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8 Jul 19

Art Work Commissions: Do’s and Don’ts

You don’t need to be a Renaissance Medici to custom commission art, but you do need to ask yourself and the artist a few important questions.

The most successful commissions are done by artists who enjoy a lot of direction, for art buyers who don’t wish to micro manage every detail.

Do you feel comfortable establishing some firm expectations and then letting the artist create, yielding to the artistic process? Be aware some artists thrive with a lot of patron input; others wither and feel constrained. Have an honest conversation with any prospective commission artist, and ask them where they fall on this spectrum.

Insider Tip: If you determine custom work is not for you, some artists are willing to keep your preferences in mind when they create, without a commitment from you. In essence they will do a gently guided ‘soft commission’, and grant you right of first refusal upon completion. It’s worth asking.

But if you’re excited for the rich experience of commissioning art made just for you, here are tips and rules of the road to insure a happy outcome:

Commissioning site specific art is an exciting bespoke experience, but requires a high level of communication and trust between artist and collector.

Studio visits, color samples, and lots of conversation preceded this commission for a car loving client who found a kindred spirit in sculptor Bill Thompson.

Artists like Lisa Houck are inspired by client input. This commission began with the client’s suggestion of a Morning/Noon/Night theme for their master bedroom, and includes a cameo appearance of their beloved cockapoo.

Ready to take the plunge?

  1. Create a written contract between you and the artist, stipulating materials, size, due date, the price and the deposit amount and terms of the final payment upon completion of the art. Buyer beware: most commission deposits are 50% of the cost of the art, and non-refundable.
  2. If feasible include the creation of a model or drawing, for a small fee, at the onset. Some artists will apply the model fee to the price of the art if you go ahead. The artist will keep the model fee should you decline the commission. This is a crucial step, and helps to make sure everyone is on the same page.
  3. Expect a wait of 8 to 10 weeks for a standard commission, or months to years for major installations.
  4. Do not ask for any changes outside the original terms of the commission.
  5. Do ask the artist if you can see the work in progress at the half way point. If there has been a misunderstanding about expectations, they can sometimes be caught and corrected at this juncture.
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6 May 19

Top Tips for Living with Art

Let Eye Level Determine Height. Hang art high in hallways, because people always stand there, and low in dining rooms and near couches so it is seen to its best advantage by seated family and guests.

Art Can Outmaneuver Architecture. You don’t need to use only small art in small spaces. Placing an over sized piece in a diminutive space will give the area ‘big’ space personality and make an architectural liability into an asset.

Dianne Ramponi Interiors, Photo Michael J Lee

Site art work on dead end walls, especially in hallways where the side walls create a theatrical frame for the view of the art.

Nicole Hogarty Interiors, Photo Michael J Lee

Always keep in mind the relationships between works of art in a space, whether you see them at the same time or merely viewed in succession.

Photo Michael J Lee

Site the three-dimensional medium of sculpture where it can be seen from all sides to enhance the sculpture’s spatial presence. If that’s simply not possible, sculpture can be placed on a rotating pedestal, allowing the view to be changed with the turn of the base (here a particularly beautiful rotating pedestal by Dakota Jackson).

Leslie Fine Interiors, Photo Michael J Lee

Sunlight Eats Art! Fight Back and Harness It! Most works on paper, especially watercolor, should not be placed in strong sunlight. Instead, use mediums that don’t mind direct light like oil or acrylic on canvas. If you have an especially sunny spot, consider mediums like glass, dichroic glass or plexiglass which fracture light into gorgeous color, or art with iridescent properties.

Photo Russ Schleipman

Two Hooks = The End of Crooked Art Work. A simple trick for avoiding crooked art work on the wall is to hang it from two separate pieces of hardware, spread apart about one-third the width of the framed art.

Alberti Design Studio

Hire an Art Consultant. If all these considerations are daunting, consider working with a professional art consultant. If they work as I do, they will function as personal advisers. They will offer the widest selection of art, unlike galleries who feature a specific roster of gallery artists. Art consultants are more apt to do on site home and office art work presentations, taking the guess work out of how the art will look in the context of your home.

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8 Apr 19

Top Tips for Buying Art

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for Boston Design Week, Art + Design: How to Maximize SynergyBetween Art and your Home. Here’s a capsule version of some of what we shared:

1. Fall in Love

For most art buyers, the greatest value will be in the manner in which art feeds the soul, not how it performs as an investment. Good art will slowly accrue in value, but is illiquid. Unless you are interested in becoming an art connoisseur who has a chance of spotting the next Picasso in the crowd, or are willing to invest a great deal of money in established blue chip artists, buy art for the pleasure it gives, and invest in mutual funds.

Not sure where to start? Make a short list of adjectives describing how you wish to feel in the space where your art will go. Jot them down in writing, and stash in a corner of your wallet. Pull them out when vetting a prospective work of art. Does it embody those feelings? Do you love it, have to have it kind of love?

2. Trust Your Instincts

Most people find art galleries intimidating. If you don’t happen to like the art in the gallery, you may feel it must be because you are unsophisticated about art. Well, the best keep secret about art appreciation is this: you don’t need to be schooled in art to have strong, valid opinions about it. Your own subjective response is just that, and I encourage you to listen to your inner voice the same way you do when choosing colors and designs for your interior furnishings.

3. Prices Are Based on Some Very Concrete Factors

The price of a work of art, like the price of other commodities, is established by what the market will bear. In addition, prices are affected by tangible rites of passage, or milestones, in an artist’s career. These include purchase of an artist’s work by an important museum, corporate collection or private collector, exhibitions in prestigious galleries, or strong endorsement in critical art literature of note.

4. Plan Early for the Art

Whether you’re a homeowner or a design professional at the beginning of a redesign project, start by thinking about what role the art will play. Map out the most important art locations at the beginning, light those areas correctly and perhaps most importantly budget for the art with a reasonable allocation of funds for this most important part of any space.

To help with that planning, here’s a handy chart from our friends at Wolfers Lighting about how to place Art Accent Lighting. Graphics courtesy of Sarah Winchester Studios.

Accent Lighting
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