When a client chooses five paintings and commissions a sixth

Some commissions begin with an email. Others with a message on social media.

And this one began with a motorbike outside my studio. 😄

The client first stopped by to see me during one of his motorbike rides. Unfortunately, I was not in the studio at the time. He called me, we chatted for a while and agreed that he would get in touch next time he was passing.

And one day, it all worked out.

When someone knows your paintings almost better than you do

When he finally came to the studio, I realised something quite quickly.

He seemed to have studied my entire website. 😄

He knew my paintings, knew which ones had caught his eye, and together we gradually looked through practically everything I had in the studio.

I always find these meetings interesting. On a website, you see a photograph, dimensions and a description. But when you stand in front of the original, you suddenly see the true colours, the texture, the brushstrokes and all the little details that a photograph can never quite convey.

And this time, after looking through the paintings, the client ended up reserving five of my paintings at once.

Naturally, I was absolutely delighted.

But our story did not end there.

What about creating one more?

Alongside the five finished paintings came a commission for a sixth.

This time, though, it was not a painting already finished and waiting in my studio.

The client wanted me to paint his father as a young man.

The brief appealed to me almost immediately. We wanted to preserve his true likeness and a more realistic approach to the portrait, while also giving the painting a bold Pop Art style.

I loved the idea of combining a realistic portrait with bold colours.

A realistic portrait that is not afraid of colour

For me, the most important thing in a portrait is to capture the person. It is not enough simply to paint the eyes, nose and mouth in the right places. The finished painting needs expression and something that makes the person truly recognisable.

In this case, I was also working with the client’s father as he had looked in his youth. I wanted to preserve his character and likeness while interpreting the portrait in my own artistic style.

The face remained more realistic, while I allowed myself much greater freedom with colour.

Bold blue, pink and yellow, contrasting shadows and textures in the background gradually created exactly the energy I wanted the painting to have.

And I must say that I really enjoyed this commission.

It was different. Colourful. Personal.

And those are exactly the kinds of challenges I love.

A commissioned painting need not be a copy of a photograph

This matters to me.

When I paint a portrait from a photograph, I do not want to create merely a painted copy of it. The photograph gives me a starting point, but I want to give the finished painting a character of its own.

Pop Art offers enormous scope for just that.

I can play with colour, contrast, the background and the overall atmosphere while preserving the likeness of the person in the portrait.

The result is more than a memory based on a photograph.

It becomes an original painting with a personal story.

And that is what I love most about commissioned paintings.

Handing over the paintings somewhere halfway

Eventually, the moment came when everything was finished.

The five chosen paintings and a sixth alongside them: the commissioned portrait.

As we lived some distance apart, we kept the handover simple. We agreed to meet somewhere halfway.

Handing over finished paintings is a special moment for me.

For days or weeks, the painting is there in front of me. I watch it gradually take shape, walk past it, think about it, return to the details and sometimes make a few last-minute adjustments.

Then the day comes when I wrap it up and hand it over to the person it was created for.

And the painting’s journey continues without me.

Commissions like this are exactly why I love my work

I feel wonderful about this whole commission.

Of course, I was delighted that one person chose five of my paintings at once. Let’s be honest: five paintings in one go will make any artist happy. 😄

But what made me even happier was how our story began and where it eventually led.

That first phone call, when the client found I was away from the studio, led to a meeting in person, five paintings chosen and, finally, one entirely new painting.

A portrait of his dad as a young man.

Commissions like this remind me why I enjoy my work so much.

Every painting can have its own story. Sometimes I create that story, and the painting then finds its owner.

At other times, someone comes to me with a story of their own, and I have the chance to bring it to life on canvas.

And that may be the most beautiful part of my work.

Because I never know who will next open my studio door, or what story they will bring.