You Can Hire an Artist

One of the most exciting aspects of the work I do is working with people to create custom art work or greeting cards.  I have found that clients also enjoy being a part of the process by giving me an idea of what their preferences might be and helping to make decisions for a project. 

Custom art is sometimes commissioned for one’s own satisfaction, say  to create paintings based on a theme for decorating a room in one’s home.  But just as often projects are requested as a gift to others, such as a drawing for a retiring colleague, or a special birthday portrait.  Custom art becomes more meaningful to the recipient because the content will have elements that have personal associations.  This content can be as simple as a favorite color or as complex as the documentation of entire family reunion at Disney World.  Any subject can be the basis for a custom art project.  All it takes to get started is to contact me by email with a description of your idea. 

I thought an explanation of how some projects have come about might help illustrate how the process of creating a custom request begins and the results that follow.

A photograph from a coach/bus enthusiast was sent for consideration.  The image was of the famous Routemaster double-decker buses of London.  The idea was to use the buses as the subject for  note cards.  I thought it best to emphasize the buses as the subject by removing the street scene.  I left in some of the pedestrians to create a spatial reference in the composition.  As I made the painting it occurred to me that because of the bright red color this subject could easily be used to make a unique Christmas greeting card as well by adding some greenery to the buses.  So I used a little artistic license and added some wreaths to the bus fronts and Seasons Greetings at the bottom.  So out of this process I have as a result three products, the original painting, the note cards and the Christmas cards created from the painting. 

 

 

 

 

 

Additionally I was sent another bus image which I found to be a wonderful subject on which to base a painting because of the rich color and wet look of the surfaces.  The  painting was done on archival-quality watercolor paper.  It will be framed to be given as a gift, but I think it would also make a nice image for a note card as well, if floated on a card with a white border.  So from the initial knowledge of a person’s interest in coaches/buses we have come up with several options for projects, all realized from just two photographs. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another way custom art projects begin is by a client’s expression of his or her own interests.  For example I made several paintings for a family to decorate the rustic-looking home they were building in Colorado.  They requested that I make some work influenced by Native American Art.  I did some research into some old authentic Native American drawing styles and symbols and used that information as inspiration.  The clients request was that all the pieces be four feet square so there was some continuity in the format and the installation.  The results are three paintings and two relief collages on wood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For this project then there was no initial photograph or memorabilia from which to begin the project.  I was given a genre and needed to develop the art work subjects.  After some research and preliminary work, I presented some sketches with detailed explanations to the client which were approved before the final paintings were begun. 

I presume each custom art project I take on might be a bit different and require a new approach.  That possibility is challenging but it also makes my work fun for me.  So let me hear from you and let’s see what we can do.  Describe to me what you might want to consider for yourself or someone close to you.  

Kathleen Benton 

(Click on images to enlarge and read details.  Click again to return to page.) 

Bus photographs used with permission of the photographers. 

 

 

© 2008 All rights reserved Kathleen Benton | You Can Hire an Artist

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