Commission

Just finished this piece for part of a commission.  "Salem Mantle", 14 x 11 inches, oil on panel.  I almost never do commissions for one reason or another.  I have turned down a number of projects in the past because I felt unsure the potential collector and I understood each other well enough.  I think that is critical in a commission environment, because each participant is an innocent bystander.  Let me explain;  the person who wants the commission may not have any experience with the commission process, and therefore it is up to the artist to make everything as clear as possible.  The artist is sort of the innocent because  they usually can only "do what they do" and might not want to choose to stretch their abilities when they have been paid in advance for a painting.  In my opinion most commissions don't work out when the artist accepts a project that is outside of their normal pursuits, and therefore if the client is unhappy with the end result, the artist doesn't have any way to offer the painting for sale because it was either so specific to the client or it is not part of their output and therefore the artist can't offer it to any of their galleries to sell, thus forcing the artist to dig in with the client and "talk them into it" which is always a very bad idea.  An artist should never be content if they have to talk their client into liking a piece....if the communication was thorough in the beginning, by the time the painting is completed, both parties should be happy.

I must add, that in this particular case, I am working with a wonderful client, experienced, knowledgeable and a real joy to work with!