I'm thrilled to work one-on-one with friends and family and clients to paint something in my style that is uniquely for them. I'm always nervous in sending the final photos, hoping and praying that they will love it as much as I do. (Because when you work on something so much, you have to love it in the end...or else you would keep painting, as you'll see below.) But what happens if they don't love it? And how does this whole commission business work anyway?

The process is fairly simple and straightforward: you email me saying you'd like to commission a painting. We'll talk about your budget, your space, the size of the wall, what colors you have in your mind, etc.

I'll send you a contract with all of the agreed upon details and logistics like delivery date, downpayment and shipping. Even among friends, a contract formalizes everything so there's no confusion or hurt feelings.

It works best if you already like my work and my style because if I try to recreate someone else's style that you love, it probably won't turn out how either of us wants. So there's a bit of trust that I'm going to run with what we've discussed, and you won't see it until the end.

Below is a commission I did recently; flip through the pictures to see how I changed and re-changed a particular section (upper-middle-right) that I wasn't happy with: it went from too dark, to too blue, to starting over with white, to WAY too green, to the final peachy version in the end.

When I'm completely satisfied with the final product, I'll send you some photos and we'll set up a time to chat on the phone; but what if you don't like what I've painted?

Well if it's a matter of a particular area or tiny part of the work, no problem, tell me what's bothering you, and I'll tweak it. If it's that you hate the whole thing altogether, you are under no obligation to buy it, but unfortunately I won't be able to refund your deposit, since work has been done, materials purchased, etc. I will always try to work with you as much as possible to turn the painting into something you love.

I truly love collaborating on commissions and painting with someone in mind and working to make them happy. Obviously I love painting in general, but it's extra special and purposeful knowing that a home is already being made for the piece.

What to collaborate? Use the contact sheet to email me about commissioning a painting! I have 4 commission spots left for 2016 and look forward to working with you!