Category: commissions

Cottage Commission Commenced

I am creating a piece of art to the specifications of Bob, My Favorite Customer. (Since he calls me his Favorite Artist, it is only fair that I return the compliment!) He and his family discovered a piece of their history while in Ireland, and I have the privilege of drawing it in pencil.

Bob requested a sketch before I began because the cottage is dilapidated and needed some artistic remodeling. That’s to be expected of something built in 1873.

Good thing Bob knows I can draw or this sketch might have frightened him away. Instead, he approved it, and I began the drawing. Notice the use of 2 separate words to describe what is taking place – “sketch” is loose, rough, for the purpose of conveying visual ideas. A “drawing” will be much more careful and refined.

Bob likes to see the process as it is taking place. Some people prefer to just be surprised at the end; others like to be included and involved. I do my best to accommodate my customers’ wishes.

In teaching drawing, I urge my students to develop the habit of shading from top to bottom and left to right (left handers should move right to left) because it lessens the smearing. Me? I’m experienced enough to do it any way I want and not have a smearing problem! Or it may be that I am experienced enough to know how to deal with the smearing problem, should one occur!

Poppies Will Put Them To Sleep

My customer is so happy with her poppy window that she said she’d like to be a guest in her own home! That is just doggone high praise for her decorating abilities combined with my painting – what a team we make! I guess she really believes that “Poppies will put them to sleep!” (If I ever decide to run away from home and these bossy cats, I know where I’m going!)

poppies

Orange You Glad!

I am, because I got an order for 12 paintings of oranges. There are a couple of realtors who specialize in ag property. Whenever they sell an orange grove, the buyer receives one of my paintings. Isn’t that just the best idea? Thank you, Diana, for thinking of it and suggesting it to Matt, and thank you, Matt, for agreeing with Diana! Oranges are just the most fitting symbol for central California, and this California artist from Tulare County is the daughter, granddaughter, niece and grand-niece of many orange growers.

California Artist citrus art orange painting oranges Tulare county Tulare County art Tulare County artist

Odd Job revisited

I hate to say it but “Here I go again”. The window looked brighter with the paint side toward the wall, but of course it hid the detail of the poppies. Now I am repainting it on the side that will be out. Live and learn, live and learn. (If I’m going to repeat the window, I need to repeat the maxim.) Ahem. (I am a California artist, painting California poppies – are you listening, Google?)

California Artist California poppies

Odd Job continued

First layer continued/completed

Second layer on flowers, first on leaves and stems

Ooh, ooh, am I finished? More will be revealed in the fullness of time.

Odd Jobs

My friend Nadi has just finished painting a window. You can see her fabulous work here: Blue Window 4

I have just begun painting one. Literally, not figuratively. (The subject is California poppies, because, as you know, I am a California artist.) I started it on the wrong side, because messing up is often my modus operandi, a little Latin lingo for you. I will scrape it off with a razor, flip the window around, and begin again. Practice, practice, practice. Of course I have warned my customer not to scratch her window because if she does, the paint will go away!

NEWS FLASH! – The customer and I looked at the window in the place where it is to be hung. It looks better with the paint on the back side of the glass than on the front, so no razor-blade scraping will be necessary! Isn’t that great!! Sure surprised me. . .

California Artist California poppies commission oil painting

Peeps? Yep, Peeps.

This may be one of the more unusual items I have ever painted! It is a commission, and there is a story of how it came about. My dental hygienist (yes, I am friends with my hygienist!) asked me to stop by her house to see a potential new painting project. She had fabulous tulips in bloom out front and I admired (and photographed) them. Later, I found some STUNNING oil paintings of tulips while zipping around the World Wide Web. STUNNING. I sent the link to the DH, and she saw that the artist also painted Peeps. Hunh? I didn’t even notice those on the site! DH asked me if I could paint Peeps for her. Umm, sure. I bought a package of yellow, my very first Peep purchase in my entire life! I’ve never eaten one either – my mom was mean, but I am 51 years old and only have 1 filling, so her meanness paid off. This may even have contributed to my friendship with my DH. As a model patient, she just admired me so much that we became friends? Nah, she is a very cool person, and we just like each other. Anyway, I digress. Here are the Peeps:

