Commissioning a Portrait in Orinda, California
If you are looking for a portrait artist in Orinda, Hazel Morgan offers a truly personal fine art service to clients throughout Orinda, California and the surrounding area. With over four decades of professional experience, Hazel has built an international reputation for creating exquisite hand-painted oil portraits that capture the character, warmth, and individuality of each subject.
Whether you live in the heart of Orinda or in the wider Contra Costa County region, commissioning a portrait from Hazel is a straightforward and enjoyable process. Portraits can be painted from professional photographs, personal snapshots, or — where practical — from live sittings arranged at a location convenient to you.
Portrait Painting Services Available in Orinda
Hazel offers a comprehensive range of portrait styles and subjects to suit every occasion and setting. Each portrait is painted entirely by hand in fine oil paints on premium Belgian linen canvas, using techniques refined over a career spanning more than four decades.
Classical & Formal Portraits
Traditional oil portraits for private collections, family legacies, and formal settings. Available as head-and-shoulders, half-length, or full-length compositions.
Corporate & Boardroom Portraits
Distinguished portraits of CEOs, directors, chancellors, and civic leaders. Painted to the exacting standards expected by boardrooms and institutional collections.
Family & Child Portraits
Intimate portraits that capture the personality and spirit of children and families. Painted from photographs or sittings to create a cherished keepsake.
Pet & Equestrian Portraits
Beautifully detailed oil paintings of beloved pets, horses, and companion animals. Each painting conveys the unique character and personality of the subject.
Memorial & Posthumous Portraits
Sensitive and respectful memorial portraits created from photographs. A meaningful way to honor the memory of a loved one through fine art.
Academic & Institutional Portraits
Portraits of chancellors, professors, benefactors, and distinguished alumni for universities, schools, and learned societies.
Portrait Artist Orinda Area
As your trusted Portrait Artist Orinda, Hazel Morgan serves portrait clients in Orinda and the surrounding communities. Portraits are shipped directly to your door with professional packaging and full insurance coverage.
How to Commission a Portrait from Orinda
Commissioning a portrait from Hazel Morgan is a collaborative and enjoyable experience, regardless of where you are located in Orinda, California. The process has been refined over hundreds of commissions to ensure a seamless experience for every client.
Step 1: Initial Consultation
The process begins with a complimentary consultation — by telephone, video call, or email — during which Hazel discusses your vision for the portrait. This covers the subject, preferred composition, size, background, clothing, and any particular details you would like to include. There is no obligation at this stage.
Step 2: Photographs & References
For clients in Orinda, Hazel can work from professional photographs, high-quality personal photographs, or a combination of multiple reference images. She provides clear guidance on the types of photographs that produce the best results. Where feasible, live sittings can also be arranged.
Step 3: The Painting Process
Once the composition is agreed, Hazel begins painting. The process typically takes between six and twelve weeks depending on the complexity of the piece. Clients receive progress photographs at key stages so you can see the portrait taking shape and provide feedback before completion.
Step 4: Delivery & Framing
Completed portraits are professionally packaged for shipping. Shipping and framing costs are provided once the painting is complete. Hazel can also recommend master framers who specialise in fine art framing to complement your finished portrait. Clients in Orinda typically receive their portrait within one to two weeks of completion.
Get in Touch for a Personalized Consultation in Orinda
Every portrait commission is unique, and Hazel provides a personalized quotation based on your specific requirements. Factors such as the size of the canvas, the number of subjects, and the complexity of the composition are all discussed during an initial telephone consultation, which is entirely free and without obligation.
Hazel welcomes inquiries from clients in Orinda, California and is happy to talk through your ideas at a time that suits you. Whether you have a clear vision or are simply exploring the possibility of commissioning a portrait, she looks forward to hearing from you.
Why Clients in Orinda Choose Hazel Morgan
Hazel Morgan brings a rare combination of artistic excellence, professional reliability, and personal warmth to every commission. Here is what sets her apart:
Over 40 years of professional experience — Hazel has been painting portraits professionally since the early 1980s, amassing a body of work that spans hundreds of commissions for private, corporate, and institutional clients worldwide.
