Matching composition to the setting?

[Garth Herrick]

Julie,

I was just in this same situation; well sort of.....

I just completed and had unveiled the portrait of a Philadelphia Union League president, to be hung in their colossal ballroom with fifty previous portraits of the same size and subject category. I knew full well that at various times in the future, this portrait may be hung twenty feet up or more! So I too wrestled with the issue of an ideal vantage point to begin with. Reflecting upon what exists in the collection, every painting is fairly conservative with a normal eye-level vantage point perspective; and you know what? That works just fine! Our brains can make the jump quite readily and accept the odd placement high on a wall as normal. I ended up with a normal eye-level setting in my portrait too.

I agree with Michele that one can never know the ultimate venue or site of a commission. I know I did one huge painting twenty some years back that inspirted a complete gutting and redesign of an historic center city brick townhome! They spent six figures to better show of fthe painting! So, you never know..... it could end up in a museum one day, three feet up from the floor.....

Good luck,

Garth