1: PAYMENT – what are my choices?

We accept most credit cards, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and Diner's Club International. Orders can be made online through our site or over the phone.

We also accept PayPal, Wire Transfer (for larger customers), and occasionally checks in certain situations.

Remember, all orders with us come with a money back guarantee. Furthermore, the security of orders placed with Ocean's Bridge is our highest priority. Authorize.net is the vendor that will process your card and the name that will appear on your credit card bill. Authorize.net processes hundreds of millions of dollars each year and is recognized by banks and credit card companies as being safe, secure and reliable.

Phone orders are processed by Authorize.net, and billing will be under the name of Manor Abbey LLC.

If you prefer to fax in your order, a Printable Form is available by selecting the "Fax Payment" method during the checkout process. Orders can also be placed by telephone, through our Beaverton office.

2: What is the delivery time?

Our standard processing time for all orders is approximately 14 - 21 business days. Some paintings – larger or very complex pieces, for example, or those with very thick texture – might take longer to complete. Please let us know if you have a deadline to meet.

3: Are there international import duties?

Our international shipping is free, but this does not include applicable import duties or taxes that are due upon entry into the destination country. If the destination country imposes import duties and/or taxes, the customer is responsible for their payment. The good news is, the vast majority of our customers do not have to pay any such charges, with the exceptions being those in Italy (occasionally) and in Australia, where some have to pay a quarantine inspection charge.

4: How do you package your paintings?

5: What happens if the painting is damaged when I receive it? Or if the painting goes missing before it reaches me?

The short answer is, we’ll take care of it. When packages are delivered damaged we’ll need you to inform the courier (UPS) at your end, so they can process the complaint. But, as far as your painting is concerned, if it was damaged beyond repair or lost in transit (both rare occurrences, thankfully), we’d immediately dispatch a replacement (or paint a new one for you if it was not one we had in stock).

6: What if I get the painting but decide I don’t like it?

WE GUARANTEE EVERY PAINTING COMING OUT OF OUR STUDIO!

As per our guarantee, if you are unhappy with the painting we will refund your money. If you receive the painting but are dissatisfied please contact us and tell us you wish to return the painting. We will then give you the right address (European office for European customers, US office for the rest of the world) and you can mail the package to us with your order number or name printed clearly on the outside of the package. As soon as we receive it, we'll process the refund.

NOTE

If the paintings are damaged when you receive them please let us know immediately. From time to time parcels are damaged during shipping, and when that is the case we replace the painting.

If returning a painting please take care to ensure it is well packaged

7: Are they paintings or prints?

We don't sell prints, only paintings, handmade in the traditional way by a real artist. You can see examples of how the paintings are made in the “About…the creative process” section.

8: What's the difference between a print and a painting?

9: What about copyright?

All the paintings on our site are either in the public domain (no longer protected by copyright) or being sold under license, meaning you need not worry about infringing on copyright.

10: Can you do paintings from photographs, or paintings that are not in your collection?

Absolutely! We do this sort of thing on a daily basis. Please see our Request a Painting section for details and some examples of just how good these paintings can be.

11: Is shipping free? Do you ship to Canada/UK/Australia etc.?

Shipping for normal orders is free, and there is no restriction on country. However, we have different options available for wholesale customers, who may wish to buy in bulk or by the container-load.

12: How much discount do I get as a wholesale buyer?

Discount depends on the amount being bought and also on the quality level desired. High quality paintings (our standard) are naturally more expensive than the medium quality preferred by some large wholesalers. For more information please contact us.

13: Can you send the paintings just mounted, not framed?

We are only able to offer stretching / mounting and gallery wraps to our US customers at the moment. We can, however, offer framed or unframed paintings to customers both in and outside the US.

14: I have a painting my grandmother bought in 1922. Can you tell me what it is worth?

We unfortunately do not offer art valuation services. Nor do we help identify paintings, assist students with homework, or buy art

15: When do we pay for the paintings?

Payment, except for certain bulk buyers, is made in full at the time of ordering. There are several reasons for this.

