COMMISSION AN OIL PAINTING FROM A PHOTOGRAPH
Klaudyna Hady paints bespoke oil portraits from your photographs — people, families, children, master copies and hand-painted pet portraits — in her studio in Rzeszów, Poland. Every commission is painted by hand in oil on stretched canvas. You approve the composition before painting starts, and the finished work before it is packed. It then travels insured and tracked, anywhere in the world. Prices start at $475 / £355, delivery included.
-
Loving Vincent (2017)
One of 125 painters chosen from around 5,000 applicants worldwide to hand-paint frames for the first feature film made entirely of oil paintings, nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
-
The Peasants (2023)
Painting for the animation of Poland’s official Oscar entry, made by the same directors and in the same technique.
-
Degree
MFA in painting, awarded with distinction — Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, studio of Professor Marian Kępiński.
-
Collections
More than 150 paintings in private collections, every one painted by hand in the Rzeszów studio.
What You Can Commission
Anything that can be photographed can be painted. Most commissions fall into one of five categories:
- Portraits of people — a single sitter, painted from one photograph or composed from several.
- Family portraits — two or more people, including relatives photographed years apart and in different places, brought together in one painting.
- Children’s portraits — from everyday photographs rather than a formal sitting.
- Master copies — a hand-painted copy of a Van Gogh, a Klimt, a Monet or another painter of your choosing, sized to your wall.
- Pet portraits and memorial portraits — covered in detail on the pet portraits page.
Every category goes through the same five steps: reference review, approved sketch, progress photographs, final approval, insured delivery.
If you are not sure whether your idea fits — a house, a boat, a wedding photograph, a grandparent from a damaged print — send the photograph. The answer is usually yes.
Why Commission Klaudyna Hady
Klaudyna Hady holds a master’s degree in fine art (MFA), awarded with distinction, from the Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, Poland, where she studied painting under Professor Marian Kępiński. More than 150 of her paintings are in private collections, and she paints every commission herself, in oil, in her studio in Rzeszów.
That last point matters more than it might sound. A good deal of what is sold online as a “custom oil portrait” turns out to be a digital print, an outsourced painting from an unnamed studio, or an AI render on canvas. A commission from this studio is one painter, one brush, one canvas — and you can check who she is: her film work is documented on IMDb, on the official Loving Vincent site and in the Polish national film database FilmPolski.
Her training shows in the things that are hard to fake: drawing that holds a likeness, flesh tones mixed rather than copied, and paint handling that reads as a painting from across the room — not as a photograph with brush marks added.
From Loving Vincent to Your Portrait
She was one of 125 painters chosen from around 5,000 applicants worldwide to hand-paint frames for Loving Vincent (2017), the Oscar-nominated film made entirely of oil paintings, working at the production’s main studio in Gdańsk. She went on to paint for The Peasants (2023), Poland’s official Oscar entry from the same directors. That selection tested exactly the skill a portrait commission depends on: painting a convincing likeness, in oil, to a standard set by somebody else.
Example Commissions
-
Single portrait, oil on canvas
Woman, 40 × 30 cm, painted from one photograph
-
Family portrait, oil on canvas
Family of four, 70 × 50 cm, composed from three photographs
-
Child’s portrait, oil on canvas
Child, 30 × 20 cm, painted from an everyday snapshot
-
Van Gogh master copy, oil on canvas
Master copy, 50 × 35 cm, sized to the client’s wall
-
Brushwork in raking light
Side-lit detail: the paint stands off the canvas
-
XXL commission on the wall
Couple, 90 × 60 cm, photographed in the client’s home
How the Commission Process Works
Five steps. Two of them are approval gates: nothing moves forward until you say so.
1. Consultation and Photographs
You send your photographs and a few lines about what you want — subject, size, background, mood. You get a reply within two working days: an honest assessment of the reference material, a recommendation on size, and a fixed quote. If the photographs will not support a good painting, you will be told so, along with what to reshoot.
2. Sketch Approval
Before any paint goes on the canvas, you receive a compositional sketch showing the pose, the crop and the background. You approve it, or ask for changes, before painting begins. You see everything before it is painted.
3. Painting — Progress Photographs
Painting takes around three weeks for most sizes. Progress photographs come at three fixed points: once the approved sketch is on the canvas, at roughly 70% complete, and before varnishing. You can comment at each one.
4. Final Approval
You see high-resolution photographs of the finished painting and approve it before it is packed. The balance is due at this stage — not before.
