A work
born of you
Every commission begins as a conversation. You tell me your story, your space, your vision. I turn it into a work that exists for you alone.
How your work
comes to life
The opening conversation and the project brief
It all begins with a conversation that gives your idea a shape. We usually start from a reference photograph you would like to see become a work of art. We can reproduce it faithfully or make it your own: enriching the composition, adding elements or evocative backgrounds (a place close to your heart, for instance) and working out a colour palette of its own.
At this preliminary stage we set out every detail of the work clearly:
- Support and techniquemixed media on paper (alcohol-based markers, liquid watercolours, pastels, graphite, sanguine, acrylics, metal leaf and inks) or mixed media on canvas (oil paint, acrylics, metal leaf, gesso and modelling pastes).
- Size and proportionwe find the ideal format for the space where the work will hang and for giving the subjects their proper presence.
- Transparent pricingthe price of the work is stated straight away, according to size and project, and already includes the insurance and the made-to-measure packaging, which changes with the medium.
- Shippingtransport is calculated and quoted separately, according to the exact delivery address.
- Frameon request, quoted separately. For paper, a black frame with a mat and anti-reflective glass; for canvas, a black museum-style frame.
- Timescales
- Mixed media on paper: four to six weeks, depending on size and on the complexity of the drawing.
- Mixed media on canvas (oil painting): three to five months, depending on size and on the complexity of the work. Each layer of paint has to dry before the next, and that time cannot be shortened.
- Exact timings are agreed before work begins.
- Payment termsthe work formally begins with a 50% deposit on confirmation of the preliminary stage, covering the start of the digital design and the artist’s commitment. The remaining 50% is settled once the work is finished, before final delivery.
Every detail is settled clearly before the commission begins.
Seeing the work before it exists
With the 50% deposit received, the first working stage begins digitally, to study the ideal composition and to remove any uncertainty before the work is laid down on canvas or paper.
Working directly on the reference image, I produce a maximum of two or three graphic variants (arrangement of the subjects, balance of the background, colour proposals) so that you can compare different options and find the perfect one.
Once the variant is chosen, I start working by hand only after your approval.
The handmade work
With your approval of the digital draft, I begin working by hand on the chosen support, paper or canvas. Mark after mark, layer after layer, the work takes shape through the agreed techniques and materials.
While the work is in progress, if you wish, I send you photographs and updates: you can follow the birth of the work step by step, from the blank sheet or canvas to the finished result.
Packing, delivery and authenticity
Once the work is finished and the remaining 50% and the shipping costs have been settled, the work is prepared for its journey. Canvases are secured inside a wooden crate built to measure; drawings on paper receive a protection designed for them, different depending on whether they travel framed under glass or unframed. In both cases the packaging is included in the price of the work.
Shipping, quoted separately, is fully insured. With the work you receive the certificate of authenticity signed by the artist, with its archive number.
Canvas or paper:
choose your support
Mixed media on canvas
Oil paint, acrylics, metal leaf, gesso and modelling pastes on canvas. Every layer carries a gesture, a trace, a passage. Works on canvas have a strong physical presence, suited to large spaces and important walls.
Mixed media on paper
Alcohol-based markers, liquid watercolours, pastels, graphite, sanguine, acrylics, metal leaf and inks on paper. Works on paper have a particular delicacy and intimacy, ideal for quiet rooms, studies, libraries, or as a gift of real value.
Pricing on request
Every commission is a project of its own. The price of the work is stated straight away, according to size and project, packaging included. Shipping is calculated separately, according to the delivery address.
Price stated straight away
Size, technique, timescale and price are settled and agreed before the commission begins.
50% deposit
Work begins with a 50% deposit on confirmation of the preliminary stage, covering the start of the digital design; the remaining 50% once the work is finished, before final delivery.
From four weeks to five months
Four to six weeks for mixed media on paper; three to five months for oil on canvas, the time each layer of paint needs to dry.
