In case you might be thinking of a gift for someone special this holiday season, I have a few slots open for commissions before November 15. I've also introduced a new small size available through the end of the year. All the details are right here.
In pulling together some of my favorite commissions over the years I realized there are a few that I didn't get to share with you.
a family as Creative Thursday characters
and an entire family tree!
Another favorite commission created for a special family here in Los Angeles, welcoming the arrival of their first baby.
My client requested/suggested the addition of the names to this piece, and since this was my first time adding names to a commission, I have to say I love how it turned out. In fact, this very painting is what inspired my new "Welcome Baby" personalized print.
How's everyone's week looking? Just returned from the post office and am happy to say all calendars ordered through yesterday, are already on their way to you!! Efficient, if I do say so myself. It's all that organizing I've been obsessing about doing that is slowly but surely beginning to pay off ;)
Was just sorting through my commission work, and I realized that there are a few I've been meaning to share with you. Almost always working on commissions in the background, I'm probably more hesitant to share some of these with you because they feel more personal than the work I create for myself. However, whenever I ask if someone would mind me sharing their painting with you, they always say 'Yes, please do!'. So I will remember to share more of them with you, because sometimes these turn out to be favorite creations of mine, of which Buster is one.
As I mentioned, I'm taking John Cleese's advice to heart this weekend, making boundaries for space and time, carving out some serious creative time this weekend. How about you? Which means I should be back here with a new daily painting soon.
happy weekend! and hey, happy October!
A few months back, I was hired to paint my first commission of a famous person.
I tell you this only to say that initially, it felt a little intimidating. It's important to note that I always feel some pressure when creating a piece for someone, especially if it is a gift for someone, and it involves their likeness and their pet's likeness. I want them to feel like it truly captures them {in Creative Thursday style of course}. I want them to really, really love it. But for some reason, because this was a famous person I was putting extra pressure on myself initially. I began to think about why I felt this way? Because you know I tend to do that, be analytical and think about these random things.
After living and working in Hollywood for 10 years, you get used to seeing your share of celebrities. You become quickly aware of the fact that yes indeed, celebrities are normal people too. When you break it all down, what really separates us is that way more 'other normal people' know who they are. Ok, fine their life usually comes with way better perks because of this.
In most societies your level of influence and popularity = your level of importance in this world. And the part that suddenly feels intimidating is when you buy into that, making someone else, celebrity or not, more important than yourself. It starts when we're kids. We are socialized that certain traits and achievements make someone better and more valuable. I have spent a good segment of my life trying to undo that thinking, reminding myself that it's not about being above or below anybody ever. Except when they are just so horrible or arrogant that I can't help but want to talk trash about them and put them in their place ~ whoops. I said I was working on this.
Most days, I do my best to remember that essentially we're all living our lives in the best way we know how.
Here's the thing~ Chelsea is known for her Margarita Thursdays, she loves comedy, she's a great performer {I went to see a taping of her show in person last week) she takes her work seriously, she's brave about expressing herself and her opinions without apology {we do share the same, how can I say this nicely, sentiment about Angelina Jolie's persona} and she appreciates the people who appreciate her ~ even taking the time to sign books for the audience members at every taping. If we got together over a couple of margaritas, I think we'd have a lot to chat about and who knows we could even become friends? Truth be told, I have really great clients, so feeling intimidated is kind of silly, especially when I remember that I'm always painting for friends.
One of the best parts of painting commissions is when a client suggests an idea that you hadn't thought of yet.
I mean, who would've thought that a baby giraffe and a baby octopus could be friends? As it turns out they are.
And this painting also has a story. Would you like me to tell you? Oh, ok I will.
I live in a lovely, peaceful neighborhood, on a very quiet street in Los Angeles. Very often when I print my postage from home, I also leave my ready to ship package outside on my front stoop for the mailman to pick up. I think it may have been one of those weeks, you know the kind, the one where things just don't go quite as easily as you'd hoped... because I opened my front door to check on if my package had been picked up, only to find that yes indeed it had, but not by the mailman. An empty, torn open priority mail box was carefully set on my stoop. Yup, someone had stolen my newly finished commission painting.
You can only imagine how heartbreaking that was. I mean it's bad enough when something is stolen from you, but something that you hand made especially for someone else. To add insult to injury the client I was making this painting for was actually giving it as a gift to her boyfriend. So, so disheartening. And honestly, I'm sure the person who went through the trouble of stealing it was probably disappointed too. I mean, hey they got a painting. What are they going to do with that? Which is precisely what I wonder. I never found the painting. What I think happened is that someone grabbed it off the stoop, carried it around the corner, ripped open the box and discarded it, the box that is. Someone else must have found the empty box and kindly returned it to me.
Where did this painting end up?
I was pretty upset for a while and then I had to find a way to feel better about it all. First, my very understanding client allowed me to create another piece for her. So, I decided that maybe, just maybe this painting brightened someone's day. I mean if someone was so down on their luck that they had to steal a priority shipping box off of someone's stoop, they probably could use some cheering up, (along with a sever reprimanding about how wrong it is to steal) Maybe the person who stole it kept it, or if they tossed it aside maybe someone else found it and it brightened their day. I sincerely hope what I hope for all of my paintings, that they find their way to someone's home and add a little joy to their lives.
Hope it brings a smile to you today too, because they're so cute aren't they? And the octopus clearly loves the giraffe.
Apparently I bring a lot of joy to the babies out there, and honestly, I couldn't think of a better audience.
10 x 10 in.
A commission I just finished. A bernese moutain dog and a wheaton terrier, so, so sweet. Blue, of course named for his one beautiful blue eye and one beautiful brown one.
I think the reason so many people around the world enjoy watching the Oscars is not because we all want to be in the movies or even win an Oscar, but because first and most obvious, film is one of the art forms that has the ability to connect so many of us worldwide in such a powerful way ~ And second the Oscars are the place where even if only one time a year, we are reminded of the power of believing in your DREAMS.
I'm almost always working on commissions in the "background". And this is one I've been meaning to share ~ inspired by some very dear childhood toys. One of my FAVORITE paintings I did as a gift for Christmas 2008.
