Commissions

Many of my clients have enjoyed the process of commissioning me to paint custom artwork designed for their particular setting.  Whether you have a clear vision or what you'd like, or you would like assistance in creating the perfect, original artwork that expresses your creativity and personality, I welcome the opportunity to work with you.  My goal is that you are completely delighted with your artwork.  If you'd like references from people with whom I've worked, please feel free to contact me at celesteATcelestevaughtDOTcom.

Here are some examples of commissions and the processes involved.  These show that a successful project can be completed near or far.  In Examples 1, 3 and 4, I met with the clients to see the spaces where the artwork would hang.  In Example 2, the project was completed entirely via email and telephone.  In all three cases, the end results were just what the clients desired.

EXAMPLE 1

Here the client knew that they wanted a triptych (set of three paintings to be hung together) with floral still life as the subject.  At the start of the project, there wasn't a clear vision of exactly what was wanted, so the in person visit, seeing the space, learning about the tastes of the client, the mood that was desired, the colors, etc. helped me get a start on the project. 

From there I created three still life set ups and photographed them for the client's review as seen here with conversion also to value sketches to see the shapes:

Upon seeing these, their reaction was immediately confirmed that this style was NOT what was desired!  Too formal.  That was exactly the input I needed to send me in another direction after additional discussions and it helped narrow down what was desired: something simpler, less fussy and happy. 

From there I created some simple, stylized to scale watercolor, pen & ink sketches as shown below in images marked "A".  When the client saw these, she knew immediately that this is the look they were after, however, the background color was questionable.  From here it's digitally modified to make adjustments and design decisions more easily.

At the near completion stage, the three acrylic paintings on 20 x 16" stretched canvas were presented to the client for review and any minor modifications to be made.  And here are the final paintings:

EXAMPLE 2

Here's an example of a commission completed long distance and based on a photograph chosen by the client with a particular vision in mind inspired by this very striking photograph shown below.  After permission was secured from the photographer, we got started on the work communicating via email and telephone.  The aim was to create a rich, moody painting with elements  like the tree and the red berries included for a striking contrast, but keeping the mood of the painting the predominant theme.  We discussed desirable, and undesirable colors and desired deviations from the reference photo. 

With these objectives in mind, a small charcoal value sketch was created to establish scale and placement of main shapes as well as a color palette was presented, scanned and emailed to the client for review.  From there, colors were specified and eliminated as well as it was determined to adjust the scale of the tree so that it didn't dominate the scene.

A modified simple value sketch was created and presented for approval to begin on the painting itself with notes from our discussion on the sketch.

Meanwhile, the client sent me a picture of the frame they wanted to use for the painting.  Seeing that really helped me confirm the look of the painting as it would "reside" in its frame and that really helped me visualize the end result even before beginning.  And here's the completed painting I call "Passing Storm".  It was done in heavy-body acrylics on 12 x 16" Ampersand Panel.

And here's a "digitally framed" view in the frame chosen for the painting:

EXAMPLE 3

This commission was another example of getting to meet with the clients in person to see the room where the painting was to hang.  They had previously seen my pastel painting "Summer Colors II", loved the vibrancy of the colors and style, but since the room had lots of windows, and they desired a very large painting, it was determined that pastels would be impractical since they'd have to be behind glass.  That set me on the mission to translate some of the qualities of the pastel painting with acrylics.  We discussed what colors should dominate, and so, with my reference image chosen, the project was begun.

What I LOVE about pastels is they're nearly pure pigment, so it's hard to beat their incredible vibrancy and luminance.  Also, working with large sticks of pigment enables the artist to simplify their strokes and lay down big "abstracted" shapes...my approach in the "Summer Colors" pastel paintings.  With that in mind, I tried to keep my acrylics colors very pure and use large brushes and simplified shapes in the final, 36 x 48" acrylic painting I entitled "Summer Colors III".

"Summer Colors II"
Pastel, 9 x 12"

And, here's the final painting, again completed with acrylics on 36 x 48" stretched canvas.

EXAMPLE 4

Similar to example 3, this commission was based off of one of my previous works.  In this case the original, large acrylic painting "Spikes in Amber" was purchased and became the anchor of a large triptych project. 

Each of the three canvases would be 48 x 24 x 1.5" gallery wrapped, vertically situated paintings that would hang in a two story entryway.  The task was to create two additional paintings that would flow with the original painting, but be strong enough to hang on their own as well should they ever be split up.

Again, the clients liked the vivid color and close view of the original painting, so the task was to find two other vases that would have nice shapes as well as plants/foliage or flowers that would harmonize with the simplicity of the first painting.  Mock up paintings were created demonstrating tying the three together with the cloth on which the vases sat.  To add energy to the scene and create a nice rhythm to allow the viewer's eyes to meander around each canvas and transition from one to the next slowly, we positioned the cloths diagonally in each scene.

Here are the final paintings seen in my studio: