See the creative process in action!
Last year’s annual art exhibit led to this commissioned piece. I feel very honoured to have been asked to create an expressive painting featuring the client’s view from her window. This is her “happy place”. We discussed styles, composition, colours, and where it would be displayed. I felt confident that I could create something wonderful and unique for her.
Every painting has a process. It evolves from an image I can see in my mind’s eye. When a client is involved, it also must match their expectations for the piece. The approved sketch on paper was transferred to canvas, and then I went to work, adding a variety of colours and brushstrokes to keep the eye moving around the canvas. On average, I worked about 4 hours per sitting. I’d step back and mark where I needed to make adjustments – sometimes dramatic changes! I was asked to tone down my usual style, and to avoid certain colours. I got hung up on this, and found myself second guessing a lot of the work. I’ve always been quite confident when creating something so this was a surprise to me. Eventually, I just decided to do my best – and use some of those colours anyway! I sent progress photos to the client and so there were no big surprises. I worked on the piece until I felt it was complete then asked her to come in to see it. She loved it!
The piece has inspired me to create more pieces in this style!