Written by Julia Kiryanova, Artist
Julia Kiryanova is an artist working in tapestry, painting, and works on paper from her atelier in the centre of Amsterdam. A two-time Royal Award nominee.
People often imagine that commissioning a portrait is a formal, complicated affair. It rarely is. Most of mine begin with a short message and a photograph, and grow from there. Here is what the process actually looks like, from the first conversation to the finished work on your wall.
Why a painted portrait
A photograph captures a moment. A painted portrait captures a person. In the brushwork sits a choice, in the light a mood, in the eyes something a camera seldom reaches.
We have painted each other for a very long time. Walk through the Rijksmuseum and you meet merchants, children and widows, all looking back at you across four centuries. A portrait was how a family kept its own face, long before anyone owned a camera.
Some portraits mark a milestone. A wedding, a birth, or the wish to give someone who has gone a lasting place. A reason is not required. Often a person is simply worth painting.
More than a likeness
A good portrait is not only about resemblance. It catches the way someone holds their head, the set of the mouth between words, the expression their friends would know from across a room. Frans Hals understood this. His sitters seem caught mid-laugh, mid-thought, entirely alive, which is why people still travel to the Frans Hals Museum to stand in front of them.
That is what I chase in a commission. Not a frozen face, but the person their family recognises. Resemblance is the start of the work, not the end of it.
What happens when you commission one
The work moves in four unhurried steps, at your pace. It starts with a conversation. We talk about who you would like painted, the medium, the size and the feeling you are after. Nothing is fixed yet, and there is no obligation.
Then comes the reference. That can be a sitting in my atelier, or a small selection of your own photographs. Both work well, and I will tell you honestly which suits your idea best.
After that I paint. You receive images of the work as it grows, so the portrait never arrives as a surprise. When it is finished, the piece is signed and delivered with a certificate of authenticity, ready to collect from the studio or to be sent to you.
Painting from a photograph
Many commissions begin from photos, and a good reference makes a real difference. Soft, natural light is kinder than a hard flash. An expression that feels like the person matters more than a perfect pose.
Send a few options rather than one. A clear view of the eyes is the most useful thing you can give me. If the photograph is old or a little worn, that is fine. For a portrait of someone who has passed, I work gently with whatever you have, and we build the likeness together.
Oil on linen, or a drawing on paper
The medium shapes the mood of the finished piece. Oil on linen has weight and presence. The colour is deep, the surface alive, and the work is made to last for generations. You can see this register across my oil paintings.
A drawing on paper is quieter and more immediate. It catches a likeness with fewer marks and a lot of air around it. It is also the most accessible way to begin, which is why many first commissions are works on paper.
Every commission is priced on its own. As a guide, a drawing on paper starts from €950 and an oil portrait from €1,500, depending on the size and the number of people. You always receive a quote in advance, so you know where you stand before anything begins.
One face, or the whole family
Who you choose to have painted is entirely yours to decide. Often it is one person, or a portrait of yourself. A couple, sometimes after a wedding. A whole family gathered onto a single canvas, however busy life happens to be.
Children are a case of their own. A child's portrait holds an age that slips away almost as you watch it. Whatever the subject, we agree the composition before I start, so the finished work feels right from the first brushstroke.
Where the work is made
I paint from my atelier in the centre of Amsterdam, behind the Royal Palace, near the canals. I was born in Kazakhstan, and my work turns on colour, tenderness and the singularity of each person.
My paintings have been shown in Amsterdam and beyond, and twice nominated for the Koninklijke Prijs voor Vrije Schilderkunst. You can read more about how I work on our story page.
Ready when you are
If someone has been on your mind, that is reason enough. Tell me a little about them, and I will send a quote with no obligation. You are also welcome to visit the studio by appointment, and we can talk it through in person.
You can start a portrait commission whenever you feel ready. There is no rush. The best portraits tend to begin with a single, unhurried conversation.
