Commissioning a Portrait in Lyme, New Hampshire
If you are looking for a portrait artist in Lyme, Hazel Morgan offers a truly personal fine art service to clients throughout Lyme, New Hampshire 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 Lyme or in the wider Grafton 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 Lyme Area
As your trusted Portrait Artist Lyme, Hazel Morgan serves portrait clients in Lyme and the surrounding communities. Portraits are shipped directly to your door with professional packaging and full insurance coverage.
How to Commission a Portrait from Lyme
Commissioning a portrait from Hazel Morgan is a collaborative and enjoyable experience, regardless of where you are located in Lyme, New Hampshire. 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 Lyme, 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 Lyme typically receive their portrait within one to two weeks of completion.
Why Clients in Lyme 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 Lyme
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 Lyme 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 Lyme. 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 Lyme
Hazel admires Lyme with a genuine warmth that goes well beyond its postcard good looks. There is something quietly extraordinary about this small Connecticut town that sits at the confluence of the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound - a place where light moves across water and marshland in ways that feel almost painterly themselves. Hazel finds that the quality of natural light here has a directness and honesty to it, the kind that makes faces look truthful rather than flattering, which for a portrait painter is really the whole point. She has long admired the legacy of the Florence Griswold Museum, whose identity as the historic home of American Impressionism quietly reminds her that Lyme has always been a place where serious artists felt at home. That tradition feels alive here, not merely preserved.
Hazel loves the people of Lyme perhaps most of all - and she is entirely candid about this. Clients here tend to arrive for a portrait sitting without pretension. They are curious, unhurried, and genuinely interested in the process, which makes the work richer on both sides of the canvas. Whether she is working with a family in the rolling hills near Hadlyme or a longtime resident who has spent decades watching the river change with the seasons, Hazel finds her subjects carry a certain depth of character that comes through naturally in a sitting. There is a rootedness to life in Lyme that she believes shows in faces - a kind of settled confidence that is a portrait painter's gift.
Hazel also admires the way Lyme holds onto its quieter, less-visited corners so gracefully. The old stone walls threading through the woods, the unpretentious village green, the unhurried pace of life along the back roads - these details accumulate into a sense of place that informs how she approaches her work. She often takes long walks before a sitting day, and she finds that moving through a landscape like this sharpens her eye and settles her focus before she picks up a brush.
Hazel also loves that Lyme feels genuinely itself - never performed, never trying to be somewhere else. That authenticity is something she chases in every portrait she paints, and finding it reflected so naturally in a community makes her connection to this place feel less like a professional relationship and more like a lasting friendship.
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 Lyme, New Hampshire.
Request a Free Consultation