My first commission ... in a long time
Having been doing art for the better part of a decade now, it is rare to receive a commission from someone. This is not to say that many of my friends haven't said these words to me, "paint me something." Of course, my response is "what?" and they retort, "anything." Nothing ever comes of this.
The reason that you can't just paint anything for someone is because art is a very deep and meaningful experience for the artist and the future owner. Therefore, if I paint a beautiful depiction of a part of Hungarian history (meaningful to me) that may not resonate with someone. Then, in the above scenario, if I begin to consider who they are, I still will not be able to find the topic to paint for them because ... it requires going deeper than just superficial interests.
How many people are willing to share their emotions in order for the artist to then paint them something that will mirror their inner thoughts and resonate with their soul. For that is what painting is on one hand. Rarely do people buy a painting because it simply looks cool (you may buy a print for that reason).
Since people will not share their emotions, then an artist must choose topics that will elicit the necessary emotion ... this is why portraiture is so prevalent. I have painted multiple portraits as wedding and other gifts to individuals, and they have been received extremely well. This is because a portrait does elicit the necessary inner response. For example, a painting of a couple will elicit within the couple the response of "love" and "romance."
The point that I am trying to make is that when asking for a commission there are four important things to consider outside the usual (price, size, and medium):
What subject is meaningful to you?
Family? Love? Home? Nature? Politics? Travel?
How should the subject be portrayed?
Is is a portraiture? Is it landscape? Is it history? Is it abstract?
What emotion do you want it to elicit in you?
Horror? Awe? Beauty? Humility? Sadness?
Can the subject and emotion be painted by the artist?
Is it in their wheelhouse? Have they exhibited past pieces reminiscent of the subject?
Anyway, I was humbled to be asked for this commission as the subject at hand was a deceased pet. Pets create strong emotions in their owners, and this painting was supposed to be a part of the grieving and remembrance process for their much-loved dog, Willow.
I had tremendous fun painting Willow as it was my first animal painting. The whiskers, nose, and muzzle were quite difficult, but in the end, it paid off as the painting ended up looking like Willow.
I do know that my style is not representative of reality, but I believe that it is much more enjoyable to create from random shapes that which looks like reality versus trying to recreate reality. In my opinion, there is nothing worse than a painter who can create something that a camera could easily do ... but that's here nor there. This is not to say, that I do not admire those paintings, I just feel that they are in essence a waste of time.
Digression aside, this evening I handed over the artwork to the new owners, and I think they are thrilled. However, the true emotions that will be released by this painting will not become apparent until they are home and have hung it on their wall. Then we will see if it has hit the mark.