Thursday, April 1, 2010

Those Dreaded Comissions

"Hot Rodder"
(watercolor)

This Artisans Road Trip blog features Barb McGee, a painter whose studio is located in the Ridge and Tallgrass region of A.R.T. - in Peterson, Iowa. Barb's favored mediums are watercolor and oil, and her subject matter is generally western in theme, and (although not limited to) equine.

"Megan's Painting"
(watercolor)

Barb is speaking today on her views of commissioned works:

"There are two sides to every issue and the same is true of commissions. Almost every artist
I know hates to do commissions and they growl the whole time they are doing them. Because of the type of work that I do, it seems that I am blessed with a number of them. I have devised a plan that sometimes works well for me and my client. If it is at all possible, I will go and take my own photographs of the subject. I will usually take twenty or thirty shots and then all we have to do is download to their computer and choose which one we want to use for the painting. This method gives both of us input into the painting but allows me to feel like it is my own creation.

Kathy's Folks
(watercolor)

On the other side of the coin are the commissions that drive us all wild AUGH !!! Here are three different pictures of my dad's dead horses can you do a painting of them??? Of course all of the snapshots are from 20 ft away and none are really what you would call attractive and one of them is turned in the opposite direction, what do you do then? PUNT, IMPROVISE, then I praise God that when it is done, they will come and get it and give me a check. It won't be collecting dust in the gallery for the rest of my natural life. Yeah for commissions?????"

"Alexis Foot"
(watercolor)

You can see more of Barb McGee's artwork on her art websites - McGee Gallery & Framing, and Horses by McGee.

Stop back
on occasion and see what the artisans of A.R.T. are up to, their thought process, or typical day in the studio or in the field!

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