LONDON — Some artists vigorously embrace commissions with great energy and enthusiasm while others shun them altogether. British artist Matthew Jeanes believes that the point of reference can either make or break a commission and that it takes great courage to actually accept such a job in the first place. “When the client produces their reference such as a photograph, this can be a limiting start,” he says, adding that customers look at his past work and expect “a great painting”. “Your work can only be as good as the subject. This happened with a piece of mine called The Old Barn. It was a very grey picture of a family home. It was in the snow but the house itself was far away in the distance. “I ended up cropping close into the house and treating the icy weather and snow in a much more colorful way. I was pleased with the result,” he says, adding that it was a brave and bold move on his part. Only accepting payment when a customer is happy with the final commission has led to a high number of satisfied clients for watercolorist Bryan Pickard. He has “done many commissions over the years and most have been pleasurable”. “This is fine with a quick watercolor, and is almost a selling point in itself,” he explains. “But it would be unwise with something taking much longer. I have only ever had one refusal, from an old lady who wanted a copy of one of my watercourses that had been sold. When I showed her the result she didn't recognize it. I sold the copy shortly afterwards to someone else.” He adds: “Commissions can usually be reasonably completed from a customer's photographs, but it is much more stimulating to work on the spot. “However, costs incurred in a visit include traveling costs, extra time, and risk of weather delays, which all need building into a quote.” Some artists make a career of actively pursuing commissions such as Susie Lidstone, who finds that carefully placed advertising can generate business. “I have an advert in Period Ideas magazine which has generated two commissions and they are featuring me in their June issue under The Editor's Choice section. “To be honest the advert is very reasonable. Some magazines charge so much money. I had an advert in Country Living magazine thinking that such a high profile publication would generate some work but it didn't. I think that one of the reasons was that there was so much advertising that my advert was lost.” Susie also finds that customers come from trade fairs and art shows as well as from the internet. Commissions are not to everybody's liking, though and colorist Eileen Sey says “they are tricky things to do.” “I have just refused to do a commission,” she admits. “It was to produce a painting of Venice at night from a very dark photograph and I could not see what the customer did. If I had been foolish enough to accept the job it would have been an impossible one to do to their liking.” Landscape painter Peter Barker agrees: “Generally, I don't like commissions! I'm in the fortunate position that what I like to paint sells pretty well. Often people will see a painting in an exhibition that has sold and say ‘can you paint me one just like that?'.... A sentence I dread. “When a client forks out a considerable sum for an original painting, it is just that, an original, and they would be pretty miffed if another one turned up looking very similar to the one they had bought. So, generally now, I say they can have first refusal on a painting that might suit but don't actually take on a commission.” — SG
