Falling Leaves

Once in a while a client allows me to do whatever I want. Obviously, what I want is to please my client. But pleasing anyone is a funny thing. The truth is there are those who will never be pleased. Fortunately, those people rarely commission a portrait from me because to commission an artist is a tremendous act of faith. That is difficult for some people.

I think those who commission a portrait from me know they will be pleased, even before I show them my work. That’s why I rarely worry about pleasing people. The people who commission me are the rare portion of the population who understand the collaborative process and actually enjoy jamming and building an idea with an artist they respect. In a great collaboration everyone is adding something to the final product which is often much greater than the some of ideas.

Musicians know this. Perhaps, my music background prepared me for a career as an artist. The sum was definitely greater than the parts with this project. It didn’t hurt that the clients are both musicians. But even with non-musicians, I have found that to be true in almost every commission I have had the pleasure of doing, over 45 years.

Making a commission piece is a sacred trust. And I think people instinctively know I feel that way. Because in the end, it goes both ways.

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