Commissions

I have a hard time accepting commissions because the customer usually has a preconceived idea of what the painting will look like.  Despite the fact that they have identified with my style of painting, they seem to expect an illustration of their chosen subject.  Details become more important than anything else in the painting.

But when I got an email asking if a certain painting I did a couple years ago was for sale, I had to tell the potential buyer that the painting had already been sold.  I offered to try to re-create the painting with the caveat that it would not exactly duplicate the original painting.  She agreed. 

I liked the assignment because I was familiar with the subject, and thought I could reasonably approach the painting process with confidence that I could reproduce the same mood and composition in the original.

The client liked the result.  I was pleased because I thought I made several improvements to the original work.  The painting is now on its way to the client who intends it as a wedding gift to her son and new daughter-in-in law who will celebrate their small wedding on the site of this lake in Maine.

Know what you can offer in commissions and what you are able to compromise to complete the project.