[Valerie Gudorf]

Thanks everyone,

There are compelling arguments to be made on both sides of this question. It does appear that, with careful client education, WIP photos will not sabotage a commission. However, I'm beginning to think that Tim is onto something about not revealing "what's behind the curtain".

Running a portrait painting business is a LOT of work under the best of circumstances. Having to constantly "hold a client's hand" with the use of work-in-progress photos, along with careful explanations of each stage, is starting to strike me as somewhat onerous. I do understand that some clients can be particularly demanding once they've plunked down a deposit, and thereby need some extra reassurance that everything is going as planned. But I'm not sure that WIP photos will neccessarily accomplish that.

It could set the expectation that the client has the right to editorialize about the artist's every aesthetic decision. If the client had an artist's sensibilities, he could probably paint his own portrait. Otherwise, he should leave the making of art to the artist.

After all, when you order an entree at a fine restaurant, you don't stand over the chef's shoulder to make sure it's "done right". When you order a custom sedan at the Lexus Dealership, you don't get to demand WIP photos from the factory. It really does come down to trusting that the artist knows what he's doing.