What Tony has to say on commissioning a painting or drawing:

“ With commissioned work there is very little room for a big dramatic reveal at the end. People are typically nervous and understandably so when commissioning a piece. It is vital that someone is happy with their choice of artist and can trust that what they want is what they get.Nothing is as reassuring as seeing the work in development At the outset,

I have a preliminary discussion with the client to ascertain what they have in mind, approximate size etc. I often work from good quality photographs supplied by owners or taken by myself.I will put forward my own suggestions where appropriate at this point and, resulting from this, I produce initial sketches of compositional ideas and showing these to the client we arrive at a basic design.

I then continue to forward images of the actual work in progress at various stages. This gives people chance to comment on the work as it evolves that way there is no surprise at the end so everyone is happy. I haven´t had a dissatisfied customer yet! Much of this client contact is done through the medium of email, which makes the whole process run so smoothly, distance no longer matters.”

Tony´s aim is to remain ever-respectful to the story and individuality of each equine form he represents and to retain a softness, which keeps the painting from looking too photographic. “Some pieces take many months to complete so its important I like what I do, it´s like breathing life into an idea.”
´Art is such a specific taste thing. Whilst many people claim they don´t know much about art,we all know what we like.

Through talking with someone and hearing their ideas it´s my role to create a finished piece that someone will be proud to have in their possession. Most people have very specific ideas of what it is they want. Many are very knowledgeable about specific things, I´ve done mythical paintings for clients for which I´ve had to study the annals of legend, mythology and history in order to complete the pieces.

Art can step outside the physical confines set by photography. The only limit in art is one´s imagination. ´Clients are truly co-creators of the finished piece. You have a vision, which I transform into a physical reality. ´It´s such a lovely idea to have something which means very much to someone represented beautifully in art and this works particularly well with the engaging form of a horse.´

If you would like to discuss a possible commission (small drawn pieces start from as little as €300), please give Tony a call, he´s always happy to talk horses, among other things.