I love to try new things and subjects but I prefer to do that on my own clock; meanwhile, I enjoy creating things for others because I like hearing what people love about their favorite places and why. This list below describes the commission process, where my strengths are, and what you can expect.

Pace:

I do about 1 or 2 paintings a month, depending on size. I queue them up in my To Do list, which I try to keep updated. It usually takes 2-3 weeks to do a painting depending on the sizecan work with deadlines.

Subjects:

What makes a commission? It's an agreement between me and you to create something on spec, for a price, to your satisfaction.

I'm best with landscapes, particularly if they've got some man-made objects in there, like buildings or boats or vehicles or something. Pure nature landscapes? I'm meh, I'll admit it. Portraits? Also not so much. Photo or Hyper-realism? Kind of a headache to create, though I do love looking at it.

But if you want a busy, colorful landscape or a bold cityscape, or even some weird little private sentimental spot done up just for you in happy caricature: Yay! This is my favorite thing to do. I tend to prefer views I've seen myself, so that lends itself to certain familiar landscapes, but not always. So your old neighborhood or your current view or your best summer memory in bright, wiggly, Saturday morning cartoon style? I specialize in that. I also tend to like funky skies and lots of rainbow color; hopefully that works with your fondest memories.

Not Sure? Suggest a subject. I may do it anyway, pending my current list of things on the go. I'm always looking for ideas, so here is what I look for when I am sussing out a subject:

• Should be a recognizable local Vancouver or BC scene - a quintessential image, e.g. Lion's Gate Bridge, Vancouver sulfur piles, Granville Island, BC Place, Harbour Center, and so on.
• Should have some man-made objects in there - for some reason, I just like doing buildings and boats and things.
• Should have rule of 3rds composition and three planes - either existing or something I can invent
• I tend to like iconic detail - especially those characteristic traits that identify a scene, like a recognizable building or landmark.
• I tend to prefer lots of blues and greens, but I am really trying to work with warmer colors!
• I adore skies, natch, Libra air sign, so should have some air element, or at least the potential for a big sky.
  

Pricing:

See my price sheet. I usually ask for a 25% down payment.

How it works:

Give me an idea of the subject, and we'll settle on a size and price. Then I usually ask a bunch of questions and get as many reference photos as I can. I usually work from photos, but I don't want the perfect photographic composition off the bat. Actually, if you can give me a photo or four that you've taken yourself of the location, it just seems to work better because people will instinctively capture what they love most even if they don't claim to be good photographers. And if you're familiar with my paintings, you'll see that I don't follow perspective or spatial laws or anything like that. I crowd it all in, because that's what we see on a really good day, no? Everything!

I will want to know why you love a scene - what stands out and why? What is your favorite time of day and season for that scene? Also, where would you potentially put the painting? What kind of colors you have in your decorating scheme? It helps to have a photo of where it may be hanging, but not necessary. If you can give me an idea of how to make it match, that helps guide the palette, if you want that. Otherwise, we tend to end up in rainbow territory because I *love* color.

I'll start off by giving you a sketch or a roughly photoshopped example of what areas I'm going to focus on. Then I'll get started on the painting part - and I will post my progress so you can see how things are coming along. We may go through a few iterations and you'll give me feedback on what's working or not. You'll have your choice of canvas size, aspect ratio, thickness, varnish or not. I'll make some recommendations, but it's really up to you.

Done:

Once you're happy, then it's done. I keep the copyright on the image, which means if I want to make a coffee mug or mousepad something with it down the line, I can, but you get the original painting and the corresponding Certificate of Authenticity and any publicity that comes with it. At the end of the day, that's the investment bit, anyway.

So, if all the above sounds good - feel free to contact me.