Every new year is a time for deep reflection and contemplation. I always try to take some time to integrate the lessons of the previous year while reflecting on what may be required from me in the incoming year as it relates to both creating services for people while leading a life that is fulfilling and supportive to my personal goals and the goals of my family.
This year in particular has me reflecting on the powerful transcendence of love and kinship as being the things that we actually need - the things that truly matters. How do I contribute to a world that generates and celebrates more love and kinship? How do I act in accordance with these virtues I hold so dear? In that spirit I thought I would share here a little bit about the commissions process and how, for me, it is my attempt in generating a little more love and friendship in the world.
Connecting through Art Commissions
One of the many incredible aspects of my job is having the privilege to create meaningful gifts for my clients to give to their loved ones or to gift to themselves. In this aggressively digital age, receiving a physical painting can feel that much more special - knowing that there is only one of its kind in the world. Even when I photograph my paintings or sell prints - the original artwork always holds something uniquely special that cannot be replicated. I don't know why - I don't make the rules - it just is what it is. Original artwork is powerful.
As an artist, I was nervous to take on painting commissions in the beginning - wondering if somehow it diminishes my work to create an industry (albeit a small one) out of making art. I also wondered how I would be able to build a business almost exclusively on commissions. It has been a learning curve to say the least. What I have come to know after completing over 250 commissions in the last 2 years alone is that creating art for others... is really hard. It is much easier to make things I like or paint what gets me going every day. Making art for others can actually, however, be even more emotional, confusing, and stressful. But because of these difficulties, making art for others is in fact that much more rewarding. Through the experience of bouncing my work off of the ideas of others I get to know both myself and the other person much better. The act of commissioning and painting for a client is a conversation, a synthesis, and an experience of two people working together.
Making art for others turns art directly into a mutually beneficial service not just for the art recipient but for me as well- and it is this realization that has motivated me to keep going and keep finding ways to make art that resonates for people on an individual and intimate level. Art is a conversation between many - the painter, the subject, the collector, the viewer, the inheritor. Art touches each person as it passes hands and changes walls. The many participants become a part of the art itself, and the commissioner is the core inspiration for its creation - not the painter. This is a beautiful exchange that allows me to express something that a client or collector is feeling and needs expressed. I cherish that responsibility and take it very seriously. In return, I have the opportunity to learn a little bit more about the world, to create something beautiful, and to put food on my table. It is the definition of fair value exchange.
Home is Where the Art Is - Valentine's 2025
This year I wanted to celebrate love and my love for painting for my wonderful clients who support me. I am introducing a new house portrait size for the first time and offering framing options for these two absolutely perfect gift sizes - the 5x5 and the 5x7. The 5x5 is a little bigger than the miniature and would go perfect either on a tabletop or on a gallery wall and the 5x7 gives a little more space for landscape.
This is a perfect gift for your partner, parent, loved one, friend, or yourself. Celebrating love and kinship is so important and I think we should do it any chance we can get. To learn more or book a small portrait in time for valentines day, visit my special Valentine page.
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