After recommended painting supplies, this is the next most often asked question. The answer is: It depends and largely upon my intent for the specific work.

Some paintings are done as quick sketches, others are demonstrations, commissioned portraits, landscapes or still lifes and any of these can range in size from small 4 by 5 inches to larger works greater than 4 feet. So, depending on the nature of the painting and its size, it can take me from several hours to several months to complete.

Many of you ask this question in order to assess how long it ought to take you to complete your painting. I hesitate to answer this one for this reason: How long it takes me to complete a painting is irrelevant to your work. How long it takes is how long it takes you. After all, it is your work and no one elses.

Too, experience can make a difference, so comparing time to complete is also unfair as there is no real way to account for practice in relative to ‘how long it takes’. Logically, the more you have practiced, the more likely you are to arrive directly, and possibly sooner, at your goal. Of course, the opposite could be true: You may find that the more paintings you produce, the longer you care to work on each one. This latter happens to be true for me.