The first is that on occasion we are unable to accept a customer's credit card for some reason, possibly due to bank error or the card failing security checks. Before beginning work on a painting or sending a stock painting out we need to verify that the purchase will go through.

The second reason is that we are painting specifically for you, the customer. If you ordered a portrait, for example, but later didn't have the funds available to pay, we'd be left out of pocket as a portrait from a photo is only going to be appealing to the person it was painted for.

Finally, please bear in mind that all online transactions (such as at Amazon.com for example) work in the same way, with payment being made at the time the order is placed. However, as always, any purchase with Ocean's Bridge is covered by a money back guarantee, so your money is never at risk.

16: What happens if I don't like the photos you send of the painting?

Process photos and even photos of the finished painting rarely do the actual art justice. The simple face is our paintings always look better in person than they do in a photo, which as well as lacking the impact of a genuine oil painting in all its glory also suffer with color and even detail distortions from the photography. However, the photos do serve a useful role in quality control as they enable customers to see if there are any problems with the painting that need to be fixed. If so, we make revisions (as many as necessary) at no extra cost. Again, PLEASE remember that photos do not accurately portray the painting. We are in the same place as the paintings, alongside the artists, and can let you know when the problems are real or just a result of photography. Oh, and in case you suspect that we’d tell you the painting looked fine just so we could send it out, remember that with a money back guarantee we’d be even more out of pocket if you received the painting but didn’t like it – we would have paid for the shipping! You can rely on us to be completely honest about the state of a painting here in the studio, and how representative the photography is.

17: Who are the artists?

The artists are all experienced, talented individuals, most of which have graduated from college or university. They tend to specialize in a particular style or area, such as impressionism or portraiture. For example, one of the artists here does wonderful highly detailed town or building paintings but can't do a Monet to save his life! For more info see - About our artists

18: Where are you based?

Ocean's Bridge has offices in Europe, North America and Asia. We aim to be contactable 24 hours a day! Emails are nearly always responded to within 24 hours. If not, feel free to try again – it may have gone astray.

19: Do your artists sign the paintings?

As a rule we don't ask the artists to sign the painting. However, they are more than willing to do so just let us know if you’d like a signature.

20: Do you also sell original art?

We do, and will be adding much more in the coming months. Watch this space

21: What's the biggest size you do?

Although our largest standard size is 48 by 72 inches, we often paint in sizes even larger than that. The record to date is a painting 20+ feet long.

22: Can I send you an old black and white photo to be painted in color?

Yes, many of our customers turn old and damaged photographs into beautiful portraits. Such details can be added as color or even corrections to parts of the photographs that are damaged. Although we do prefer as clear photographs as possible to work with, in cooperation with our customers we have created some excellent art work from some very poor, old photographs. If the photo is too damaged, it may help to provide other images to help with details.

23: Can I send in more than one photo to help provide details?

Many of our customers send in extra photos solely to provide details and clarity that may be missing in the main photograph to be rendered into an oil painting. This is very helpful to our artists and helps to assure that the end result is as close to perfect as possible. Many customers also send in extra photos to have details added.

24: Can I send in my brother's painting to be reproduced?

Yes, if you send us a good image of any painting our artists can reproduce it for you.

25: Can I send in more than one photo to be combined into one oil portrait?

Part of the beauty of having an oil portrait commissioned is that you can customize it in ways limited only by your imagination and the images you can provide. We have painted many portraits for customers who combined elements of different photos or, quite often, photographs with other classical oil paintings. You can remove details from a photo as well, to create the ideal moment captured in a beautiful work of art.

26: Is shipping included in the cost of my portrait?

The cost of your portrait includes everything involved in making a beautiful portrait and having it sent safely to you. Shipping, insurance and all other costs are included and you will not be asked to pay any further fees. (Please not there may be some extra fees if major revisions are required which differ from your initial instructions and/or photos sent to us…but these cases are the exception.)

27: How can I contact you?

We can by contacted by phone, fax, letter, email. Contact us now.