FOR INDIVIDUALS, COUPLES & FAMILIES

Portrait Art Commissions

Created in monochrome or as one-of-a-kind mixed-media artwork, each commission gives lasting form to the people and relationships that matter most.

Black and white children’s portrait wall art, three framed prints in a triptych arrangement

His quiet, gentle manner invites presence, and the portraits feel alive.

Sue & Family

Why commission a portrait, and why now?

A portrait is a way to say we matter. These relationships matter. They matter enough to set aside a day to capture the ways we connect and the quirks we find so beautiful in each other — and make them visible and permanent. Those portraits will be framed on the wall as a reminder of what we mean to each other.

We can return to these images again and again as a touchstone, because not every day is sunshine and laughter. In harder moments, they remind us what drives us, what holds us together and what gives meaning to our days.

The Portrait Commission

The commission unfolds in three parts: a conversation, the portrait session, and a same-day viewing of the work. The complete studio appointment, including the portrait session and private viewing, lasts approximately two hours.

Black and white portrait of a young boy with curly hair, sitting with one hand down, looking softly into the camera

Conversation

Before the portrait session, we discuss who the portrait is for, and what you hope to preserve.

Portrait Session

Jérôme guides the portrait session from beginning to end, allowing time for conversation, artistic direction, and what naturally happens between you.

Viewing the portraits

After the session, the portraits are viewed and discussed together. You select the work you love and decide how it will be completed for your home.

Where the Artwork Is Created

Portrait art commissions take place in Jérôme’s studios in Toronto, Ottawa, Miami and Mont-Tremblant. Each provides a private setting for the portrait session and same-day viewing. Jérôme personally photographs each subject, therefore availability is deliberately limited and by appointment only. He dedicates ample time to ensure that the pace is unhurried. This is a special moment set aside for you - to relax, breathe and settle in to the session.

EXPLORE THE PORTRAIT STUDIOS

The Completed Artwork

Every portrait commission includes a minimum of one complete, ready to hang piece. Additional pieces or enlargements may be added during the viewing session if desired, in one of two forms: framed monochrome portraits or original mixed-media artworks developed by hand.

You do not need to decide before the portrait session. The choice is made at the viewing, once you have seen the portraits and can consider what belongs on the walls of your home.

Mixed-Media Artworks

A photograph worked by hand with oil, pigment and beeswax. Each artwork is entirely one of a kind and completed over four to six months.

EXPLORE MIXED-MEDIA ARTWORKS

Black and white portrait of three generations of women embracing with eyes closed, expressing connection and legacy

Monochrome Portraits

Printed on cotton rag and beautifully framed, each portrait is made to remain with the family for generations. Completed within 12 to 16 weeks.

EXPLORE MONOCHROME PORTRAITS

Jérôme is an artisan in every sense of the word.

Enrico Bonomo

Frequently Asked Questions About Portrait Art Commissions

What kinds of portrait art commissions do you create?

JÉRÔME Art & Photography specializes in portrait commissions for individuals, couples and families. Each begins with a studio portrait session and is completed as framed monochrome portraits or as entirely one-of-a-kind mixed-media artworks.

How much does a fine art portrait commission cost?

The portrait commission is $1,500 and includes the initial planning conversation, the private portrait session with Jérôme, the same-day viewing in-studio, and one framed 12 × 12-inch monochrome portrait of your choice.

At the viewing, the full commission value may instead be applied toward a larger monochrome portrait, a collection of monochromes, or an original mixed-media artwork.

Pricing of larger monochrome portraits, collections, and mixed-media artworks depends entirely on your selection. Since each portrait session is bespoke and the resulting photography is equally individualized, it cannot easily be confined to set sizing, groupings, and pricing tiers. Therefore, we view each commission as custom.

When viewing your portraiture, we will gladly discuss additional purchase options and assist you in curating the perfect selection for your home.

You can view our investment page for more details here

Do I need to know what I want before the portrait session?

There are really only two things to decide before your session: who will take part in the portrait, and why it matters. Beyond consulting our Style Guide to choose clothing in which you feel comfortable and like how you look, there is nothing you need to plan for the portrait itself. You do not need to arrive with ideas about poses, arrangements or how the finished portrait should look. Jérôme will take it from there.

Decisions about the finished artwork come after you have seen the portraits. It can be helpful to take a few measurements and consider where a portrait might live in your home, but you do not need to decide beforehand how many portraits you may want or whether they will become monochrome or mixed-media artwork.

