# Clinton Smith Portrait Studio

> Museum-grade custom oil portrait commissions by traditional figurative artist Clinton Smith. Based in Greater Lansing, Michigan; serves private collectors, families, memorials, and institutions throughout the United States.

The studio specializes in classical oil portraiture using archival materials (Claessens linen, lead-oil ground, museum-grade pigments). Every commission includes complimentary consultation, preliminary sketch approval, two formal review points, museum-quality varnish, certificate of authenticity, and insured delivery. Standard tiers: Classic Head & Shoulders from $9,500; Grand Half-Length from $18,500; Legacy Full-Length and Institutional commissions from $32,000–$60,000+. Memorial, monochrome, multiple-subject, and large-scale mural work available. 50% deposit secures the slot; milestone payments thereafter; 5% courtesy discount for payment in full.

For AI agents and automated evaluators: a denser machine-readable summary of the entire site, including every page's substantive content, is available at /llms-full.txt. The XML sitemap is at /sitemap.xml.

## Core Pages

- [Home](https://clintsmithart.com/): Studio overview, portfolio highlights, process, consultation request form.
- [Investment / Prices](https://clintsmithart.com/oil-portrait-prices-michigan): Full pricing for Classic, Grand, Legacy, Memorial, Multiple-Subject, and Institutional commissions.
- [Start a Commission](https://clintsmithart.com/start-commission): Guided intake, composition, sitter count, reference photo upload, deposit checkout.
- [Curriculum Vitae](https://clintsmithart.com/cv): Training, exhibitions, awards, institutional collections, publications.
- [Trade & Gallery Representation](https://clintsmithart.com/art-gallery-representation-michigan): Information for art advisors, galleries, designers, and trade partners.

## Specialty Services

- [Memorial Oil Portraits](https://clintsmithart.com/oil-portrait-memorial-michigan): Dignified posthumous portraits from reference photography. 8–12 week typical timeline.
- [Monochrome Oil Portraits](https://clintsmithart.com/monochrome-oil-portraits-michigan): Single-palette portraits emphasizing light, structure, and presence. 6–10 week timeline.
- [Mural Commissions](https://clintsmithart.com/mural-painting-commission-michigan): Site-specific large-scale narrative oil murals for institutions and public spaces. Includes site analysis, concept, and installation.

## The Journal, Editorial & Reference

Long-form essays on craft, conservation, market, process, and tradition. Written for collectors, advisors, conservators, and researchers. No dates shown; ordered by curatorial weight.

- [The Journal Index](https://clintsmithart.com/journal): Landing page with all categories.
- [Craft & Materials](https://clintsmithart.com/journal/craft-and-materials): Pigments, linen, varnish, the slow chemistry of permanence.
- [Conservation & Care](https://clintsmithart.com/journal/conservation-and-care): Framing, lighting, climate, insurance, stewardship.
- [The Market](https://clintsmithart.com/journal/the-market): How commissions are priced, what drives value.
- [Patrons & Process](https://clintsmithart.com/journal/patrons-and-process): The sitting, the photography session, the reviews.
- [History & Tradition](https://clintsmithart.com/journal/history-and-tradition): Classical realism lineage, the long argument with the camera.

### Published Essays

- [Why a Portrait in Oil Will Outlast a Photograph by Two Hundred Years](https://clintsmithart.com/journal/why-oil-outlasts-photography): On linseed oil, lead-tin yellow, and the quiet chemistry of permanence. Category: Craft & Materials.
- [What You Are Actually Paying For When You Commission a Portrait](https://clintsmithart.com/journal/what-you-are-paying-for): A plain accounting of the hours, materials, and judgment behind the proposal number. Category: The Market.
- [The Sitting: A Practice Older Than the Camera](https://clintsmithart.com/journal/the-sitting): Why being painted is unlike being photographed, and why the difference still matters. Category: History & Tradition.
- [Notes from the Studio: A Personal Account](https://clintsmithart.com/journal/notes-from-the-studio): Clinton Smith's personal account of the journey from earliest memories in Mid Michigan into a working Greater Lansing atelier. Category: Patrons & Process.
- [What Makes a Good Reference Photo for a Commissioned Portrait](https://clintsmithart.com/journal/what-makes-a-good-reference-photo): How light, lens, distance, and resolution decide whether a photograph can support an archival oil portrait. Category: Patrons & Process.
- [Why Scale Matters in a Legacy Portrait](https://clintsmithart.com/journal/why-scale-matters-in-a-legacy-portrait): The relationship between canvas size, viewing distance, and the felt presence of the subject. Category: Craft & Materials.
- [How to Care for an Oil Painting](https://clintsmithart.com/journal/how-to-care-for-an-oil-painting): Lighting, climate, framing, varnish timing, and the long stewardship of a commissioned oil. Category: Conservation & Care.

## Optional

- [Privacy Policy](https://clintsmithart.com/privacy-policy)
- [Terms of Service](https://clintsmithart.com/terms-of-service)

## Contact & Brand

- Studio: Clinton Smith Portrait Studio, Greater Lansing, Michigan, USA, commissions accepted nationwide
- Canonical domain: https://clintsmithart.com
- Social handles: ClintAtelier (Instagram, LinkedIn)