Beach Vibes - Commissioned

A word about artist commissions: I like taking orders for commissions, but honestly, some can stress me out a bit. Trying to create what someone else has in their mind can be a daunting task. There have been times when I finish a commissioned painting and the client that ordered it is thrilled and all is good. But then there are times when someone looks at the painting with a scrunched face and says, “oh, okay, um…..” and you know it isn’t what they were expecting. I find that the people that give you creative license to create something for a space almost always like what you create for them. It is the ones that are so specific about what they want that end up being disappointed. The reason being is that you cannot, no matter how you try, get inside someone else’s mind to see what they see. I do the best to decipher what they are describing but it isn’t always as clear as they think it is.

If you are planning to have an artist create a painting for you, here is my advice:

  1. Do some research. Check out different artists and really look at what they have done in the past. Make sure you choose an artist that has a style close to what you want to have painted. If you want a freestyle impressionistic painting, it wouldn’t make sense to ask a Realism artist to translate your commission.

  2. Gather some reference photos, either pictures of paintings that are similar to what you want or actual photos of the subject you would like painted. for example, a few different angles or poses for a pet portrait or some different perspectives of a particular landscape (more sky, less sky, cloudy, sun and shadows).

  3. Size matters. Some artists don’t like to paint small, some don’t like to paint large, so as you research notice what size paintings a particular artist generally paints. You know what size that you want, so make sure the artist can accommodate the size you are interested in.

  4. Don’t be too stringent. I know that you may have something in your mind, but don’t be so specific that you take away the artists creative license. I can usually see the lack of joy in a painting, when the artist didn’t feel good about painting it. Allow the artist to do what they do best, since you chose them for your project, there must be something that you like about what they do.

    Again, these are a few things to keep in mind when commissioning an artist for a painting that will help to keep both the creator and the client happy at the end of the process.

Beach Vibes

Beach Vibes - Acrylic on Canvas - a commissioned painting for a Florida client

Your Favorite Color - Children's Book

I have always felt the desire to publish a children’s book. Even when I was a child I would write short stories and then create drawings with crayons to go along with the stories. But life goes on as it does and I never seemed to have the time to think about it or concentrate time on it. And then came Covid 19. During my time of isolation I gave myself permission to just play with art. Instead of meeting deadlines, teaching students and creating intricate still life realism paintings, I just played with color and with other mediums. And during this time my grand daughter and I came up with a concept that would translate into a children’s book, so we wrote out the story and I illustrated simple drawings to fill the pages. Our children’s book is titled Your Favorite Color and it is a simple, bright book about color. It features two young girls conversing about colors. It is a concept that can be understood by children of all ages, without being overly wordy or complicated. Our book is available in my Etsy shop.

Book cover view 2 (2).JPG

Coffee at Panera

I was sitting in Panera having coffee with two friends and kept glancing back at the bagels. There was such a great variety (the vanilla cherry are just delicious) and with their bumps and toppings I couldn’t resist. Once the time to leave came, I went to the counter and ordered a half dozen to take home. I know its odd but everything is about painting for me. I bought the bagels not because I wanted to eat them but because I wanted to paint them. I can’t come home from a store or a flea market or a restaurant without something that I want to use in a painting. It’s amazing how being an artist makes me so aware of everything in a different way. Although, honestly, eating my still life subjects is a bonus of buying food for painting. So before I ate them, I arranged the bagels in a basket with a dish towel and this was the result.

Bagels watermark.JPG

Turquoise Sheer Scarf

I love this scarf because it was my mothers. She passed away six years ago and this was one of the things that I kept from her closet. Apparently I got my love for turquoise from her.

She was a great supporter of my art. She provided me with everything that I needed as I grew through all my stages of art supplies. She took me to craft classes and was the one that encouraged me to go to Art College. She was so happy when I brought art back into my life after taking some time away.

In honor of my Mom :) Tracy

“Sheer Stripes” 11 x 14 Acrylic on Panel

“Sheer Stripes” 11 x 14 Acrylic on Panel