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Portrait Commissions


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About Me

Photo of A.J. Alper

I am A.J. Alper, a professional portrait painter with over 30 years of experience, specializing in a direct oil painting technique, which allows me to create wonderfully rich, textural paintings, and show the brushwork which adds to the expressiveness of the portraits.

I am highly influenced by late 19th-century painters like John Singer Sargent and Joaquin Sorolla who were masters of expressive brushwork.

One of my greatest pleasures is working with clients to create portraits that emotionally impact their lives, and I hope I have the opportunity to create a custom portrait for you to hang in your home or as a special gift.

Client Stories

Dolly Parton Portrait CommissionDolly’s Father

Recently, I was contacted by the Dollywood Foundation to paint a portrait of Dolly Parton’s dad, Robert Lee Parton to hang In Dolly’s Ceremonial Office at the Imagination Library in Sevierville Tennessee.

Wow! What an honor. I started in earnest on the portrait from an old photo of the two of them together. Dolly’s father was her inspiration for the library which has given out over 180 million books to children.

The joy of receiving a portrait

Memories to Last a Lifetime

I was commissioned to paint four portraits for the Mitchells. One of each of their children. They were sized to fit into beautiful barn wood frames they had picked up years before with the idea that they would one day hold the children’s portraits.

The Christmas morning unwrapping made for a cherished memory for the whole family, and the hung portraits will be a reminder of their parents’ love as the children grow.

Eloise


Availability is on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Request your portrait today

Risk-Free Commissions

I use PayPal for my payment service, which accepts all forms of credit and debit cards. Even though I give a 100% satisfaction guarantee, Paypal also has purchase protection. For whatever reason, if you are not happy with your purchase, you can get all your money back.

Paypal also has 6-month interest-free purchasing, and if you qualify, you can commission me, and not have to pay for 6 months after the initiation of the commission.

No Big Reveal

It is traditional in the portrait world to keep the client in suspense until the unveiling of the artwork. The idea is to create a wow factor. That is a nice sentiment, but it can leave the client in the dark and that anticipation can also lead to disappointment.

I believe in letting the client in on the process and showing the work in all stages of progress. If you see something that you don’t love, you don’t have to wait until the very end to say something. This also gives you confidence that the work is to your liking. At the very end of process, the work isn’t final, until you say it is. I want to make sure you are completely satisfied with the work you receive.

Photo Retouching and Mock-ups Free of Charge

I will do my best to retouch, color correct, and compose the elements to look as close as possible to the actual portrait, including size, pricing, and cropping variations. No obligation.

No Photos? No Problem.
Photoshoot free of charge with custom portrait purchase

If you don’t have portrait-worthy photos, I can arrange to have a professional photographer come to your home or setting of your choice, no extra charge. Contact me for details.

Referrals

If for any reason, my style of work, timeframe or pricing does not work for you, please contact me anyway. I am part of a large community of portrait artists and could find you an artist that is a better fit.

Are you ready to start the process?

Tell me about your desired portrait.

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