And, by the way, Happy Birthday, “Mean” Mom! 😎 (And thanks for the great teeth!)

commission oil painting

Commissions

#12 in the series “Thoughtful Thursdays”

Commissions are one of the most necessary pieces of the art career patchwork quilt. Not every artist is willing to draw or paint to a customer’s specifications. Some believe it is too commercial or compromising. Of course it is commercial – this is how I earn my living! Compromising can mean the acceptance of standards that are lower than is desirable, but I believe the artist still has control over the piece and doesn’t have to make work that discredits a professional reputation.

The process begins as do all custom undertakings – with a conversation. Clear communication is essential for happy customers. I listen to the potential client explain his idea or vision. I listen to his description of the subject and recommend the medium based on my experience.

If the customer wants a picture of his house, I almost always advise pencil because such a high level of detail can be achieved. If the subject is scenery and color is the reason for the request, oil is the obvious choice. In portraiture, I recommend pencil because it provides the best chance to capture a likeness. Portraiture is tricky – I can get all the features in place and accidentally draw the guy’s cousin! If it is a view of someone from the back, oil paint works well to capture the stance and the light.

To become familiar with the subject and avoid copyright problems, I take my own photos. The customer often provides snapshots or emails digital photos to me. Occasionally I have been known to say that I need to visit the place and see it with my own eyes. No one has actually offered air fare to Cape Cod, Montana or even South Africa, but it hasn’t been for lack of effort on my part!

After taking the photos, I narrow the selection down to two or three choices. If the customer has asked for a collage, I provide several sketches. Occasionally the customer will say the magic words, “You’re the professional” which means I get to choose the design I like best.

Some customers enjoy seeing the piece in progress; others prefer to just see the finished work. This is another area that should be discussed and decided at the beginning of the project.

Deadlines are also very important to establish. I’ve been asked to do things on impossibly short notice and also on possibly short notice. Either way, I am honest and don’t promise things that I can’t deliver. Unfortunately there is a terrible reputation for flakiness in my profession, so I make it a point to finish on time or earlier.

Accepting commissions is a way to establish collectors and credibility. The artist has been selected for the job because of a consistent style and a reputation for reliability. Best of all, commissions are rewarding because there is an eager customer waiting at the end of the project.

commission oil painting commission pencil work drawing

C Words

Eighth in the series “Thoughtful Thursdays”

(yes a bit out of order – why WordPress didn’t publish this as scheduled is a mystery to me. Why I didn’t notice is perhaps because I was doing other things – I need people for this!)

Two of the most common ways to earn a living in art are consignment and commissions. They are not at all the same, but I am discussing them here in the same article because those two large “c” words are often confused.

Here are the definitions: consignment is an agreement to pay a supplier of goods after the goods are sold. A commission is an order or authorization for the production of a piece of art.

Consignment means that the artist provides the store or gallery with work that is not paid for until a sale is completed. The advantages to the artist are that she doesn’t lose control of her pricing and can reclaim her work if it is needed somewhere else. The disadvantage is that things can become shopworn, keeping track is added work, and sometimes it can be hard to collect one’s money.

Commissions are orders for custom work. This is a very important part of earning a living as an artist, especially in times when people are spending cautiously. The advantages to the artist is that she is almost guaranteed a happy customer, and there is a check waiting at the end of the job. Two disadvantages are that the artist isn’t freely creating from her own ideas and often there is a deadline. Occasionally a commission customer will say these magic words “You’re the professional!” or “No hurry”.

Since we are learning “c” words here, allow me to add one more: conversation. This word means an exchange of words, not orders and not money. Despite repeated experiences with this reality, my greatest talent still remains counting my chickens before they hatch. For the first several years of my business, I got so excited when someone told me he’d like me to do a specific drawing for him. I was counting eggs, chickens and dollars, forgetting that until money exchanges hands and there are photographs on the table, it was simply CONVERSATION. It never hurts to remember those chats and even follow up with a phone call or an email. That is also part of the business of art.