Whenever I attend artist demonstrations, I always take a particular interest in analyzing their color palettes. Color choice is unique to each artist and often becomes something that distinguishes and defines their work. One of my favorite contemporary artists, Alvaro Castagnet, famously uses bright red in many of his urban scenes and is known as "The Passionate Painter". Red is not only arguably the boldest color to put to canvas or paper, it always seems to carry a lot of emotion and in some cultures, even luck!  On the cooler end of the spectrum, ultramarine blue historically was very expensive and rare, so artists reserved it for only the most important figures in their work, such as the Virgin Mary in biblical scenes. Luckily this pigment is far more accessible and affordable today, as it is one of my favorite colors to use.

I tend to gravitate towards the cool colors on my palette, with yellows and oranges making their appearance mainly in sunny landscapes. I generally stay away from red as I find it too "loud" for most of my natural northwest scenes. I exclusively use Daniel Smith artist grade watercolors because they have very concentrated pigment, and there are so many beautiful colors to chose from.  A few of my must-have colors that generally get used in every painting include:

- manganese blue hue
- ultramarine blue 
- cerulean
- indigo
- carbazole violet
- phthalo turquoise
- phthalo green
- burnt umber

If you're new to painting, a good idea is to start with a warm and cool tone for each primary color (yellow, red, and blue), along with some earth tones like burnt umber and raw sienna. As you start to discover what colors you gravitate towards, you can expand your selection. A lot of artists chose to exclude greens (and sometimes all secondary colors) from their palette and prefer to make their own for each application. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with this practice, my own preference is to include a few greens, as sometimes it is impossible to mix a certain bright green or orange hue with primary colors available. 

Color is a true gift to the senses and, as an artist, a wonderful spectacle to observe and interpret. My palette is ever changing, how lucky we are to live in an age with so many choices!

When I, and many artists, go quiet on social media it is often because we're busy on one or several commissions. Since commissions are often personal in nature, I don't tend to share them online but they certainly keep me busy! Sometimes when I meet art collectors they never thought of commissioning artwork but love the idea of having input into a unique original work that they can pass down for generations.  Theses are some of the top reasons I've noticed for commissioning original art:

1. To capture a special person, pet, or place 
Portraits are one of my most popular commission requests, despite publicly being a landscape painter! I do enjoy portraiture and it is wonderful to bring someone to life with a paintbrush. Equally, a special place, like a favorite vacation spot or wedding location, can bring back cherished memories. The biggest advantage with commissioning an artwork is instead of just displaying photographs, your images can be tweaked and changed to present an idealized composition.  Love a particular photo of your child or loved one, but hate the lighting and background?  Love a vacation photo but hate that there were other people or cars in the shot?  These things can all be changed in a painting!  The possibilities are endless, and the final piece will be everything you love about a person, pet, or place.

2. To invest in original art by an up and coming artist
Original art is big business! Some of the most famous artists today have original works sell for tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Imagine investing in a local artist's original work, watching them grow nationally and internationally through the decades, and then having a big return on your investment? Of course, if it were that easy to know which artists would be highly successful, they would have year long waiting lists for commissions and exclusive high-end gallery sales from the start. It is difficult to predict success, but a unique and skilled body of work, local and national recognition, ambition, passion, and a dedicated following are things to look for when looking to invest in art. 

3. To create a custom piece that fits a specific place and color scheme/theme in a room
Ever searched for the perfect piece of accent furniture or wall art only to find that as far as you know, exactly what you want doesn't exist? That is when people look for bespoke work. When you commission an original painting, you can choose the size, color scheme, and theme. Of course not every artist will be interested in taking on every subject of work, so it is best to find an artist that fits the style you like. 

4. To be part of the artistic process
Much of my repeat patronage is from art collectors that love being part of the artistic process and journey. The patron usually presents the initial ideas and concept, we work together towards perfecting the vision, and share thoughts and ideas about the progress along the way.  At the end of the process we've both put a bit of ourselves into the finished piece and I am repeatedly told how these pieces are enjoyed not just for the subject represented but also for the memories of creating it.

If any or all of the above intrigues you, please feel free to get in touch today with any questions you may have about commissioning artwork!