All the great art that you see in the world's museums began as an idea in someone's mind. Some of the great art you see was part of a collaborative vision comprising the artist and individualistic, enterprising patrons. Art can invest a room with a sense of meaning. It can help unify the room visually while offering an intellectual and emotional sense of meaning that transcends decoration. And you can commission a work of art using a seamless process of invention, deliberation and adventure. In so doing, you can collaborate in the creation of something really special.
[Matisse paintings in the Cone Collection]
A commission begins with an idea -- or with an emotion. You have a sense of "wouldn't it be nice if" and you build from that desire. I can help you take each step in a process that brings to life an idea that contributes a unique element to your project. It can begin with a single color. That color can be the keynote in a room, and perhaps you want art that complements and supports the larger color scheme. Rather than looking for art to fit into the setting, what about creating it instead? Through a commission process, which I'll describe here, you can acquire an image that fits into the project the way a jewel fits into a perfect setting.
Commissions can be large or small. They can be very precise, measuring exactly the dimensions needed for a certain effect. Or they can be modular and flexible and well suited to different arrangements. Color can be similarly precise as can be the subject of the image and its mood. And color, of course, can be very flexibly used to accent or to support other design features.
All these variables can be brought together to create artwork that supports a broader design goal, and which adds its own feeling to the larger scheme. The art can be attractive. It can bring someone into a room. It can blend with the design goals and yet can behave as a magnet too, drawing attention to itself, even as it harmonizes perfectly with the whole.
And all these qualities are more accessible than you ever thought possible. Let me take you through some steps.
[Rachel Lambert "Bunny" Mellon room with artworks.]
Step One: the Basics
All the usual things begin here. Your idea. Even before your idea, you might be thinking about size, color and budget. You might have a theme already. From that theme, you'll want to choose something representative. Begin with some favorites; begin by asking yourself what you want. Can you put that general desire into a single sentence. Some of these basics might include: it needs to fit into the scheme that includes a wonderful, eclectic mix of traditional and modern with a fern color scheme and fit into a spot at the corner and cannot be larger than 28 x 32 including the frame, and it should feature a gazelle. Maybe that idea starts with "gazelle."
Or my client vacationed at the Gorges du Tarn and would like a painting to remember the trip. The painting will go into the dining room which has a sunny, pale butter color plan. It needs to be about 22 x 28 inches.
The idea stage begins with a conversation. From the information I gather during our talk, I offer visual templates of possible directions. These templates can include possible images, possible painting styles, a proposed color scheme. From these initial indications, we together form a portfolio of imagery that becomes gradually more precise.
Styles available include impressionism, modernism, realism, abstraction and illustration. Some of the media choices include oil or acrylic painting, traditional pastel or neopastel (wax based, professional artists' crayons) or a drawing medium or mixed media. You can approve ideas through seeing digital versions so that you have a very strong expectation of how the final work will look.
Quick, bold imagery is available in large or small sizes. You can commission a set of related works or a special, single painting.
The process begins with a conversation. The conversation can begin on the phone or via email. If you're in the Washington DC region, the consultation can be in person and the first 45 minutes of your consult are free. You can show me visual ideas you have, based on furnishings or room design. Perhaps there are works of art that you want to emulate, or an artistic style associated with an era. Just as clients make decisions based upon swatches and photos, we can begin creating imagery from color samples, textile designs, lighting requirements, room arrangement and flow patterns, sight lines, from compatibility with other objects planned for the decor, and from things like photos of a family pet, drawings of exotic animals or objects: we look to the world and life as our catalog from which to choose wonderful possibilities.
[Edouard Vuillard interior]
Once you've selected a direction for the imagery, I begin making proposal images -- versions that I believe will answer your project requirements. And gradually we refine the imagery until it looks exactly the way you and your client want it to look. This commission process offers a rare chance for designer and client to collaborate with an artist to create an authentic fine art piece. It is personal and functional and also aesthetically sophisticated and beautiful. And it is genuine fine art, unique and created using archival materials.
It's a chance to create some wonder by being prudently adventurous. Contact me to find out more.
.png)
