable experience – with a unique artwork at the end! In another life we’d have been rock musicians, only neither of us can sing or play an instrument. This was no barrier to taking on the persona of a rock duo on stage, to be immortalised by Stella in one of her vibrant portraits. She quickly helped us overcome our self-consciousness and was even able to offer guidance on how to convincingly handle the instruments. We had a blast singing along to our favourite numbers - luckily to an imaginary audience. Stella makes the creation of the portrait itself a real collaboration, from choosing the best photo together, to regularly emailing images of the work-in-progress for comment. It was magical to see the picture grow, and it will never stop being a thrill to see our own wonderful portrait on the wall."
A3 single portrait drawings from £250 +£25 venue hire + £50 per extra person.
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Each photograph told a different story. In one Else could be seen dressed as a witch, thrilled by a chance encounter with a black cat. In another she was pictured in a garden.
But the photo that most inspired me was one that caught her in childhood reverie - something that only an intimate would have been able to take unseen.
I focused in on the rhythm of the bars of the seat behind her, as if each was leading her thoughts down an exciting new path. So I framed my portrait of her much tighter in than in he original photograph to capture this special moment.
I was lucky enough to be able to meet Else before I started work on the commission which helped me supplement the information I had from the photograph. It gave me a change to check her temperament and note her skin colour - and then it was over to me to provide updates digitally until the day it was completed.
It may seem strange that Tim was keen to have a painted portrait of his daughter at this lovely stage based on his own photo. But Tim understood the different media brought different things to the table. Whereas his photograph had captured an intimate moment in time they had shared, he realised my portrait would encourage a slower journey, one where the viewer's eye would follow mine across every inch of the canvas, allowing it to be viewed for longer.
A portrait in oils, as opposed to a drawn portrait, takes time to complete - normally up to six weeks - as the layers have to dry after each day’s work. I usually take a deposit at the start for materials, for large works an instalment half way through the process, and then a final payment at the end. But if client's prefer to spread payments over a longer period, I just retain the portrait until the final instalment.
Click here if you'd like to understand how much it will cost.
]]>Why portraits of new homes - of the houses or inhabitants - and of new or established businesses like this drawn portrait of the Half Moon Putney, commissioned to celebrate its 55th anniversary, make ideal gifts.
]]>Similarly, you may be a business owner, recently moved to iconic or welcoming new business premises, or be on the brink of a special anniversary -or even retiring - and wish to celebrate the years you have spent building up your business with a portrait that will project its image through time.
Such a portrait is the one I was commissioned to make in 2018 to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the Half Moon Putney, the music venue synonymous with The Rolling Stones where I'm resident artist.
It's all about you!
Of course, you may wish to celebrate this time of your life with a portrait of you and your family - or business family - which captures you in a small part of your new space.
My portraits are about human connection and intimacy so I would not portray you in a formal statement piece but rather, dressed for decorating at home, trying out a new garden swing or a new barbecue. Or, at work, perhaps welcoming guests to your coffee shop or loyal customers sat at your tables. Or, if you're in the entertainment business, you may wish a portrait of a live act.
How it works
Having discussed the commission with you, for buildings, I will work from hi-res photos you take, or that I have the photographer’s permission to work from, that inspire me. Or, if in the London area and surrounds, I will take the photographs myself.
If the commission includes people then please take a look at my portrait commissions page to see what this involves, and price.
Calling Ealing Estate Agents!
If you own an Estate Agents in Ealing, London, and are interested in offering a 'new home portrait' service to your customers, or gifting such a portrait for key clients, you can contact me with a view to forming a business relationship where you receive 5% commission on portrait referrals that lead to commissions, or 5% off customer gifts. To tell your clients about the service, I’ll send you an A5 flyer to display on your walls or in your window. You can also point them to my website.
Half Moon Putney
]]>I was looking, amongst photos of my husband when young, to find one that would sum up what it was like to grow up in the country in a way that might remind others of a similar youth.
A rather faded image of him, crossing a gate, spoke to me and it inspired this drawing, set among cornfields and encapsulates a carefree time of life when summer holidays lasted for ever and the horizon was full of possibility.
Click Buy Art to check if this artwork is still available.
]]>A unique present for a special event or anniversary, you discuss the medium, size of artwork and budget with me, then give the card which says: You will have a month to discuss the detail of the commission with Stella and me - and plan the final unveiling!
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The Portrait gift card is a unique present for a special event or anniversary. Agree a medium, size and price with me, and give the Portrait Gift Card to your sitter for their special day!
This story of two commissions five years apart of the same sitter – and his gift of a portrait to his new partner explains the process of commissioning from life or photos or a mix of the two...
Martin Le Jeune used to be the Director of Public Affairs at Sky when I headed up Sky News Publicity. When he learned of my intention to give up my blackberry for my paintbrush, he said that he would be the first person to commission me. He was true to his word. At the end of my first year of study he contacted me. “Now?”, he asked. I replied, “Not yet”. But by the end of my diploma and the start of my post diploma, I had run out of excuses and agreed to take the plunge and he duly came to my home studio for six sittings of three hours and we caught up on old friends, media issues and generally chewed the fat.
We began by deciding what he would wear, the pose and where the portrait would hang in his home. I then sketched him in charcoal direct on canvas and then moved to a tonal study before laying in the colour. Sometimes I worked on the background in between sittings. Normally he was his cheery self and the portrait painted itself in upbeat colours. But if he came and something was troubling him then it affected the painting. I adjusted his features to the new mood. And so progressed the portrait of a life lived up to that moment until, one day, I put down my paintbrush and knew it was complete. All the time I worked with a mirror behind me, so he could see the work progressing and get used to seeing the face he saw in his own mirror every day, interpreted through an artist's eyes. And then he took it to show his wife to see if she recognised him in it. And reported back that, thankfully, she did!