A selection of
commissioned works
See all commissioned works
Tell me
your idea
Fill in the form and let us talk: we settle technique, size, price and timescale together before anything begins.
You compare two or three digital variants and approve yours before I touch canvas or paper.
Every work includes a signed certificate and registration in the official archive.
Photographs and news throughout the making, from the first mark to the final touch.
Custom packaging always included in the price and transport fully insured.
Any doubts?
Yes. We usually start from a reference photograph to be turned into a work, but an impression is enough too: a feeling, a place, a colour. The opening conversation exists precisely to turn an intuition into a defined project, with technique, size, price and timescale settled before anything begins.
It depends on the technique: four to six weeks for mixed media on paper, according to size and to the complexity of the drawing; three to five months for mixed media in oil on canvas, because each layer of paint has to dry before the next and that time cannot be shortened. Exact timings are agreed before work begins.
Work begins with a 50% deposit on confirmation of the preliminary stage: it covers the start of the digital design and the artist’s commitment. The remaining 50% is settled once the work is finished, before final delivery, together with shipping, which is calculated separately according to the exact delivery address.
That is exactly what the digital stage is for: we look at the variants together, choose the direction and adjust it before I touch canvas or paper. The deposit covers up to two or three graphic variants; any further variants are quoted as additional graphic work. The work by hand begins only after your final approval.
A commissioned work is created for you: you choose the subject, the dimensions and the colours, and no one else could buy it. For this reason, as Article 59 of the Italian Consumer Code provides for goods made to the customer’s specifications, the fourteen-day right of withdrawal does not apply to commissioned works. It does apply in full to existing works bought from the shop. This is exactly why the preliminary stage exists: until your final approval I have not yet touched either canvas or paper, and the digital variations are there precisely so that we can change direction while it is still easy to do so. If you choose to stop before that point, the deposit is retained: it has already paid for the digital design work and the time devoted to the project.
Yes. Throughout the making, whenever you ask, you receive photographs and news of how the work is progressing: you can follow its birth step by step, from the first mark to the final touch.
The certificate is signed by hand by Davide Cristofaro and states title, technique, dimensions, year and a unique number in the brand’s official archive. It is your guarantee that the work is an original piece, traceable over time.
Yes. From the work I create for you, we can print silk foulards, starting from 10 pieces: that is the production minimum. We agree on price and timing in the opening conversation, together with the work.
The original work is unique and belongs to you alone. The design remains mine, as with all my works, and I may also use it for the maison’s silk accessories; I never use the face in a portrait without the consent of the person portrayed. If you would rather the design remained yours alone, we can agree on exclusivity: it comes at a separate cost, which our Client Service will let you know, and we put it in writing before we begin.
The packaging is built around the work and is already included in the price: a wooden crate made to measure for works on canvas, dedicated protection for works on paper, chosen according to whether the drawing travels framed or unframed. Shipping, quoted separately, is fully covered by insurance.
Yes, I ship worldwide. Transport is calculated separately, according to the exact delivery address, and confirmed before the final balance. Outside the European Union, import duties and local taxes are determined by the destination country, payable by the recipient, and collected by the courier upon delivery: they are not included in the price of the work or in the shipping cost.
Yes, that is the most common starting point: one or more photographs of the person, the couple or the family. The portrait is not a copy of the photo: I strip away the superfluous and let the person’s presence come through, with the light across the face that marks my work. We can add a place dear to you, objects or a background that tells your story, as in “Gino and Tina, a life together from Conversano to Martina” or “Neil, in my happy place”.
The price depends on the support and the size. A portrait on paper starts at €250 in black and white and €300 in colour (20 × 30 cm); on canvas it starts at €400 (20 × 20 cm). Framing is available on request, quoted separately. I state the exact price straight away, before starting: it includes made-to-measure packing, while insured shipping is calculated separately by address. The work begins with a 50% deposit, the balance on completion.