Elizabeth Whelan is a UK-born artist and portrait painter. She grew up in Canada and completed her education in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Since then, the Chesapeake Bay and New England coastlines have been her home.

For many years Elizabeth Whelan lived aboard a Bristol sailboat and she feels a particular connection with maritime life. She currently works from a studio on Chappaquiddick Island, off the larger island of Martha's Vineyard.

Her award-winning fine art paintings and portraits are rendered in oil on canvas. Elizabeth Whelan enjoys a narrative approach to portraiture and figurative painting, often including objects and surroundings that have special meaning to the sitter. A classic palette and realistic details help to bring the subject to life, while the painting as a whole maintains a contemporary feel.

Whelan's observation of detail carries over into her landscapes and still life paintings with marine, agricultural, and botanical themes. Her background in illustration helps her identify compositions with strong design and interesting subject matter.

Elizabeth Whelan supports the local art and artisan communities with an interest in preserving heritage and mastery, and many of her paintings showcase those who are highly skilled at creating work by hand. She espouses creativity, self-reliance, compassion and curiosity.

Elizabeth R. Whelan is represented on Martha's Vineyard by The Field Gallery in West Tisbury where you can find her figurative and portrait work, by Craftworks Gallery in Oak Bluffs for her smaller landscapes and paintings with rural themes, and in the Boston area by Francesca Anderson Fine Art/Portraits North in Lexington, Massachusetts. The Mikel Hunter boutique in Hudson, NY, is also carrying a series of her work.

Member: Portrait Society of America (Patron), Cecelia Beaux Forum, Oil Painters of America, Seed Savers Exchange.

Portrait fees vary depending on the size of the canvas, complexity of the background and number of people in the painting.
These are the most frequently requested sizes and types of portraits, and are a guideline for fees.
Please inquire for a firm quote and for detailed backgrounds, full-length portraits, larger groups of people, animals or complex settings.

Please note

A deposit of 50% of the fee is requested with the signing of a contract prior to the initial sitting (which includes a sketching/photography shoot). Your painting commission is not scheduled until both the deposit and contract have been received. The remainder of the fee is due when the painting is delivered in person or prior to shipment.

Fees do not include travel, framing or shipping. Elizabeth Whelan has a relationship with an excellent custom framer and can arrange for a beautiful frame to set off your portrait, or advise should you wish to use your own framer.