Five years on he asked me to do two further portraits - one of him and a second of his new parter Anne at their home in my patch - the south east. As Anne decided she would prefer me to work from a selfie she had taken, I made the portrait, partially from life, of Martin much looser in style to the one I had painted before so that they could sit side-by-side comfortably with Anne’s.
2nd portrait of Martin le Jeune by Stella Tooth - one of a pair.
Paired portrait of Martin's partner Anne.
]]>Before going behind the studio desk, George was one of the BBC's leading foreign correspondents, reporting on events ranging from the genocide in Rwanda to the plight of the Marsh Arabs in southern Iraq to the civil wars in Afghanistan, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Somalia. I remember discussing with him his insightful, behind-the-scenes reports for BBC Radio 4’s From Our Own Correspondent, where I began my BBC career as a Production Assistant.
On the day of the sitting, George was his usual affable self and we were chatting so much I had to remind him to keep his mouth closed for the photographs. He held his glasses towards me and hummed with lips closed, “mm mmm, m m m m m mmm” so he could retain his animation for the shots. I was conscious of the BBC Live light behind him, denoting a studio he would soon be back inside and knew I would include that in the portrait. Then we sat down for me to paint a quick sketch of his features, to help me capture his likeness, expression and skin tone.
Stella Tooth's portrait in oils on canvas of George Alagiah.
On 17 April 2014, it was announced that Alagiah was being treated for colorectal cancer, a short while after our sitting.
At 2019’s Borough of Ealing Art Trail, BEAT, a huge fan of George Alagiah visited my open studio and was delighted when I suggested I take a photo of her with his portrait, which I have retained with my other portraits of broadcast news presenters as examples of my work. One of the issues with being a portrait painter is that you don’t have any portraits in the frame to show prospective commissioners.
BEAT visitor to Stella Tooth's open studio with hero George Alagiah.
In June 2020 George said that the cancer had spread to his lungs, liver and lymph nodes, but was not at a "chronic" or "terminal" stage.
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The British are a nation of animal lovers and what better way to celebrate a new pet than a portrait of them, inspired by a hi-res photograph taken by proud new owners? In skilled hands, a photo of your pet will be viewed through the prism of my eyes and, because my eyes will have been over every inch of the paper or canvas, you will find you can view it for longer. It will form a legacy that projects your pet’s image through time.
In addition I offer fine art prints of your pet's portrait to share with family and friends. Contact me for a quote.
Calling all Ealing pet parlours!
If you own a pet parlour in Ealing, London, and are interested in offering a pet portrait service to your customers, you can contact me with a view to forming a business relationship where you receive 5% commission on pet portrait referrals that lead to commissions. To tell your clients about the service, I’ll send you an A5 flyer to display on your walls or in your window. You can also point them to my website.
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But why? Is it their long ears, the way their long legs carry them at speed - or their behaviour in the spring when they box in breeding season? Or all of the above?
For me, the inspiration for this image is this beautiful animal’s shyness and alertness in the presence of humans - something which sets it apart from its domesticated rabbit cousins.
Click Original Art to see if this artwork is still available and similar artworks.
]]>For commission prices, see Portrait Commissions.
I also offer fine art prints of your pet's portrait to share with family and friends. Contact me for a quote.
]]>Oil on canvas John Humphrys Presenter BBC R4 Today. NFS.
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"It's rather odd having someone do your portrait while you're working. They say the camera never lies...sadly, neither does the artist. I rather hoped she might iron out the wrinkles." - John Humphrys on sitting for his portrait.
Prior to retraining as a portrait artist, I worked as news pr for BBC News and World Service looking after programmes as diverse as Panorama, Newshour and the Today programme, where I looked after the public image of journalists such as John Humphrys. So it was a joy to return to portray John in this more personal way.
John invited me to paint him at work in the Today studio. As I am a better portraitist than I am a photographer, I asked the BBC’s brilliant stills photographer Jeff Overs, who I knew from my time at the BBC, if he would photograph John for me. This is because the Today studio at work is dark and it’s tricky to capture skin tone without considerable skill. Jeff and I recce-ed the studio a week before, where I explained I was looking to foreground John’s hands, to capture his interviewing technique. We tried out the lighting, sitting in John’s seat and then, on the day, I explained to John what I was looking for, and directed Jeff, as I had so many photographers on photo shoots as a PR. In a matter of minutes, I could see, flicking though the images, that we had him. Working with John in the past, I had noticed that
he sometimes held up his hand as if to prevent the interviewee from looking away during hard questioning. That’s what I was keen to capture.
I then set up my paints a seat away from John and his co-presenter and was delighted when she announced on air that I was in the studio painting John!
Stella Tooth painting study of John Humphrys in BBC R4 Today studio. Photo: Jeff Overs.
BBC's John Humphrys with portrait in oils by Stella Tooth.
]]>A drawing for your walls of Polly - or on products from bags to t shirts!
]]>She's now three years old and almost as playful as she was back then. Her favourite game is to sit on top of her cat hotel and eyeball you until you relent and break out the Dreamies!
And to check if this artwork is still for sale click here.
I now offer pet portraits from agreed, high resolution photographs, often taken by owners. For pet portrait commission prices click here.
And, if you’d like to share your pet’s portrait with family and friends, I can arrange for fine art prints to be made of their portrait. Click here to ask for a quote.
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