5. Insured Worldwide Delivery
After at least 14 days of drying, the painting is packed for export and sent by express courier — insured for its full value, with door-to-door tracking. Delivery is included in the price, to every destination.
Oil Painting Commission Prices
Prices are for a single subject and include painted canvas edges, a signed certificate of authenticity, export packing, and insured worldwide delivery with tracking. A frame is not included — paintings arrive ready to hang, or ready for a local framer. The quote you receive is fixed: there is nothing to add later.
| Format | Size | USD | GBP | EUR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 30 × 20 cm (12 × 8 in) | $475 | £355 | €415 |
| Medium | 40 × 30 cm (16 × 12 in) | $725 | £535 | €625 |
| Large | 50 × 35 cm (20 × 14 in) | $895 | £665 | €775 |
| XL | 70 × 50 cm (28 × 20 in) | $1,195 | £885 | €1,035 |
| XXL | 90 × 60 cm (35 × 24 in) | $1,650 | £1,225 | €1,435 |
A second figure or animal adds 35%; a third adds 65%.
Full price list, shipping and customs →
You pay a 50% deposit to book a slot in the painting schedule, and the balance after you have approved the finished work and before it is dispatched. I invoice for both stages, payable by bank transfer in US dollars, pounds sterling or euros.
Christmas 2026 — Order Deadline
Book by 15 October 2026 for delivery before Christmas. A commission takes six to eight weeks from deposit to dispatch, and oil paint cannot be hurried through its drying time. Slots for October and November fill from early autumn.
Past the deadline, or not sure which photograph to use? A gift certificate arrives by email within minutes and the painting is made in the new year, without deadline pressure.
Family Portraits and Master Copies
A family portrait does not need a family photograph. Most are built from several separate ones — parents from one, children from another, a grandparent from a print made decades ago. The composition is settled at the sketch stage, so you see exactly how the figures sit together before painting begins. Memorial portraits of family members are made the same way: from the photographs that exist, however imperfect, rather than the photograph you wish existed.
Master copies are a separate discipline, and one Klaudyna Hady is unusually qualified for. Working on Loving Vincent meant reproducing Van Gogh’s brushwork frame after frame to a film studio’s standard of consistency, which is precisely what a master copy demands. Copies are priced by size and complexity like any other commission; works still in copyright cannot be reproduced. The usual requests are Van Gogh, Klimt and Monet — sized to your wall rather than to the original. If you want the Van Gogh handling applied to a living subject rather than to a copy, see Van Gogh style pet portraits.
Materials and Size Guide
Every commission is painted in artist-grade oils on stretched canvas. The edges are painted, so the work hangs cleanly without a frame; if you would rather have one, any local framer can fit a frame to a standard stretcher.
Choosing a size: Small (30 × 20 cm / 12 × 8 in) suits a single head-and-shoulders portrait. Medium (40 × 30 cm / 16 × 12 in) is the size most people choose — one or two subjects with a background. Large and above (from 50 × 35 cm / 20 × 14 in) suit full-length figures, groups of three or more, and master copies, where detail needs room. If you are unsure, send the wall measurement with your photographs and you will get a recommendation.
Delivery, Customs and Import Duty
Every painting is sent from Poland by express courier — DHL or UPS — insured for its full value, with door-to-door tracking. Delivery, insurance and export packing are included in every price on this site. There is nothing to add at checkout.
- United States. Original paintings are duty-free under HTS heading 9701. The courier handles customs clearance as part of the service, so there is no import duty to pay on delivery.
- United Kingdom. Original works of art carry 0% customs duty, and import VAT is charged at an effective 5% rather than the standard 20% — roughly £27 on a £535 Medium commission, payable to the courier on delivery. Because every commission is priced well above £135, UK VAT is never added at checkout.
- Ireland and the rest of the EU. Poland is in the EU, so there is no customs clearance, no import VAT and nothing to pay on delivery. The price you see is the price you pay.
- Canada and Australia. Original paintings are duty-free, but local sales tax (GST or HST in Canada, GST in Australia) can be charged on delivery.
Rates are set by each country and can change. Whatever your address, the current position is confirmed to you in writing before you pay a deposit — there are no surprises at the door.
Typical transit times, including clearance: 2–4 working days to the UK and Ireland, 3–7 working days to the United States and Canada, and 5–9 working days to Australia. The painting travels only after its 14-day drying period — see the FAQ below for why that cannot be shortened.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does an oil painting commission take?
Six to eight weeks from deposit to dispatch: roughly one week for consultation and sketch approval, about three weeks of painting, and at least 14 days for the paint to dry before it can be packed safely. Drying time is a property of oil paint, not a scheduling choice. For delivery before Christmas 2026, book by 15 October.
