Let’s talk about Commissions for a minute. Commissions are a magical wonderful gift to the world but they are not for the easily frustrated artist. They take thoughtful planning, careful consideration and a lot of patience.

For an abstract artist ( I’m speaking for myself and a handful of my peers) accepting a job to work on a commission is like a big stretch assignment at work. Only there’s some rules assigned that are outside of your normal work. Sticking with a certain substrate… color selection and size. For some, the minute they believe someone else is orchestrating the painting parameters…they are unable to function. For others - it never enters into their consciousness a bit and they move ahead with flying colors ( no pun intended)! Other artists fall in the middle somewhere.

I do think if you are wanting something specific from a selected artist you should first peruse their website, their socials and anything you can find painted by them. Saturate yourself in their art to see if it truly is a great fit for you and your space. I have also suggested the idea of purchasing a smaller piece, placing it in your space and sitting with it a bit to see how it feels.

I think for me personally I need to be in the right head space to accept commission work. As I said it takes planning and patience and great communication above all else. Let your client know if there are delays in the timeline and why. Give realistic timelines before you even start. Give yourself grace by building in extra time so that if you finish early your client will be even more excited. There’s nothing worse than creatively chasing a timeline and risking disappointing a client.

As a client I’d suggest familiarizing yourself with not only my prices but the prices of other similar artists just so that you know what your getting and for what price. Generally most artists charge more for a special order. Think about special ordering from a boutique or a custom design shop. Usually those items are a bit more. One reason why is undivided attention to YOUR piece of art. The entire focus of the artist will be on your piece for the duration of the time it takes to create. Commissions also take the artist away from their regular studio work, other clients and social media marketing. The bottom line is that it’s a big deal for the artist to only focus on you!

If you are interested in a custom commissioned piece of art from me reach out and either message me on Instagram ( the fastest way ) or email me with your ideas and questions and see if I’m in a position to accept a new project. My availability for accepting new projects varies quite a bit with the seasons and my own family commitments. With that being said reach out! Let’s talk!