The Team Behind the Work
(The tale of two commissions)
The last few months I’ve been catching up on commission projects I began in the fall, and it struck me how very unique each painting’s process was. It’s no wonder that I’m often asked, “How do commissions work?” because the answer is specific to every artist and project. Variables include location, timing, medium, subject matter, and collector preferences.
Thus, I thought it might be interesting to share the stories of four recent commissions, and shed some light on the journey they required.
Commission 1: “Quinn and Mac at the Boise River”
36×58″ oil, wax and charcoal on linen
This was a really fun one, and I’ll tell you why! First, I love a surprise mission. Second, I was honored that a new collector of my work was willing to plunge into a commission. Commissioning artwork is a leap of faith for both the artist and the collector, and I always appreciate being entrusted with the task of manifesting someone’s vision.
My client wanted to surprise her husband on their anniversary with a painting of the Boise River where they love to take their dogs. We discussed the commission last winter, and I waited until the fall to collect photos so we’d get some color in the trees. It took me about 6 visits to the river, dodging times when the couple would be making their evening visit, and trying to get just the right light. Meanwhile, my client was also taking her own clandestine photos, trying to get the dogs positioned at just the right angle to match up with the composition I envisioned. The piecing together of images was the trickiest part of this one. At one point I even brought my 10 year old daughter along to pretend to be a dog so I could see how the light would cast.
This project was unique in its collaborative nature, melding the client’s photos with mine to capture the couple’s evening visits to the river. The client’s love of this spot and their dogs was contagious, and I was really happy with the vibrancy with which the piece came together.
Commission 2: “The Bay Awakes”
40×54″ oil, wax and charcoal on linen
This was the first commissioned piece by a couple who have collected several other paintings over the years. They wanted a painting of the San Francisco skyline, but left a lot of the other details up to me. This highlights the fact that sometimes clients are very specific about the image they want, and sometimes they are open to my creative whims. I enjoy working anywhere along that spectrum, but feel my freshest work comes from fewer constraints. I find that return collectors are often more comfortable giving me this leeway, as they are more familiar with the scope of my work.
I loved this assignment as it required me to travel twice to the San Francisco Bay Area where I lived for 6 years before moving to Idaho. On the first visit, I took the ferry from Sausalito from to San Francisco intending to get the shots I needed from the water’s perspective. I quickly realized that I needed more to the composition than water and skyline. The client and I did some research on views of the Bay, and came upon a woodcut by artist Tom Killion from Ring Mountain. The perspective of this artwork allowed for a graceful entrance into the scene formed by the rolling hills of Tiburon, and I knew I wanted to find that place. So I made a second trip to Marin County, during which I returned to the lookout four times before I caught the light I was looking for, just after sunrise.
Commission 3: “Anthracite Range Autumn”
25×46″ oil, wax and charcoal on linen
The commissioners of this piece and I found that we shared a love of the mountains of Southern Colorado/ Northern New Mexico. And we also shared an overwhelming love of landscapes in general, making it hard to choose just one for their special piece near their living room mantel. But after several months of deliberation, we finally realized that the key ingredient was golden aspen trees, and so we focused on that. For this commission I used the client’s excellent photographs of a hike near Crested Butte. Normally I love the opportunity to travel and get my own photos, but I was unable to travel to the exact location at the right time, and he had just what I needed to complete this piece. Upon revealing the finished painting, we all realized this was meant to be. The fact that they had taken the photos on a hike made the painting very evocative for them, capturing a wonderful memory of a place they loved.
Commission 4: “Last Light at Quiet Lake”
42×60″ oil, wax and charcoal on linen
I’m excited to share this latest painting that is presently drying in my studio! The process started last spring, when I first chatted with the clients about this special place in their family. One of their fathers loved taking his family to Quiet Lake in the White Clouds. The work began last August when my husband and I took our 6 and 9 year old daughters out backpacking armed with plenty of snacks and the GPS coordinates of a specific campsite on the lake. We spend 3 glorious days there, taking photos each morning and evening. I really enjoyed the specificity of the location and view, coupled with a wide leash regarding the stylistic and compositional elements, and time of day. A little bit of structure and a little bit of freedom. I also enjoyed knowing what a special place this was for the clients, and was honored to capture it with them while sharing the experience with my own family. As with the first commission I shared, the love of place was contagious.
Thank you to the collectors highlighted above who entrusted me with their visions, and let me share their stories. I hope you enjoyed reading about the process! If you have a commission idea of your own, please reach out.