What it’s actually like to commission a piece

 I think the word “commission” sometimes sounds more formal, or more out of reach, than the reality of it.

It starts with a conversation.

Usually a call, sometimes an email thread, most typical sharing texts of photos and content and questions until we land on the feeling. — I want to understand the space the piece is going into, the light it’ll sit in, the feeling you want the room to hold. I’m not looking for a mood board so much as a sense of what you’re drawn to and why. I am leaning into the emotion you want to feel in the space and how you want others to feel. The colors, perspective, content all guide this feeling and the conversation.

Then I spend real time with it before I touch a canvas. Because of how the poured technique works, a commission isn’t something I can rush or guarantee down to the exact mark — the paint has its own behavior once it’s on the canvas. What I can guarantee is the intention behind it: the palette, the scale, the emotional register we’ve talked through together.

Timelines vary, but most commissions take several weeks to months from first pour to completion, with a few check-ins along the way so you’re never wondering where things stand. I’ll send progress images as layers build — partly so you feel involved, and partly because I think watching a piece become itself is part of what makes a commission different from buying something already finished.

Pricing and process — including deposit and timeline specifics — are handled simply through invoicing, and I’m glad to walk through that whenever you’re ready to talk specifics.

What I love most about commissions is that they end up holding something a finished piece on a wall can’t always carry — the relationship and intention that made it uniquely for you. That’s not something I can replicate twice.

If you’ve been thinking about a piece for a specific space, I’d love to hear about it.