Commissioned portrait painting, even just a little pet sketch, can be a nervous business.
When a client commissions a work, it’s not enough to execute the painting well, it’s also important to listen to them, understand what it is they want, and deliver something within (or hopefully exceeding) their expectations. Sometimes they say, “just do what you do,” and that’s great … my favorite song! But sometimes they say, “can you find a way to work in my favorite duck decoy?” If I take the commission, the decoy is an important element … and if I don’t see the beauty of the decoy, I shouldn’t even try to do the portrait. In fact, I’ve turned down several commissions over the years because the client wanted something outside of my range … a composition or style that doesn’t fit my voice … something that didn’t feel right to me. I can still hear my teacher Ben Long saying, “If you sit down with a subject and you don’t feel beauty there, walk away … you’ll never paint a beautiful picture.”
So when the client likes the work, it’s always a wonderful feeling, mostly relief, but also, for some reason a wee bit of surprise.
Joni has commissioned quite a few pet sketches over the years; and of course, she’s good about ordering Christmas gifts in September! As is the usual process, she sends me several photos of the pet, I pick one image to use as a source for the subject, and tend to make up the background based on whatever happens in the studio at the time.
For Macy Interstellar I was watching space movies while painting. I generally watch movies or listen to books to keep my conscious mind occupied so my subconscious can drive the bus, so to speak. For me, thinking too much is the perfect way to spoil a painting. Since events in the news are mind-bending these days, it’s feeling sensible to leave the planet altogether. Space movies.
Joni loved the painting, and particularly the interpretation of the globe in the background … an object that really was on the source photo. Turns out the globe was a treasured gift from Joni, and she was thrilled to see it celebrated with Macy Interstellar. Whey!!!! After seeing it, she asked if I could add an airplane since the recipient works for United Airlines. Absolutely. What a great idea. So this is Macy Interstellar revised.
