The Art of Commissioning Art

Have you ever envisioned something and wondered how you could bring it to life?

Or do you have empty space on your wall that you want to fill, but don’t know exactly what would be right for it?

A fine art commission is the perfect way to procure an original work of fine art that speaks uniquely to you, and allows you to experience the creative process as well. Some of my favorite pieces of art that I have created were commissions for both commercial, and residential properties. Idea collaboration is an inspiring process that I consider a work of art, in and of itself.

I have a client who visited Mozambique on a summer vacation, with her husband and three children. She was mesmerized by the story of the fever tree that grows near the African river banks.

She happened to have an empty wall in her entertainment room and wanted, somehow, to capture the imagery of the tree as a memory from her vacation.

I visited her home to get an idea of the color palette of the room, then she emailed me about 15-20 pictures from her vacation, each of which she thought might make an interesting subject. I asked her what she liked about each image and got a feel for which elements were most important to her. I sketched out about five or six small watercolors, playing with a variety of color schemes and imagery. From there, she chose three images.

I asked her what she liked most about the images she chose, and went back to my studio to work out some new detailed sketches. Once we narrowed the sketches down to a final image, I brought three different canvas sizes by her home so that she could determine exactly which size would work best.

Once we agreed upon the image and the canvas size, I returned to my studio and got back to work, sending her updates as I moved along. The delivery of the art was bittersweet because though I was pleased that she loved her new art, I was going to miss working with her.

This isn’t the first time that this has happened. While each commission is different (for example, some projects are smaller and some clients choose to be less hands on) I’ve yet to complete a project where I didn’t develop a meaningful connection with someone.

What I love about the commission process, whether I’m painting a postcard size watercolor or a large scale mural, is getting to work directly with my client, creating custom art and learning about what excites them and inspires them. I love learning how I can connect with them on a level that allows me to truly understand what they’re envisioning, so that I can bring it to life.

Of course I absolutely love having full creative license of my own art, but there is a beauty in collaboration that I believe gives the art even more depth.

This process is the same for my jewelry and my writing as well.

Let me help you bring your ideas to life.

Click here to view my commission art portfolio and begin a conversation.

With gratitude,

Margaret