Terms and Conditions

Terms and Conditions

It is accepted that once an order has been placed with the artist, Victoria Petchey, the customer is bound by the Terms and Conditions stated below:

Portraits and other commissioned artworks are a bespoke service, whereby an artwork has been requested to meet a customer’s specification, therefore refunds and/or returns are not possible unless faulty.

Photographic References:

Customers are encouraged to take care when providing photographs and specifications to the artist. Particularly animal portraits, as any animal will be painted as it appears in the photographs provided.

The artist works from images supplied by the customer. It is extremely important to provide 3-10, true-to-life, photographs that are clear, light, and sharp for reference purposes. Failure to do so may result in an artwork the customer does not like.

If the subject matter has specific features, colouring, eye colour, lost or gained weight, that has not been disclosed or can be clearly seen from the photographs provided, the artist is not responsible for not including such details into the artwork.

If more than one animal is being painted, it is not required for all animals to be in the same photograph, as the artist separates individual images for the composition.

When a customer provides reference photographs, they hold all responsibility to the images. The customer should provide copyright free photographs, or photographs of which copyright is owned by them. Sometimes the artist publishes reference photographs alongside a commissioned artwork on their website and social media channels. As a result, the artist will claim no copyright on any reference photographs and the customer must notify the artist if they wish for anonymity and for the reference photographs to be withheld from public view.

Progression images of commissioned artworks are also shared on social media channels and the artist’s website. If the customer would like such progression images to be delayed (as the artwork is a surprise gift), this must be stated at the time of order.

Product Descriptions:

The artist aims to ensure imagery of the products available on their website (www.victoriapetchey.art) and social media channels are realistic and that product details include all the information necessary to decide if a product is suitable. It is important to consider that smartphone and computer screens vary in quality, definition and colour when displaying artwork.

Artwork:

As standard, all portraits are painted with a grey background unless a different colour is specified by the customer at the time of order placement.

Colours will be altered where necessary in a painting to suit the artist’s desired palette choice. Victoria’s unique, bold and distinctive style is present in all of her artworks. Commissioned artworks contain the artist’s interpretation of a specific subject matter (requested by the customer) and is not liable to provide any refunds to a customer who does not like the finished artwork. All commissioned sales are final.

Small revisions can be made to artwork before dispatch or delivery, but such revisions must be requested within 24 hours of receiving a digital photograph showing the finished artwork via email. More details are available under the heading ‘Finished Artwork’.

It takes time, care, effort and attention to detail when creating art, this must be taken into consideration and understood when ordering bespoke artwork.

Materials:

The artist uses acrylic and household paints in her artwork. Paint is applied onto either a stretched canvas or box canvas that is not strung, using synthetic brushes. OSB board with metal fixings and hanging wire are also available upon request. Acceptable workmanship is carried out on all commissions using materials and goods of satisfactory quality.

Artwork Pricing:

Prices and postage costs are subject to change due to charging appropriately for the artist’s time and dedication to each artwork. Prices may also change due to material costs, additional time spent on artwork, urgency of artwork (a ‘priority painting fee’), etc. Prices are reviewed quarterly and subject to change in the following months: January, April, July and October. When a customer is quoted for a price, it will be honoured and remain valid for 1 month from the date the quote was provided by the artist (this is a friendly ‘buffer period’ given by the artist for quotes requested shortly before a quarterly price review change).

Checking an Order:

Size, materials and any finishings will be listed on the customer’s order form. It is vital to ensure these details are correct when the customer receives their confirmation order via email from the artist.

Deposit and Full Payment:

By placing a deposit, the customer acknowledges they have reviewed the artist’s artwork and are familiar with her style. A 50% non-refundable deposit is due prior to any work commencing. If the commission is under the value of £70, a full payment must be made before work can commence and Gift Certificates are also to be paid in full at the time of order. Payment can be made via PayPal, to: victoriapetcheyart@gmail.com, via bank transfer, in person using card or paying cash.

Commission Refusal:

In the rare case the artist refuses a commission after an order has been placed and a payment has been received, the customer will receive a full refund.

The artist reserves the right to accept or decline any commission for any reason whatsoever.

Order Termination:

If the artist feels there is a communication breakdown between artist and customer, and the customers’ demands are not able to be met because they have deviated from the initial brief, the order will be terminated by the artist. If artwork has begun (this includes preliminary sketches and mock-up designs), the customer will forfeit their paid deposit, or if the customer paid in full for a product under the value of £70 they will receive a 50% refund. The money retained by the artist is for time already spent on work for the customer.

If an order has been placed and a payment has been received, yet the customer fails to respond to communication attempts from the artist, 14 days from receipt of payment, the order will be terminated and the money will be forfeited, no refunds available. The artist will attempt to contact the customer a maximum of three times within the 14 days stated above before terminating any order.

