Commissions give you the opportunity to do something different and learn something new. But how does the process work?
This fall I will be doing several commissions and sharing aspects of the process here. So – if you have any questions about the commissioning process, leave a comment and I will try to answer your questions in future posts.
- “Vail Interfaith Chapel in Late Autumn” 11″ x 14″ Acrylic Lillian Kennedy
Jump! “How high?” Change seasons! “You bet.”
The key to enjoying the process is to understand that you are co-creating with the commissioning agency or person. You have been asked to manifest something and are being paid to bring their vision, however vague or specific it may be, into visual form.
In the example I am using today (commissioned through the Promenade Gallery in Vail, CO), the client (whom I will never meet) asked for an 11″ x 14″ painting with the Vail Interfaith Chapel from a specific angle. He wanted the aspen to be in their fall colors with some early snow on the trees. He wanted puffy clouds in a blue sky. He wanted some russet branches in the shrubbery. He also wanted to see Gore Creek.
Vail Chapel and Longs Peak - two giclees by Lillian Kennedy. I used these prints as references for the commission. Double click to enlarge.
I truth, you can’t see Gore Creek from the viewpoint that he had chosen. The banks of the creek are so deep that it’s easy to forget that a creek runs by. I like design challenges, but, more importantly, I understand that his experience of the place is one that includes the creek, so I make it happen. The mental image that he carries with him is that he was married years ago in a lovely mountain chapel with a creek running by it.
Yes, there are artists who believe that it’s all about themselves and their vision. The case of Richard Serra and the Tilted Arc is a good example (paraphrased from wikipedia):
- Many people opposed the sculpture. Reasons included its cost, the fact that many people found it an eyesore, and the inconvenience to those who had to walk around the massive sculpture as they crossed the plaza . A jury voted to remove the sculpture. The decision was appealed by Serra, leading to several years of litigation in the courts, but the sculpture was dismantled. The next year saw enactment of the Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA).
This is not the kind of commission that I am writing about. If you don’t enjoy working WITH your clients, commissioned work might not be for you. Only a few people can get away with doing whatever they want on a job. I think of commissioned works of art as a joint effort where one party conceives of an idea and pays for it and the other party brings that idea into reality.
♦TIP: I suggest having meetings with the client at various stages if the commission is large. At each meeting the client pays a portion of the total cost. The payment is a mark of approval of the work up to that step in the process. This prevents unpleasant surprises for both you and the client. It insures that there haven’t been any miscommunications, and leaves legal proof of their approval.
I don’t suggest that you accept every job offered. I’ve turned down plenty of jobs such doing a copy of this figurative painting by Gerome, one of the Artistes Pompiers. Yes, I could do figures and loved doing them. I could have learned a lot from doing a this copy… particularly about the control of lights and darks (known as values – no pun intended), but it gives me the creeps to even think about it.
♦TIP: If the commission doesn’t in some way take you closer to your dreams as as artist, it’s not for you. It may be in a style or scale that doesn’t interest you. It may be of a subject that offends you. There can be any number of reasons. Getting a free ticket on a train that isn’t going in the direction that you want to go in just puts you further from your goals at every stop. Keep your goals in mind when considering which jobs to consider.
Working on commission can be a real boon for an artist. It is inspiring to know before you start that the painting will have a home and you will have income. Please share your comments and experiences.