"Bad Painter Alert: Richard H. Easton Jr." Topic

I have received the following and pass it along:

Guys, here is a buyer beware. Richard H. Easton Jr. is a "painter" who at least lurks on this list. I made an arrangement for him to paint a 15mm Turkish army for me over 6 months ago. Several months into the project he started begging me for advances (first one to cover his rent, the last one to buy Christmas presents). At one point he claimed he couldn't paint because his wife was sick, but then stupidly started sending me pictures of painting his wife was doing. I finally got fed up after the 3rd time he begged for money and asked him to send the figures back. He did at least do that in a timely manner but he just tossed the figures loose in baggies and tossed a few plastic bags over them. I haven't calculated the damage yet. Plus he painted almost NOTHING and what little was painted looked like a 6 year old had painted them. The wise shopper will avoid this guy like the plague.

I always make it a point to keep in frequent contact with my customers, and tell them that up front. Bad communication will lead to bad business. Being retired, I also paint quickly, and generally have figures done well before the due date. I also pride myself on packing figures well, using puffed rice cereal, unless asked otherwise. Now, as I near my 69th birthday, I am essentially retiring from commission painting.

If I were to hire a painter, I would ask for samples, first, then I would send them a small batch, to see if they can meet the agreed upon terms. I would up-size my orders slowly, verifying they could meet the terms. Caveat emptor! Cheers!

This brings back VERY painful memories I had with two painters. One in UK for some Ottomans, and one in US for ancient Persians. Luckily, I have had great luck lately.