My first painting commission

This week I was contacted to work on my very first commission as an artist.

It was pretty darn exciting to get the text about the project, but it was also pretty damn scary and intimidating. There are so many directions that you can go with art. People can be picky, right? I mean, really picky. Especially when the thing that you're creating is going to be front and center in their living room. They'll be living with your creation every single day like a family member, and they have to love it.

You never know what people will like -- even though they like what you've done previously. Every creation is different. There is no way that I can ever duplicate what I've done before, nor would I want to. For this reason, I was seriously feeling a little uneasy, to say the least. I'm currently in uncharted territory.

I know many other artists have certainly faced this same issue with commissions. How do you put weeks of work into something that you might love, but you have no idea if the person on the other end of the deal feels the same?

It's kinda like designing and building a home for someone, and then bringing the person that paid to have it built over for a visit. What if they don’t like the paint colors on the walls? Will the spaces actually feel good when they walk in? Will they think it has an odd smell? The whole time you're just crossing your fingers, hoping that they don't hate it.

As an artist, even if they do say they like it, you're still wondering if they're going to complain that they really hate it behind your back when you leave. (Yes, we maker types can be a little insecure.) Worst case, will they tell you to just scrap it and start over? You just spent a lot of time and money and effort building this damn house! It’s your blood, sweat, and tears — your baby. They have to love it. And they need to pay you for it all in the end. It's definitely a gamble, to say the least.

Going into this, I honestly didn't do any research on how to manage a commission project like this. Maybe I should have, but this client happens to be a good friend, so I have some serious leeway on my approach to the project. They're totally willing to stumble through this and explore, and that's liberating. I have a lot to learn about how to do this properly and efficiently, so I'm grateful for their patience.

Getting Started

So, at first, I thought I might do some sketches. I thought I'd try some different color combinations and approaches and then mail the sketches to the client. They would be able to hold them up in the room where the painting will hang and see the colors in different lighting conditions. I was thinking about how you look at color swatches when you're choosing paint for the walls of a room. Below is one of tthe sketches that I created for reference.

Seascape sketch - April 2023

But then I thought, I can't recreate these. I mean, I can get close and I can head in the same direction. But, my creative process is kinda random and chaotic. Manic is maybe another descriptive term to use -- and that's the way I like it. Let's just say that being precise is not in the cards.

Matching colors that I created and trying to duplicate a "vibe" sounds like work - and I don't want to work. I'm kinda kidding, but kinda not. Really, I just like to choose a direction based on some inspiration, and let it flow. That's what I think is fun about creation and what ultimately produces the best art in my experience. So working too hard to duplicate a sketch that I've created previously isn't going to be how I'm going to enjoy working on projects like this.

So then I pivoted.

The next thing I thought was to send the client some photos that I found for inspiration. I thought, maybe, they could look at the photos on their end and select a direction and vibe that appealed to them. Then I could use that as a starting point for the inspiration that I'm seeking.

The problem was that the photos I sent, even though they were the right subject matter -- the location, the colors, the vibe -- they were all wrong. Good thing I didn't just start painting. I chalked that one up as a lesson learned.

Inspirational photos and color samples. Source: Pexels.com

During the exchange, I did ask the client to send me pictures of the room where the painting is going to hang, as well as some of the furniture and decor in the room.

As you would expect, the pictures didn't translate very well. I guess it helped a little bit, but landing on the exact colors was not going to be possible.

Green dresser for inspiration

Blue leather couch

Living Room

Blue and green floral rug pattern

So, what we agreed to do was have the client send me some photos. I asked for images that represented the location and vibe that inspired her. I mean, what better way to capture what the client wants, right?

But then, I ran into another hurdle.

The client sent me 20 photos. The lighting was from daytime to sunset, to early evening. Obviously, the colors and the vibe were all across the board as you can see below.

Beach/sea - early morning (Photographer unknown)

Beach/sea - midday (Photographer unknown)

Beach/sea - Sunset, early evening (Photographer unknown)

Beach/sea - Evening (Photographer unknown)

And so this brings me to my solution... simplicity.

Simplicity is really what drives a lot of my art. Simplicity of design, color, mood, and subject.

When I paint, I don't want to think too much, and the process shouldn't feel like work. That's the goal. Because of the way I'm wired, I'm always fighting against complexity -- and I lose the battle a lot. But simplicity in my approach, overall, is the goal at the end of the day.

So, what I asked the client do was select one photo -- just one that they loved. Just one that represented the vibe and mood that they were seeking.

Below is the awesome image they sent me, which I love. It's great inspiration, and it's just what I needed to find a direction with this project. Simplicity wins again in the end. I now love this idea of always starting with some specific inspiration.

I'm not going to reproduce this photo. I'm definitely not going to reproduce the subject matter. But this photo has a vibe, and the vibe is what I'm always seeking to produce in my art. It's a feeling. It's the sounds and smells. It's the wind and the things that you can't see. This is what makes great art in my opinion.

It all seems so simple, right?

In the end, it really isn’t simple at all to paint a feeling or the wind. But with the right inspiration and approach, it can feel that way.

UPDATE: You can see the finished piece within this update here. More to come!