The Process:

Contacted by customer with request for artist’s services
Order form received via artist’s website and processed
Photographs received from customer and approved by artist
Email correspondence to discuss ideas and options
Timeframe for artwork given to customer
Price of artwork and postage cost/delivery agreed
50% non-refundable deposit or payment in full requested and received
Mock-up design sent
Mock-up design approved
Work commences on creating artwork
Email/message updates with progression of artwork
Photographs of finished artwork are sent to customer for approval and dispatch, along with a request for the remaining 50% balance to be paid.
Outstanding balance paid in full and received
Approved artwork wrapped and posted to customer or delivered in person
Customer is emailed with tracking details
Any issues from the customer with the artwork is to be sent within 24 hours of receiving the artwork, otherwise the sale is considered closed.

Postage and Delivery:

Postage is an additional cost and ranges between £5 – £15 when posted within the UK. If required, the postage cost will be agreed between the customer and artist around the time of order placement. Artworks are well packaged and thoroughly protected using bubble wrap and cardboard. Recycled packaging is used where possible and artwork is posted via Royal Mail, ‘Signed For’ (unless stated otherwise) or can be delivered for free if within a 5-mile radius of the artist (IP3 and IP11 postcodes only).

Turnaround Time and Priority Service:

Once an order has been submitted via the artist’s website and the appropriate payment has been received,the artist will confirm a date (+/- 3 days) of when the commissioned artwork aims to be completed by. The time will vary according to workload, subject matter, time of year etc. 2-8 weeks are allocated to completing each artwork.

If a painting is urgently required within 1-2 weeks, this must be stated at the time of ordering and an additional fee will be charged for a fast track, ‘priority painting’ service. Price for this service is to be quoted by the artist and agreed by the customer.

Finished Artwork:

Once an artwork has been completed, a digital photograph will be emailed to the customer for approval and ask for permission to dispatch the painting. The digital photograph will be watermarked to prevent copying of the image.

The artist will make every effort to execute the commissioned portrait to the customer’s satisfaction. However, if any small revisions need to be made (no more than 2 hours of artist’s time), the customer must inform the artist before approving the digital photograph of the finished artwork. The artist reserves the right to bring any revision process to a close if they feel unable to improve the work by further modification and think it will destroy the look of the finished artwork.

Outstanding Balance:

The outstanding 50% of an order will be requested when an artwork is complete. Once the final payment has been received and cleared, the finished artwork will be sent to the customer within 3 working days. An email notification will be sent containing tracking details for the parcel. If the artwork is being delivered in person, an appropriate date and time will be agreed between the customer and artist during the time of approval for the artwork.

If goods have been damaged once received, the customer must sign for as ‘damaged in transit’ and email the artist within 24 hours of delivery. More details are available under the heading ‘Damaged in Transit’.

Refunds:

For commissioned artworks on a specific subject matter, all sales are final as the artwork has been intentionally requested by the customer and cannot be resold due to the bespoke and personalised element of the artwork. Made-to-order artworks with specific requirements are non-refundable, unless faulty.

Receiving Artwork:

Any issues the customer may have with a finished artwork is to be sent within 24 hours of receiving the artwork, otherwise the sale is considered closed.

Damaged in Transit:

In the unfortunate circumstance a parcel arrives damaged and has affected the artwork inside, a refund or replacement is applicable. If a parcel appears to be damaged upon delivery, the delivery driver must be made aware upon receipt and the customer must sign for as ‘damaged in transit’ in the signature box. Photographs of the parcel must be taken and emailed to the artist within 24 hours: victoriapetcheyart@gmail.com

If the customer would like a refund or replacement regarding an artwork ‘damaged in transit’, the artwork must be returned within 30 days of the order being sent, and in good condition with the original packaging. The cost of return postage is at the customer’s expense. No amount can be refunded or a replacement can be issued until the item has been returned. Please note, the product is the customer’s responsibility until the artwork is received by the artist. It is advised to ensure the artwork is securely wrapped and to retain proof of postage when returning the artwork via post.

Aftercare:

All original artwork should be kept out of direct sunlight. With proper care, any artwork will last for generations to come. However, as the artist has no control over the environmental destination of her commissioned artworks, the artist cannot accept responsibility for deterioration or damage after delivery.

Copyright and use of Artwork:

All rights are reserved on artwork created by Victoria Petchey. The artist (Victoria Petchey) has the right to publish and share images of any artwork she has produced. No artworks are to be reproduced, recreated or sold in any way, unless by the artist, as she contains full reproduction rights on all her work. All artworks are copyright of Victoria Petchey and no images are to be used without written consent from the artist.

The artist also retains ownership on all rights to any preliminary drawings, sketches or mock-up design which are made in connection with a commissioned artwork.

Purchase of a copyrighted artwork does not transfer the copyrights to the buyer. Victoria Petchey owns the full rights to all her artworks, whether sold or commissioned (unless purchaser has specifically paid for copyright to the image). Should the customer seek to own the copyright, trademark or use an artwork created by Victoria Petchey, they will require written confirmation of this permission from the artist along with an agreed fee.

A customer may however, share photographs and videos of only their commissioned artwork from Victoria Petchey, via social networking sites; Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, etc. providing Victoria Petchey is credited as the artist.

Important Notes:

To avoid disappointment, all customers must ensure they are happy to place an order with the artist, Victoria Petchey and have read the full Terms and Conditions stated above, as orders are non-refundable unless faulty.

These Terms and Conditions do not affect the customer’s statutory rights, or the artist’s standard copyright entitlement.