Behind The Scenes: A Recent Commission
Behind The Scenes of A Recent Commissioned Painting
A COVID Creation
I was delighted when two good friends that live in a beautifully remodeled home in Tarrytown, Austin, TX, commissioned me to do a realistic painting for their living area adjacent to their kitchen. This room is where the family spends much of their time, with two little ones under the age of two keeping them on their feet at all hours of the day. With a room of predominately all creams and neutrals, we knew we wanted pops of color that also maintained the subtle grays and brown undertones.
After months of deliberating the subject matter, this adorable duo decided that they would like to stick with one of the most common flowers and plants in Austin, the prickly pear cactus. I was elated because this flowering plant has so many layers - with the thorns, various bloom colors, and a wide range of warm and cool tones, I knew this would be a challenge I wanted to undertake!
I started this commission at the very beginning of COVID. While my clients knew they wanted a cactus, they gave me the artistic freedom to create the composition, which I’m so thankful for.
During the quarantine, I was going a tad bit stir-crazy being cooped up all day & decided to go on a walk after a large rainstorm subsided. On that day, so many blooming cacti flourished throughout Austin; I’d never seen anything like it. It was such a picturesque sight, seeing such beauty after a bad storm, & I knew a painting would have to come from it.
To me, this piece represents the silver linings that we’ve all had to uncover during whatever trial & tribulation we each faced. As 2020 comes to an end, I hope that you are able to find beauty after this storm & the flowers beneath the thorns.
After photographing and sifting through a sleuth of images I took of flowers during the months of April and May, we decided the above image was the perfect composition for this painting. I incorporated a mockup of what we could anticipate in the space, and then built the 48” x 36” hand-stretched canvas after receiving a green-light from the couple.
Realistic Prickly Pear Cactus Painting
I want my clients to be 100% satisfied with their painting, and hope that this process is as seamless as possible if you ever consider commissioning a painting! Think you would like to getting on the list? Hop on over to the ‘Commissions’ page to learn more, and also, never hesitate to contact me!
Our Favorite Art Lights…
Until next time,
Interested in discussing a commissioned painting? Click here to learn more!
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