I’m sure some artists are going to be upset with what I’m about to say but it’s the absolute truth. Some artists out there will not create a piece that you request. Even worse, some artists won’t even sell their artwork to collectors.
In my opinion, that’s about as crazy as it gets. The highest compliment that any artist can get is a collector looking to either acquire their artwork or request that they create a piece for them on commission.
Artists such as myself do this from a photograph, on location or a combination of both. I love creating commissioned pieces for a few reasons but there is one main reason why I like to do commission work. There’s something that moves me when I present a piece and a collector is overjoyed with the results.
To put things into perspective, it’s like working on a project that you’ve spent a full week or more on and presenting it in a meeting. When people commend you on a job well done, it just feels good. More importantly, it makes the other person feel even better.
To the artists that refuse to paint commission pieces or even worse, who refuse to sell their artwork, I think they’re crazy as can be and they’re missing out on an experience that both collector and artist will cherish for years to come.
How does it work?
Well, rather than share some long winded run down of the process, I’ll share this link here which outlines the process. Either that or you can email me with questions.
Here’s an example of a commission style piece that I typically paint. Most of the time, a collector will want me to recreate an interpretation of their land from a photo. They may send a couple of photos so I can get a good idea of what they’re looking to capture. I’ll typically hop on the phone to get a better idea of what points of the photo make them feel good. This helps me better focus on the areas that draw the collector in.
Here’s an example of the creation process of what a commissioned piece would go through:
1) This is the first day did of the painting, the drawing process. I have identified the large masses.
2) This is the initial blocking stage where I approximate the colors of the masses.
3) The third stage I have adjusted the tones on the larger areas to try and be more accurate.
4) This is the fourth and final stage of the painting. I now have a total of over 30 hours in on this piece, which was done in the studio from the photograph I was given.
These commissioned landscapes of someone’s favorite view or place make up a large percentage of my commissions and I’m happy to discuss things with you if there’s something you’re looking to have created. This is 30″ x 40″ oil on canvas example piece that I created is available for purchase.