We’d been married for 17 years, and I thought my wife was the finest work of art I’d ever seen. I wanted to do something romantic and to show her that even now we’re getting older, we still got it. I found your website and I thought, “Wow, this is perfect. I can’t believe I found this.”
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.

An afternoon of art
I’ll bring my portable art studio to the comfort of your home along with a selection of delicious nibbles catered to your tastes and something special to drink.
You’ll be wearing one of your favourite outfits; something that you feel great in, whether that’s your favourite sweater or a blazer and tie.
Together we’ll decide what colour paper your portrait will be drawn on, based on your personality, aesthetic and home decor.
I was a little intimidated by the idea, but then the first words out of my husband’s mouth were, “You’re gonna love her, she’s great.” And then when he first told me I was going to be sitting for a few hours, I was like, “Oh no, I’m gonna need a nap, I can’t do this.” People take a lot out of me, I’m very introverted.
But I can’t believe you and I chatted the whole time. I can’t do that with anyone. It went by so quickly. On the one hand, you’re an artist, you’re talented, that’s your craft. But the other piece, which I would say is just as important, is the conversation piece, the “keeping people at ease” piece. That’s an art form in itself. Because you had me sitting there for a few hours and I didn’t even notice.
Setting up is a breeze: we find a comfortable, elegant seated pose for you using your own furniture and I’ll arrange a spotlight to light you beautifully. I’ll set up my easel across from you and start sketching.
Over the next few hours, we’ll chat and eat and you’ll get regular breaks to stand and stretch. Staying perfectly still is not a requirement! Statues need not apply.
While we talk, the drawing will emerge and I’ll incorporate the energy of our conversation and your personality.
At the end of the afternoon, I’ll frame the portrait in a classic black frame with a white mat that you can hang right away.
My first impression when I saw it was,”That’s me.” Then I started looking at all the details and what captured me the most was my eyes and my nose. My eyes looked like my eyes. The hair looks like my hair. I was taken aback by how good a job you did in such a short period of time. As you were chatting and keeping us going, you’re also producing a work of art. I don’t know how you do that.
Details:
Drawing size: 11” x 14”
Paper colours: greys & blues
Frame: classic black with a white mat, archival
Nibbles: I’ll bring a selection of your favourite snacks or hors d’oeuvres. Example: a previous client loved candy and high tea, so I brought a curated selection of sweet and sour candies and scones with jam and clotted cream. Cheese lover? I’ll bring charcuterie. Wanna eat cookies all day? You’re talking my language. Tell me the food that lights you up.
Drinks: Whether you’d like a little prosecco for your afternoon or your favourite imported tea, I’ll bring something delicious for you to sip on.
Timeline: Usually 2pm-6pm. The drawing usually takes about 3 hrs with 30 mins each side for set up, framing and tear down. However, if you would prefer different timing, please let me know and we can discuss alternate schedules!
What days can you book? Any day from Monday to Saturday.
Service Area: Central Ottawa included in pricing. Kanata, Stittsville, Barrhaven and Orleans will incur an extra travel fee to be determined at booking.
Fee: Limited time introductory price of $1750 CAD + HST
It really is a unique experience that most people have never had. Most people don’t even know this sort of thing exists. It’s so counter-cultural. I have 7000 pictures on my phone and I never look at them, so this is a refreshing original.
Book your VIP Portrait Session
Fill out the form below to get started booking your portrait day.
About Sarah Marie Lacy
I’ve always been drawn to portraiture and people’s faces. I am endlessly fascinated by the human body in all of its intricacy and grace.
Growing up, it was the portraits in art history books that I first fell in love with – people’s stories and lives looking out at me centuries later.
But those stories are also limited in their scope. While there are exceptions, for most of history, portraits were used to tell just a few kinds of stories.
Portraits are about legacy, but I want to stretch that definition beyond merely “status symbol”. I want your portrait to leave the legacy of your journey, to share the wholeness of your character.
I want to tell new kinds of stories. I want portraits to be inclusive, subversive and dare I say it – a little bit radical. I want to break portraits out of their tiny pigeonhole and invite the whole world in.
I want to honour the lives of those of us who have been historically left out, whether because of gender, race, social status or the thousand other ways people were excluded.
If you think “A portrait? Me? Really? But I’m not [fill in the blank]” but the idea intrigues you, then you’re exactly who I’m talking to.
We all deserve the dignity of having our story told. None of us is boring. We all contain a lifetime of depth in our faces.

“Your art goes below the surface of skin and tissue and goes directly to the soul.”
LW, client