First Commission Complete!
Back in August, I had the pleasure of being contacted by one of my neighbors back on the street where I grew up in Maine. She had seen my website and had recently noticed that my online store just opened. After a few email exchanges and an in-person meeting during a vacation to visit my parents, she commissioned me to paint a picture of her house.
This was a very special painting for me. Not only was it my first official commission, but it was for a dear neighbor that I have known since a very early age. Additionally, her son and I were very good friends growing up and I estimate I spent as much time at their house as I did in my own back then.
Being on site in person during vacation was a great opportunity to get the reference imagery I needed for the painting. Given the angle of the house, I determined that the morning light would be best. Golden hour would have been ideal, but given the trees to the east, that would have been too early to get any sunlight on the house. So, I had to wait until about 10 am to start getting the best pictures. You can notice the shadows from the trees in the front yard as the sun was continuing to rise. After capturing several angles, I had enough to take home and start painting.
As with all of my recent paintings, I took an impressionism approach to this one. I sketched the imagery out on a prepared canvas first to ensure proper placement and dimensions. After that, I blocked in some initial color and then painted the scene over the course of a few sessions (see progress photos below). The color of the house was one of the most challenging parts of this painting. The house itself is a darker blue - almost navy blue. However, with the bright sunlight shining directly on it, the tone brightens up significantly. It took a few passes to get it right. Conveying the notion of horizontal wooden slats on the side of the house was also tricky, as individual slats would have been too much detail for this style of painting. Instead, I used the broken color technique to layer several shades of blue along the side of the house to depict the siding.
Overall, I’m incredibly pleased with how this one turned out (anything else would be unacceptable for a commission). The house is framed nicely by the shadows in the front yard, the bright blue sky, and the surrounding trees. I also put a special emphasis on the red bud tree in the center of the painting, as that was an important aspect for the customer.
If you’re interested in a custom commission of your own, head on over to the online store and place an order! Any questions about the process or a desire to consult about the subject before placing an order, please reach out to contact me directly!
