Big Commission - In Situ!

A Capitol Evening (detail), 60 x 72, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2017

Commissioned for the Dell Seton Medical Center, University of Texas

SOLD

Those who followed my posts at the start of the year will remember that I painted my largest painting ever, for the new teaching hospital at the University of Texas. It was a terrifying, but wonderful challenge for me. Well, I have an update. This past weekend, the Medical Center threw a grand opening party for the public to view the new facility. Below are pictures of my painting "in situ". That grin on my face lasted all day! (Okay, I am still glowing a bit.) I am honored and grateful beyond words to have my work showcased in this great institution of healing. 

Click HERE for original post on this piece. (The other two paintings I did for them were not viewable at the reception as some areas were closed off... no pics of those.)

The BIG ONE (60x72)... and Top 10 Tricks for a Successful Commission Project

A Capitol Evening, 60 x 72, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2017

Third of three commissions for Dell Seton Medical Center

New teaching hospital at University of Texas, Austin

This is the big one, friends... and it will be placed in the entrance lobby of the new medical center!!! How cool is that?? I do wish you could see it in person to get the sense of the scale and brushwork, but here are some close ups...

A Capitol Evening (detail)

A Capitol Evening (detail)

The canvas is so big that I had to have it delivered to my house (it doesn't fit in my car!) Then, I had to move my studio into our living room to work on it. Thankfully, my easel moves up and down for painting the bottom half, but I could only do the sky by standing on my garden bench! Let's just say, there were definitely some gymnastics involved, and I learned A LOT from all of it! 

I'm still mentally digesting the lessons of scaling up my process to such a large format. Some days went smoothly, some were a bit challenging, and still others were downright frustrating. (My husband would insert here that he was compelled to stage an intervention about halfway through... some discussions on the "ledge" and a whisking away to the movies were greatly needed!) Painting this large required some serious adjusting on my part, and more importantly, keeping my eyes on the goal. Happily, it all came together in the end! 

A lot of you have asked about the ins and outs of commission work and I promised some "take aways" about that. For some reason, there is an awkwardness involved in doing creative work for other people. It is really important to treat a commission like a business deal, and that's where it gets hard. To that end, here are some of my tricks for managing the process:

Top 10 Tricks for a Successful Commission Project

1. Get a signed contract. (Include painting design, fees, and project timetable.) 
2. Build in an extra fee for the "hassle factor". (20% add-on is my standard.)
3. Allow extra time in schedule for completing the work. (Life happens.)
4. Get a non-refundable down payment. (50% to get started is reasonable.)
5. Agree ahead of time on approval process. (Communication is everything.)
6. Document each stage. (And secure approval at designated checkpoints.)
7. Rearrange life. (Cancel lunches and take over the living room if necessary!)
8. Do the work and do not procrastinate. (Last minute equals disaster.)
9. No surprises. (Mid-project is not the time to "try a new idea".)
10. Meet deadlines - all of them. (And finish on time.)

I could write an essay on each one of these points, including stories of when I did it right and when I did it WAY wrong. But it all boils down to this... if I follow these guidelines, the whole process is better for my client and it is definitely better for me! It helps ME stay on schedule, and it helps us all stay on the same page. 

Second of Three Commission Paintings for New Medical Center

Capitol Profile, 34 x 44, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2017

Second of three commissions for Dell Seton Medical Center

New teaching hospital at University of Texas, Austin

As I shared in my last post, I kicked off 2017 with a 3-part commission for Austin's new medical center. See the first painting HERE. Each of the paintings commissioned is a cityscape, depicting a well-loved aspect of our very cool town (we love our home!) To say that I am excited to have been chosen for this project is a huge understatement. I am thrilled!

This piece features a profile view of the Capitol building, which is at the center of our downtown area. Of course, it is fenced in for safety purposes, but its "front yard" is a mass of sweeping lawns and paths, huge trees, and sculptures made to Texas history. And the inside of the building is stunningly grand. If you are ever in town, I highly recommend the tour. 

Some shots of the painting process... 

Blocking In

 Building up the painting with color

The Finished Piece - Capitol Profile, 34x44

An interesting story about shipping these commissions...

Since the art broker for this project is located out of town, I was asked to remove the paintings from their stretcher bars, roll them up, and ship them in a tube! It's a cheaper and safer way to transport them. The paintings will get re-stretched and framed at headquarters, and then come BACK to Austin to be installed at the new medical center! 

The painting, removed from the stretcher bars and rolled up between layers of glassine (an archival paper with a neutral ph protects the surface from rubbing and sticking).

Morning Blessing and Capitol Glow - upcoming show!

Morning Blessing, 24 x 24, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2013 - SOLD

Capitol Glow, 18 x 18, oil on canvas © 2013

These two paintings will be in my upcoming show...

Landscapes: Interior-Exterior 

Opening October 5, 2013 at the Davis Gallery in Austin, Texas.

The show will include landscapes of nature (my usual) AND landscapes of daily life (I've branched out to include interiors, exteriors and cityscapes). Painting for this exhibit has been a stimulating time of artistic stretching and personal discovery for me. I have been pretty much hibernating for these last few weeks and months to get the work done. Sometimes shutting down all distractions is mandatory. :)

After much thought about how to share these paintings with you, I have decided to reveal two images at a time - each from a different category. I had fun pairing them up and hope you will enjoy seeing their commonalities and differences. Please stay tuned!

Bright Lights - No Place Like Home

Bright Lights - Congress Avenue, 18 x 18, oil on panel, L. Daniel © 2013

SOLD

These are the bright lights of downtown Austin on a drippy wet evening. Our Texas State Capitol building is stunning in any weather (you know it's taller than the U.S. Capitol in Washington DC, don't you?) This piece is one of several that I painted for the upcoming "No Place Like Home" exhibit at the Davis Gallery. The opening reception is this Saturday... please come by if you are in town!

No Place Like Home

Davis Gallery Artists Group Show

Davis Gallery, 837 W. 12th, Street, Austin, TX

April 20 through May 25, 2013

Opening reception: Saturday, April 20, 7 to 9 pm

SketchCrawl 38 - world wide event!

Capitol Promenade, 8 x 9, graphite on paper, L. Daniel © 2013

Saturday was the 38th World Wide SketchCrawl, where willing artists around the world gather to sketch, and crawl, and sketch again... ultimately sharing their images and journaling over the internet. The event was started by San Francisco artist Enrico Casarosa in 2004 and it has grown larger every year. 

A group of us from Plein Air Austin and Austin Urban Sketchers (a meet up group) gathered to draw in the downtown Capitol area. It was a delightful way to spend the morning, and especially fun knowing that artists all over the world were doing the same thing! Greetings from downtown Austin!

11th and Congress, 7 x 8, graphite on paper, L. Daniel © 2012

Happy SketchCrawl participants in Austin, Texas