Commissioning a Portrait in Deerfield, Illinois
If you are looking for a portrait artist in Deerfield, Hazel Morgan offers a truly personal fine art service to clients throughout Deerfield, Illinois 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 Deerfield or in the wider Lake 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 Deerfield Area
As your trusted Portrait Artist Deerfield, Hazel Morgan serves portrait clients in Deerfield and the surrounding communities. Portraits are shipped directly to your door with professional packaging and full insurance coverage.
How to Commission a Portrait from Deerfield
Commissioning a portrait from Hazel Morgan is a collaborative and enjoyable experience, regardless of where you are located in Deerfield, Illinois. 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 Deerfield, 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 Deerfield typically receive their portrait within one to two weeks of completion.
Why Clients in Deerfield 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 Deerfield
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 Deerfield 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 Deerfield. 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 Deerfield
Hazel admires Deerfield for the quiet, unhurried dignity that seems to run through every corner of the town. There is something genuinely grounding about a place that holds its history close without making a performance of it, and Deerfield does exactly that. The Historic Deerfield museum campus, with its carefully preserved colonial homes lining the broad main street, offers a living reminder that character accumulates slowly, through generations of lived experience. That idea sits right at the heart of what Hazel tries to do in her portrait work - to find the layers a person has built up over a lifetime and bring them honestly to the canvas.
Hazel loves the people she meets here, and that warmth is not something she takes for granted. Deerfield clients tend to arrive at a sitting already at ease with themselves, curious rather than self-conscious, and that openness makes her work feel genuinely collaborative. She has noticed time and again that conversations during a session drift naturally toward family stories, local memory, and a real pride in where they come from. Spending an afternoon near the Deerfield Academy campus, with its mix of purposeful energy and deep-rooted tradition, gives her the same feeling - that the people shaped by this environment carry something considered and lasting about them, which is exactly the quality she hopes to capture in paint.
Hazel also admires the way the natural landscape around Deerfield seems to inform the mood of the community itself. The broad Connecticut River meadows, which have drawn farmers, writers, and artists to this valley for centuries, lend the town an openness that feels rare. When the light falls low across those fields in the late afternoon, it has a warmth and softness that she finds herself thinking about long after she has driven home to her studio. That particular quality of light - gentle, honest, without drama - is something she actively tries to carry back into her portraits.
Hazel also loves the sense that creativity is genuinely valued here, not as a luxury but as a natural part of community life. Clients in Deerfield often commission portraits to mark meaningful moments - a child heading off to school, a parent growing older gracefully, a family gathering that everyone wants to remember. Those are the commissions that remind her why portraiture matters, and Deerfield, more than almost anywhere else she works, keeps giving her exactly those opportunities.
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 Deerfield, Illinois.
Request a Free Consultation