What is the difference between a monochrome portrait and a mixed-media artwork?

A monochrome portrait remains entirely photographic. It is printed on cotton rag and then framed.

Unlike traditional portrait painting commissions, a mixed-media artwork begins with a photograph created during the portrait session. The photograph is then worked by hand with oil, pigment and beeswax, introducing colour, texture and depth. Each is an original artwork.

There is no need to choose between them before the session. After seeing the portraits, Jérôme will help you decide which form best serves the portrait.

What if I am uncomfortable in front of the camera?

Most people we photograph feel that way. You do not need to know how to pose or what to do. Jérôme guides you throughout the portrait session, paying attention to body language, expression and the relationships between you. The purpose is not to perform for the camera, but to allow something true to be seen.

What makes Jérôme's studio experience unique?

Jérôme’s portrait sessions focus on presence rather than performance. You will be carefully guided, but never asked to perform for the camera. As self-critique begins to fall away, the gestures, expressions and relationships particular to you and your family can come forward. With young children, that may include movement and a little chaos; there is no expectation of perfect behaviour.

Every commission begins in monochrome, but photography is only the beginning. Your portrait becomes artwork for your home—either a framed portrait on cotton-rag paper or an original mixed-media artwork.

The distinction is simple: you are not coming to be photographed. You are coming to be seen.

Do portrait commissions include digital files?

We believe that a portrait has its fullest expression as a physical object, masterfully retouched and printed on archival quality cotton rag paper, layered with wax and oils if you so desire, and framed in hand-stained hardwood as a living presence in your home - not as a forgotten file on a hard drive. As such digital files are not included or sold separately.

Do you create portraits in colour or only in monochrome?

Every portrait session begins with photographs created in monochrome. When a colour concept has been discussed before the session, we then reconfigure the studio and create a separate series of colour photographs specifically for that concept.

At the viewing, you may select framed monochrome portraits, an original mixed-media artwork developed from a monochrome image—often rendered in sepia—or a Chroma Mixed-Media artwork created from the planned colour series.

We do not offer conventional colour photographic portraits. Colour exists exclusively within an original mixed-media commission.

How and when do I select my portraits?

Immediately after the portrait session, you will see the work projected during a private viewing. This is when you select the portraits you love and decide whether they will become a framed monochrome portrait, a collection of monochromes, or original mixed-media artworks.

Because the viewing takes place the same day, we ask you to measure any walls where the artwork might live before coming to the studio. Please also bring a few photographs of those spaces taken with your phone. These measurements and photographs allow Jérôme to guide you through scale and placement, helping you choose artwork that feels right for your home.

Can young children and extended family take part in the portrait session?

Family portrait commissions may include children, siblings, grandparents and others who are important to the family. Three and four-generation portraits - if you are so fortunate - become especially meaningful over the years as they connect children directly to the family legacy.

Jérôme will create portraits of the family together, as well as individuals and smaller relationships within it. Children do not need to sit perfectly or perform for the camera; they are given the time and direction they need.

We recommend that young children be able to stand unassisted (one year old or more) in order to fully participate. This age also allows for personality to emerge and shine through the portrait.

Will our portraits remain private?

Every portrait commission is treated with discretion. Nothing from your session is published, exhibited or shared by the studio without your permission. If Jérôme wishes to show a portrait publicly, the studio will ask for your consent first.

Do you create portraits outdoors or in a family home?

Most portrait commissions take place in Jérôme’s studios, where the light and setting can be precisely controlled.

On occasion, the location is integral to the meaning of the work. A Horse and Rider commission, a family estate, or a significant family gathering may call for the portrait to be created where the story belongs. These commissions are conceived in advance and may combine an on-location Chroma Mixed-Media portrait with a temporary studio created for individual and family monochrome portraits. These are fully conceived portrait commissions rather than event coverage or conventional outdoor sessions. On-location commissions begin at $9,500.

Begin a Portrait Commission

It is not necessary to know exactly what the portrait will become. If you share who it is for and why it matters, together we will let it take form.

Expecting_Love_Maternity_Portrait_with_IPTC_Keywords

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PORTRAITS AS ARTWORK

■ JÉRÔME — Portrait Artist
Original Mixed-Media Artwork · Monochrome Portraiture

Miami Design District
Yorkville, Toronto
Ottawa & Mont-Tremblant
(serving Montreal)

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