I was delighted to receive a commission from a couple who have been generous patrons of my art over the years. They envisioned an artwork for their pool house that would add brightness to the room while complementing the existing color scheme. The artwork would be in the style of my round striped landscape paintings.
This was the space we had to work with. The backsplash and washer/dryer unit are a dark navy blue. The client provided me with a sample tile of the backsplash for accurate color matching.
Golden’s Prussian Blue Hue came immediately to mind. It is a deep, opaque blue. I use Golden paints exclusively because of their high pigment content.
The first decision we needed to make was about the composition. Would it be a daytime scene or a nighttime one? Would there be a winding river through the center? To get us started, I created the 3 sketches below.
I usually make 3 sketches as a starting point. It’s enough to get a sense of where to head next. Too many options can overwhelm the viewer.
We decided on the color scheme and composition at right. The colors needed to be adjusted, with a little more navy blue and mauve, and less gray. We still hadn’t decided on night or day. A few more drafts were in order.
We decided on this sketch. It had the just the right amount of blue, mauve, gray, and teal. It also had a nice balance of warm and cool colors. A daytime scene seemed appropriate for the pool house setting.
I was ready to get started. I borrowed a large easel from the Upper School and set it up on the patio outside my building. When it got dark, I moved inside. As I was working, several passersby stopped and watched. One gentleman came back at the end of the night to see the final product.
I titled the painting Mauve Melody.
The final product.
Commissions are collaborative endeavors. They involve an ongoing conversation between the artist and the patron. In the end, it feels like we’ve created something together. The project is finished when the art feels “just right.”
I’m so grateful any time I am invited to make something beautiful for someone’s home. It is such a joy to be an artist. Thank you for making it possible.