Custom Painting

There are so many different canvases available to needlepointers, but sometimes, you want to create something a little more unique, something catered to your specific interests. Here at Rittenhouse Needlepoint, we have a custom painter for exactly that situation, when you want something a little different, something personal.

Jim, our painter, has been here since we opened and has helped many customers create wonderful needlepoint projects. He graduated from Uarts in 2005 with an Illustration degree. As an already talented artist, he used his education as well as the training he received from a renowned needlepoint painter, to learn how to cater to needlepoint and create exquisite stitch-painted and painted canvases.

One of his most recent projects is for the Academy of Vocal Arts. They are having an auction event spotlighting Argentinian Music, and we are donating a stitched pillow for the auction. The canvas design centers around the Argentinian Tango and references traditional Argentinian musical instruments and colors that reflect the heat and energy that is used for the Tango and Argentinian music in general. This piece will go to Patsy, our stitcher, and will be stitched. After that, our in-house finishers will be finishing it into a gorgeous pillow for the auction. This is the 2nd custom piece we have done for the AVA. Our first was a pillow for the Scarlet Letter, an Opera the AVA hosted this fall. They loved it, and when the auction was held, it sold!

Besides doing custom projects for customers, Jim is also in charge of creating projects specifically for Rittenhouse Needlepoint. He has created wonderful canvases referencing Love Park, the Art Museum, Boat House Row on the Schuylkill River, sports themed canvases for teams such as the Eagles, the Phillies, the Flyers, and more. The wall below shows some of his masters, which are displayed in his office and painting room. It's fun to look at them and see what he's been up to and what kind of canvases you can have created for yourself!

If you would like more information about custom painting, or would like to speak to Jim about a project for yourself, feel free to email him at Jim@rittenhouseneedlepoint.com. As you can see from some of the pieces shown here, he is very talented and is able to create many different projects, from stitch painted canvases to charts for cross stitch.