Commissioning a Portrait in Lake Placid, New York
If you are looking for a portrait artist in Lake Placid, Hazel Morgan offers a truly personal fine art service to clients throughout Lake Placid, New York 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 Lake Placid or in the wider Essex 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 Artist Lake Placid Area
As your trusted Portrait Artist Lake Placid, Hazel Morgan serves portrait clients in Lake Placid and the surrounding communities. Portraits are shipped directly to your door with professional packaging and full insurance coverage.
How to Commission a Portrait from Lake Placid
Commissioning a portrait from Hazel Morgan is a collaborative and enjoyable experience, regardless of where you are located in Lake Placid, New York. 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 Lake Placid, 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 Lake Placid typically receive their portrait within one to two weeks of completion.
Why Clients in Lake Placid 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 Lake Placid
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 Lake Placid 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 Lake Placid. 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 Lake Placid
Hazel admires Lake Placid with a warmth that goes well beyond its picture-postcard beauty. Nestled in the Adirondack Mountains, this small but remarkably spirited village carries a kind of quiet pride that she finds genuinely moving. The community has a long history of welcoming athletes, artists, and adventurers, and that openness shows in the faces of the people who live there. Hazel often says that a place shapes its people in ways you can actually see - in the set of someone's jaw, the steadiness in their eyes, the ease with which they smile - and Lake Placid proves that point time and again.
Hazel loves the clients she meets here, and a big part of that affection comes from how grounded and unpretentious they tend to be. Many have deep roots in the region, with family stories tied to the forests, the lakes, and the legacy of the 1980 Winter Olympics - an event that gave this community a sense of resilience and collective identity that still runs through it today. When someone sits for a portrait with Hazel, they bring all of that history with them, and she finds that Lake Placid subjects have a remarkable authenticity that translates beautifully onto canvas. They aren't performing for the painting; they're simply themselves, and that honesty is every portrait artist's greatest gift.
Hazel also admires the way the natural landscape feeds directly into her creative instincts. The shifting light over Mirror Lake - the way it turns silver in the early morning and deep copper at dusk - gives her a constant visual vocabulary that influences how she approaches tone and atmosphere in her work. She often takes long walks around the village before a sitting, letting the colours and textures settle into her imagination so that the portrait she paints carries some of that environmental spirit within it.
Hazel also loves spending time near the Main Street area, where local shops and galleries sit comfortably alongside century-old architecture, giving the whole village a layered, lived-in character. She feels that Lake Placid understands the value of things made slowly and with care - portraits very much included - and that shared sensibility makes every visit feel less like work and more like coming 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 Lake Placid, New York.
Request a Free Consultation