Award-winning recognition — Her work has been exhibited at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, and other prestigious venues. She is a member of several leading art societies.
A personal, one-to-one service — Unlike studio operations, every portrait is painted entirely by Hazel herself. You deal directly with the artist from first consultation through to delivery, ensuring your vision is faithfully realised.
International shipping expertise — Hazel regularly ships completed portraits to clients across the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and beyond. Every painting is professionally packaged to arrive in perfect condition.
Complete satisfaction guaranteed — Hazel works closely with each client throughout the painting process. Progress images are shared at every stage, and adjustments are made until you are completely happy with the finished portrait.
Frequently Asked Questions — Portrait Commissions in Orinda
Hazel provides personalized quotations after an initial telephone consultation, during which she discusses your specific requirements. The consultation is complimentary and entirely without obligation. Please get in touch to arrange a convenient time to talk.
Not at all. The majority of Hazel’s commissions are painted from photographs, which makes the process convenient for clients in Orinda and beyond. Hazel provides guidance on the best types of photographs to supply. Live sittings can be arranged where practical.
Most portraits are completed within six to twelve weeks from the start of painting, depending on the complexity of the commission. Hazel provides a realistic timeline during the initial consultation. Rush commissions can sometimes be accommodated for special occasions.
Hazel has extensive experience working with a range of photographic references, including older or lower-resolution images. She can often combine multiple photographs to create a single cohesive portrait. During the consultation, she will advise on whether your available photographs are suitable.
Completed portraits are professionally packaged using custom-built crating and shipped via insured courier directly to your address in Orinda. Shipping and framing are quoted separately after the portrait is completed.
Client satisfaction is paramount. Hazel shares progress photographs at key stages throughout the painting process so you can provide feedback and request adjustments. This collaborative approach means that by the time the portrait is complete, it faithfully reflects your vision.
Why Hazel Loves Orinda
Hazel admires Orinda for the quiet confidence it carries — a small city tucked into the East Bay hills that somehow feels both unhurried and quietly alive. She has always been drawn to places where people have genuinely put down roots, and Orinda is exactly that kind of town. The tree-lined streets of the downtown village, the neighbourhoods where families have lived for generations, and the sense that community here is something people actually tend to — all of it resonates with her deeply. There is an authenticity to life in Orinda that Hazel finds increasingly rare, and it is precisely that authenticity she tries to bring into every portrait she paints.
Hazel loves the way Orinda's residents carry their stories visibly, and she means that as the highest compliment a portrait painter can offer. The clients she meets here tend to be thoughtful, warm, and genuinely curious about the process of being painted — they ask good questions, they sit with patience, and they bring a kind of open-hearted engagement to the studio that makes her work richer. Many of them are regulars at the Orinda Arts Council, which has long nurtured a real appreciation for the visual arts in the community, and that cultural awareness shows in the conversations Hazel has with her clients during sittings. Those conversations — about memory, identity, what we want to preserve — are the invisible brushstrokes behind every finished portrait.
Hazel also admires the way Orinda honours its own history without becoming precious about it. The beloved Orinda Theatre, with its gorgeous Art Deco tower that has been a landmark since 1941, is the kind of detail that tells you everything about a town's character — that people here genuinely value things worth keeping. That sensibility runs through her portrait work as well. A portrait is, at its heart, an act of preservation, and she finds that Orinda clients understand that instinctively.
Hazel also loves returning to the rolling open spaces of the surrounding Briones hills when she needs to reconnect with her sense of light and tone before beginning a new commission. There is a particular quality of afternoon light in this corner of the East Bay — warm, golden, and a little hazy — that she has come to associate with her best work, and with the generous, grounded people who call Orinda home.
Ready to Commission Your Portrait?
Begin with a complimentary, no-obligation consultation. Hazel would love to discuss your portrait ideas and provide a personalized quotation for clients in Orinda, California.
Request a Free Consultation