I Let You See a Current Art Commission in Process
An Example of a Current Art Commission
If you’re wondering what the process of a custom art commission actually looks like, then you might want to keep reading.
It’s different every time, but this current work in progress might offer insight. You might also want to view Commission Process on my website.
Some commissions begin with a room. Others begin with a feeling. Some move quickly, while others unfold slowly through conversation, time, and trust.
Phase 1 ~ Consultation & Proposal
This current project, typical of my art commission process, began with conversation, consultation, and proposal.
The client is building a custom home in the southeastern United States and initially requested a painting of a previous family home. I offered to recommend another artist whose work specializes more directly in architectural portraiture.
From there, our conversation shifted naturally toward something more personal and interpretive.
The client wanted a painting created for his wife ~ something meaningful for her office area that would live prominently within the new home, visible to all who enter the space.
Themes of accounting, sunrise, and the beach were offered to inspire the artwork. I learned about their children, his wife’s business, and the timeline surrounding the custom home build.
I moved forward with a fllexible large-scale format, expecting the final canvas to ship rolled for installation by their designer or custom framer.
This current project is still in progress. However, I wanted to share part of the process because it reflects how collaborative and intuitive commissioned work can become.
Phase 2 ~ Creative Development
From there, I spent several weeks sketching, thinking, and allowing the painting’s direction to develop naturally before beginning. At one point, I considered incorporating vintage ledger sheets through collage.
During this time of creative development, I created handmade stamps inspired by the scales of balance. Initially, they referenced the client’s profession in accounting. However, they soon began to represent something greater ~ fairness, justice, and peace.
Those symbols became an anchor point within the work. They also stirred thoughts of feminine strength, tenderness, courage, and hope.
Eventually, the painting began intuitively through layered colors inspired by an ocean sunrise ~ warmth, shifting sands, reflection, movement, familiarity, and light.
At first, my plan was simply to incorporate the scales subtly throughout the surface. Instead, they slowly became foundational within the composition itself. I began printing them beneath the vase in grounded earth tones, allowing them to behave more like structure than symbol.
This stage required patience, experimentation, revision, and trust as the painting slowly revealed its own direction.
Phase 3 ~ Refinement & Response
At a certain point, intuition brings me far ~ but not all the way.
The painting eventually needs the client again.
As the composition evolved, I felt called to paint a bouquet ~ standing tall, free, and confident within a nearly transparent vase representing familiarity and openness.
Behind it, the painting energized with warm morning light while remaining grounded through the layered printed structure beneath.
To continue the visual language, I created additional handmade flower stamps that carried the printing technique more fully into the body of the work.
The composition was also intentionally developed in a way that could adapt to multiple scale possibilities while maintaining balance within the future home.
At this stage, I returned to the client for additional detail.
I created several room mock-ups to help visualize placement, scale, crop and framing options, as well as atmosphere within the space. Additionally, I proposed several color pathways designed to support the client’s preferences while protecting the emotional direction already established within the painting.
The palettes I offered are:
- Navy + soft aqua ~ calm, coastal, grounded
- Deep plum + blush ~ luminous, expressive, warm
- Moss green + mint ~ soft, natural, restful
These mock-ups allowed us to think together about atmosphere, placement, and how the painting may ultimately live within the finished home.
The home itself is still being completed. Therefore, the painting also remains open.
When the surrounding space reaches the appropriate stage, we will return together for a final conversation before the painting moves into completion.
Each commission unfolds differently. The timeline, process, and final result are shaped through the relationship between the artist, the collector, the space, and the work itself.
Why I Love Commissioned Work
One of the things I enjoy most about commissions is the energy and inspiration they add to my studio practice.
I enjoy learning how someone wants a space to feel, what atmospheres stay with them, what colors they are drawn toward, and what they hope to live with and share with others.
Art commissions are created for newly finished homes and gifts. But they’re also for collectors, and others who want to mark transitions, celebrations, or meaningful personal moments. They can be developed alongside interior designers and architects or begin with a simple conversation that unfolds over time.
No matter where the process begins, my goal remains the same ~ to create a painting that feels personal and edifies the people and space surrounding it.
Follow Along for the Final Reveal
This painting is still evolving, and I look forward to sharing the final completed work when the time is right.
If you would like to follow the project as it develops, join my newsletter or follow along on Instagram for future studio updates and the final reveal.
If you are interested in beginning a commissioned painting of your own, you can learn more here:
