How to commission an original painting

Commissioned art is the best way to connect with an artist, and craft a story together around a concept or a cherished memory. You become the owner of an original artwork that will not only increase in value as an investment, but you’ll also be able to relish the fact that you’ve trusted and invested in yourself, and the artist, whilst helping to build something really unique and beautiful!

I just love it when a person reaches out and asks whether I would be interested in painting their childhood home, their favorite city, landmark, or their secret beloved hiking trail.
These are just a few examples of subject matter that resonates with people, and there are many, many others. Here’s where to start if you’re interested in commissioning an original artwork.

Think of what you love and cherish. Does that trip you took to Peru a decade ago still dance around your subconscious, or how you got engaged under the Golden Gate Bridge, an afternoon wine tasting with friends, a boat trip, or your Grandparents cabin among the birch trees where you can still feel and hear the leaves crackling underfoot?
Whatever stirs you is an excellent place to start and build from

My most recent collector really liked a painting of mine that was already sold. A contemporary San Francisco cityscape painting. He and his family had moved from the city like so many other people during the Covid 19 Pandemic, and he missed the iconic, everyday scene of the Golden Gate Bridge. My painting had caught his eye, but he wanted it bigger than the original, and he also had an idea to tweak the composition a little to include both spires of the bridge. After emails and a phone call to talk about the nuances, we worked together to agree on a perspective that kept the flair of the original painting, included both spires, shifted everything to the right, but also maintained the length of the bridge. We both live in the Bay Area, so we wanted to keep the perspective of the bridge to be somewhat representational, yet still abstract.
When he arrived at my studio for the big reveal, I’m not sure who was more excited! We had so much fun enjoying his new piece together before he took it home to hang for his family to cherish for generations.
So in working together, we both produced a piece that would really tell a story and resonate emotionally, which is at the very core of art. Art is emotion, and when you’ve conveyed emotion in your art, you’re on track.