How long does oil paint take to dry before shipping?
Oil paint is touch-dry within 24 to 48 hours, but the paint film is not safe to pack for at least 14 days, and longer where the paint is applied thickly. Traditional dammar varnish needs up to six months before it can go on, so commissions are either finished with Gamvar, a conservation varnish that can be applied far sooner, or sent unvarnished with written varnishing instructions for a local framer or conservator.
Will my painting arrive safely? How is it packed?
The painting is wrapped in acid-free glassine, fitted with corner protectors and sandwiched between two sheets of foam board before any bubble wrap goes on, so nothing touches the paint surface. It travels upright in a double box, insured for its full value from studio to door. If it is damaged in transit, the insurance covers a repaint or a full refund.
Do I have to pay customs or import duty?
In the United States, no — original paintings are duty-free under HTS heading 9701 and clearance is handled by the courier. In the United Kingdom, customs duty is 0% and import VAT on original works of art is charged at an effective 5% rather than 20%, roughly £27 on a Medium commission. Within the EU, including Ireland, there is no import at all and nothing to pay. In Canada and Australia there is no duty, but local sales tax can apply. The position for your address is confirmed in writing before you pay a deposit.
Do you take commissions from the UK?
Yes — the UK is one of the studio’s main markets, and the price you see is the price you pay in pounds, with insured delivery included. Every commission is priced above the £135 threshold, so no UK VAT is added at checkout; what you pay on arrival is import VAT at an effective 5% rather than 20%. Typical delivery is 2–4 working days from dispatch.
How much does delivery cost? Is it included?
It is included in every price on this page, for every destination. That covers express courier (DHL or UPS), full-value insurance, door-to-door tracking and export packing. There is nothing to add at checkout and no supplement for the US, UK, Canada or Australia.
Can I see progress photographs of my painting?
Yes, at three fixed points: once the approved sketch is on the canvas, at roughly 70% complete, and before varnishing. You can comment at each one, and reasonable adjustments at those stages are included in the price.
What if I don’t like the finished painting?
The process is built so that this does not arrive as a surprise at the end. You approve the compositional sketch before painting starts, you see progress photographs while it is under way, and you approve high-resolution photographs of the finished work before the balance is paid and before anything is packed. Every point at which the painting could go somewhere you did not intend has an approval gate in front of it.
Can I cancel, and is the deposit refundable?
The deposit is refundable in full up to the point where work on the sketch begins. After that, because the painting is made to your specification, the statutory 14-day right to cancel that covers off-the-shelf goods in the UK and the EU does not apply — this is the standard position for bespoke work. What replaces it is the approval process: you sign off the sketch, you see the painting in progress, and you approve the finished work before the balance is due.
What makes a good reference photograph?
Natural light, a sharp image, and a photograph taken at roughly the subject’s eye level. Detail matters more than composition — elements from several photographs can be combined, and backgrounds can be changed or invented. If your photographs are old, damaged or low-resolution, send them anyway and you will get an honest assessment of what they can support.
How do payment and the deposit work?
A 50% deposit books a slot in the painting schedule; the balance is due after you approve the finished painting and before it is dispatched. I invoice for both stages, payable by bank transfer in US dollars, pounds sterling or euros.
Do you paint from photographs of people who have passed away, or from old family photos?
Yes. Many family commissions are painted from the only photographs that exist — old prints, scans, sometimes damaged or faded. A painting is not bound by the condition of the photograph: colour, light and background can be rebuilt, and a person can be painted alongside relatives from an entirely different photograph. Send what you have, and you will get an honest assessment of what it can support.
Start Your Commission
Send your photographs and a few sentences about what you have in mind. Within two working days you will have an honest assessment of the reference material, a recommendation on size and a fixed quote, with no obligation. Slots are limited by painting and drying time, and the Christmas schedule fills from October.
What the enquiry form asks for
- Your name and email.
- Delivery country: United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, the European Union or elsewhere.
- Commission type: portrait of a person, family portrait, child’s portrait, master copy or pet portrait.
- Size: Small 30 × 20 cm — $475, Medium 40 × 30 cm — $725, Large 50 × 35 cm — $895, XL 70 × 50 cm — $1,195, XXL 90 × 60 cm — $1,650, or “not sure yet”.
- A description of what you have in mind, and a photograph if you have one to hand.
Prefer email? Write to hadyklaudyna@gmail.com. Your photographs are used only to prepare your quote and are never published without permission.