Pacifi c Northwest enough for him." T ough she passed on that particular
job, Firestone says she was happy to send a bit of work to another painter: "I'm re- ally happy to support other artists. I feel like a rising tide liſt s all boats." Federico Leon de la Vega, a Nayarit,
Robbi Firestone unveils her portrait of Bart Millard to the MercyMe singer
her professional work is commission- based. Once she has been hired to create a
painting, Firestone interviews the cus- tomer "about their passions and their possibilities. Usually when people are becoming familiar with my work, I ask them to spend some time on my Website (RobbiFirestone.com) and really get to know my work, because I'm not a pho- torealist or classical realism artist. I have
my own style." Firestone charges $15,000 to $20,000
per portrait—more than 20 percent of which goes to charity, she says—but on at least one occasion she told a potential customer that she wasn't the artist for the job. "I just started asking him about his aesthetic and he seemed a little un- comfortable, so I ended up recommend- ing him to another artist in the region because I could just tell my work wasn't
Mexico-based artist who specializes in large paintings of fruit—oranges and tangerines are among his most popular subjects—and Pacifi c Coast seascapes, says his Website (FedericoLeondelaVega. com) is a useful marketing tool but adds that he gets a lot of commission work from diners who see his paintings in his wife's restaurant. Not too long ago "an elderly couple
came and they had a couple of hamburg- ers and some coff ee and stayed a long time," says de la Vega. "You could tell that they were still in love aſt er many years. T ey came into the gallery (next to the restaurant) and he just asked, 'Would you do a portrait of my wife?' I said I'd be delighted. T at's the way it happens most of the time." Like Firestone, de la Vega gets a sense
of what his customers are looking for by doing preliminary sketches and color studies. T ough he has never had to
ABOVE: Frederico Leon de la Vega in his studio LEFT: de la Vega's Naranjas Enamoradas
ARTBUSINESSNEWS.COM 35