Art Commissions

I recently did something I never usually do....a picture of a cottage.  I was asked by a friend to paint a friends cottage from a photograph so they could give it to the owner as a 60th birthday gift.  This is not the sort of thing I like to do least of all from a photo that I didn't take and from which it is hard to see the actual color or structure.  The friend who commissioned the work wanted something fairly conservative and also showing the water and shore so it ended up being quite a lot in the small format of 12"x12".  See the enclosed picture.




Nova Scotia Cottage
Acrylic on Canvas 12 x 12 in

 
In the past I have never done commissions because I prefer to paint what interests me and in the colors that I like with no reference to what someone else wants however this was an interesting diversion.  I hope the new owners like it.

If you are an artist/crafts person, how do you feel about doing commissions?

Painting Abstracts in Oil



Abstract in Blue andPink

 
As many of you know from reading my blog I am taking an art class at the Toronto School of Art called Painting Abstracts in Oils.  I am finding it rather frustrating waiting for the oil paint to dry between layers.  I guess I have got used to quick drying acrylics. 

We have several exercises to complete one of which is about addition and elimination, revealing and concealing.  I don't know what got me started but I decided to cut out some shapes and paint around them to get started and then I found it really interesting to start covering parts up and overlaying with other colors. It's quite different from what I usually do and because of the colors I chose it's ended up a very happy looking piece.  I would be interested in hearing comments about this type of work.  Do you find the hard edged shapes and purely non representational design interesting or does it leave you cold?