Painting commissions can be challenging and exciting and certainly they make you grow as a painter. The challenge is to create a painting that meets your clients needs and also one that you like!
I have been working on commissions all summer long and have just completed two major ones with one more to go -- each painting was indeed a creative challenge and I have to remind myself that I am the creator and that it is my painting -- the end result is that I want the collector to be HAPPY! And, of course, I want them to love it -- it has my name on it and that is the reason that I paint -- to make people happy.
When you listen to your clients -- they will tell you what they are looking for. I take copious notes and ask lots of questions and get as many photos as I can from them. Usually people have a vision of what they want in their minds and it is up to me to recreate that vision on my canvas.
I will be writing more on this process here on the blog and on my web site -- in the meantime, here is a photo of the first commission that the clients loved and they gave it as a gift to their children for their fortieth birthdays and they also loved it - so I got lots of great phone calls and emails and it made my heart sing with joy! That is the feeling that you want to have when you finish a commission and the great energy that it brings puts a huge SMILE on your face.
Here's to commissions!
"We Love Maine"
24 x 30 Oil on Linen
DianeLeonard.com
What a great attitude! Its inspiring. Most of us hate commissions. It causes our work to change completely... I haven't done one in years. Perhaps next time I should say yes.
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