Abstract Art Commission: Custom

Over the summer, I was commissioned to create custom artwork for a friend’s finished kitchen. I must to give credit to my friend, Lisa M, for the referral. Word of mouth really is the best form of advertising. Needless to say, I jumped at the chance. I’d been longing for an excuse to break out my acrylics. Design may be what employed me for the last ten years, but art is what is in my blood. It fuels my design mind and keeps me grounded. You never know where your brush will lead you. The last time I really painted was in 2008 when I developed works for my Gaining Insight campaign. These works may be a departure from that sort of intense subject matter, but abstract will always be my preferred artistic style. Below are elements selected by the client. After sending her some brush stroke examples, she ultimately went with broad strokes. I then developed a color palette based on her selections.

I begin all branding projects with an inspiration board so I decided to follow the same process here. Luckily, my client was enthusiastic and happy to communicate her vision. Including a client in the creative process creates expectations and keeps the lines of communication open. It’s easy to search and select a piece of art you love. Creating a custom piece is a whole other beast. I’ve been creating custom design for years, so luckily, I have lots of practice in staying true to a client’s vision.