Commissions

I love doing commission work and find that it is a great opportunity to challenge my artistic skills and connect with the collector. Be it a house or other building, large landscape, a mural, plants, an abstract, or an animal, I am usually down to paint it. I love working with a variety of mediums from acrylics, watercolours, pencil and ink, pastels and enjoy incorporating collage and metallics into my pieces. 

I’m always open to challenging myself, and would love to paint more houses, abstracts, cars, cats and large landscapes. If the project is completely out of my wheel house or does not spark joy for me, I will not take it on, because if I’m not excited about a project I feel like that reflects in the quality of the work.

Subject Matter

Commissions start with a conversation of what you’re hoping to have created. This could be a recreation of a piece I have done previously but perhaps in a different colour palette. It could be your grandmothers house, a valley view or a specific animal. I ask that you send me as many reference photos as possible so I can get a feel for the project.

Colour

I work with a wide variety of colours. As each colour can spark different emotions for people, I like to get a feel of what you like and don’t like. Some people detest pinks but love blues. Others are looking for a more neutral palette or black and white. As this is a custom piece made specifically for you (or a loved one), it is important to discuss the colours you want to show in the piece. 

Some collectors are completely open to throwing caution to the wind and give me full artistic freedom to use whatever colours I want, which is great, but if you specifically hate a certain hue, I want to know about it. 

Sketch 

I like to come up with a few different sketches for your consideration. The more reference material I have to work with helps me create options for you. Sketches are done with pencil and paper and are quite loose. I am working on learning how to use Procreate so I am slowly moving towards digital sketches. These are not exact replicas of the painting but at least give you an idea of placement and provide me with an opportunity to figure out size options.

Quote & Deposit 

I will email you sketch options along with a table detailing different sizes and price options. Once a size has been selected, I require a 25% deposit to start in order to source the materials I need to create the piece. Cost of a commission depends on the size, difficulty and detail of the piece

The balance of payment is made once the piece is completed and ready for pick up.

Progress Photos & Updates

If you’re following along on instagram (@jackalope.art.co), I typically update progress shots and videos to my stories. However, if you’re not on instagram or social media, I can happily email or text progress photos to you. Feel free to reach out any time for updates. I try my best to respond within 24 hours. 

Timeline

I am working towards becoming a full-time artist, but in the meantime I work a full-time office gig and paint in the evenings, weekends and booked off vacation time. This means that a piece can take one to two months to complete. I usually have three to four different commissions on the go at any one time. If your custom piece is a gift and you require it by a specific date, please let me know while we’re in the initial stages of discussing the project. I also offer gift wrapping at no extra charge. 

Essay & Playlist 

I pour a lot of time and energy into each commission project and love to write. Each large commission comes with an essay about specific details on the piece itself and what I was going through while I created it. I am a huge music nerd and have been creating mixtapes and playlists for nearly 25 years, so each essay also comes with a playlist consisting of five to twenty five songs of what inspired the work or what I was listening to at that time. Essays and playlists are at zero additional cost, they’re just a fun way for me to exercise my writing skills and share some music with you. A wonderful way to connect with the collector. If you’re a music buff as well, let me know what you’re favourite bands/songs are and that can influence the work as well! 

Installation 

If you’re unsure of where to display your new custom piece, we can make arrangements to discuss via facetime or zoom. You can send me a photo of the room with measurements of the wall. Or alternatively, if you are local and want me to install for you, I would be more than happy to help by coming over and hanging the piece for you (provided that we follow Covid protocols and you are comfortable with allowing me into your space). 

If you are interested in your own custom piece, or have additional questions, please feel free to reach out to me and I would be more than happy to discuss with you.