COMMISSIONING ARTWORK


Commissioning a painting is a wonderful opportunity for collectors to have a personalized, original piece of art in their home, office or other space. Unlike buying a pre-existing painting, a commission gives clients the ability to customize a painting to their specific requirements, including size, color and aesthetic preferences.

At Laasya Art, we frequently coordinate commissions by leading Indian artists on behalf of our clients, and we work closely with each client throughout the process from conceptualization to delivery. If you are interested in commissioning a piece by one of our artists, it is important to first understand if the process is right for you.


Senaka-client-home-dining-room-before

This client sought a new, large-scale painting for their dining room, but they did not have a particular artist or theme in mind. We tried out a few works by different artists and ultimately decided to go with a commission by artist Senaka Senanayake.

Senaka-client-home-dining-room-after

The clients found Senaka’s white lotuses to be the most appealing theme among the many subjects from his Rainforest series. So, we commissioned a large painting with this theme. The final work simply exudes positive energy, and the lotus flowers feel pure and fresh.


BP before 3 websize

The clients had a very minimalistic home and were drawn to a similarly sophisticated painting by artist Bharti Prajapati that was rooted in India, yet contemporary in its treatment. However, they required a larger size canvas in order to make an impact on the double height walls of their entryway and stairwell.

Bharti Prajapati blog

To add visual depth while maintaining an understated color palette, Bharti added design elements like sand dunes, earthen pots and goats, as well as using a wide range of cream and grey hues. The entire project, from ideation to supervising installation, was also done entirely over video calls.


Seema-Commission-before

The client was instantly drawn to the way artist Seema Kohli captures the inner strength of the feminine in her art. As the client herself had gone through a challenging time during Covid, yet felt she emerged from the experience stronger, she wanted the painting’s theme to center “on rebirth, like a Phoenix rising from the ashes… to live life more fully and completely. To seize the moment and go for it.”

painting by seema kohli at client home

Inspired by the client’s story, Seema chose to depict Gajalakshmi, who emerged from the churning of the oceans of milk. Lakshmi, holding the Saptrashmi (the rainbow), represents hope and bestows the power to ascend to higher levels of consciousness. Seema focused the canvas on one central narrative and kept the color palette vibrant yet soft, thereby conveying a poignant ‘silence’ in the final commission.


Is a commissioned painting right for you?

In most cases, clients have a clear vision with specific requirements for size, colors and theme when they decide to commission an original painting. Sometimes, they have fallen in love with a painting that has sold, and they would like to commission a similar image with a few adaptations. Other times, they want a completely customized painting created by a specific artist, tailored to the exact dimensions and color scheme of their space. Commissions also often involve large-scale paintings or other non-standard sizes that the artist does not typically produce.

If you decide to move forward, here is what you should gather in preparation for your custom painting:

  • Images and dimensions of the wall where the painting will hang
  • Images that convey a 360 view of the room, to give the gallery and artist a sense of the lighting conditions, decor and colors.
  • Preferred dimensions of the commissioned painting itself

Anuradha-commission-empty-wall-final

When the clients reached out to the gallery, they had already settled on a commission by artist Anuradha Thakur. Together, we determined that they most loved the dynamic energy in compositions with women dancing in a circle, in the Garba style. As the wall where the painting would hang was narrow, we went with a 5 x 4 foot vertical format for the canvas to have enough breathing room.

Anuradha-commission--wall

The clients had shades of blue and gray throughout the room, in addition to a bookcase painted in the color “Seaworthy,” so Anuradha introduced this specific hue into the painting to connect to the existing decor. She also incorporated a saturated “rani” pink to offset this dark blue, for a new, breathtaking combination! The clients loved the painting and said that it enlivened the home.


Commission a painting by Jagannath Paul

The client envisioned a bold, ‘clean’ painting that would be a conversation starter, as well as make an impact on the living room’s 25 foot high walls. He wanted the painting to feature elements of Bengali culture, a perfect fit for artist Jagannath Paul who also grew up in West Bengal.

Commission a painting by Jagannath Paul

The final painting measures 9 x 9 feet, comprising 4 paintings each measuring 4.5 x 4.5 feet. The single pair of faces highlights the details in the background, such as key landmarks in Kolkata and legendary figures like Rabindranath Tagore and Subhash Chandra Bose.


Nishant commission before

The clients had a very modern house with high ceilings and an entire wall of glass windows, which filled their living room with bright natural light. They were seeking a large 5 x 5 foot commission and were immediately taken by the bold, striking style of artist Nishant Dange.

Nishant Dange client home commission (shared Aug 21)

Although the clients felt certain that the composition should feature a woman’s face with butterflies, we were unsure of the background color and experimented with 3 options of red, blue and yellow. We eventually settled on a golden yellow color, with scarlet details on the wings.


How the commissioning art process works

Here are the basic steps of conceptualizing and coordinating a custom painting by a contemporary Indian artist.

  • Ideation
    The client outlines their general concept and preferences with the gallerist. In person or over video chat, the gallerist will also visit the client’s space to see and measure where the painting will hang.
  • Customization
    The client, gallerist, artist and designer work together as a team to determine the subject, colors, measurements, textures and any other variables that are important to consider while developing a custom work.
  • Finalization
    The client and gallerist finalize the brief for the artist and nail down all specifics.
  • Preparation
    Based on the client’s brief, the artist prepares an intermediate sketch of the painting and shares this with the client and gallerist for approval.
  • Production
    Once the intermediate sketch is approved, the artist can begin the final painting. Commissioned paintings typically take about two to three months to complete, depending on the artist’s schedule and prior commitments.
  • Delivery
    The gallery regularly communicates with both client and artist until the painting is ready for delivery.

Basuki-Blank-wall

This client approached us to commission a painting for their study, where they frequently hold work meetings. Their brief was twofold: first, they wanted a painting with a “global feel” that did not represent a particular country, culture or religion. Second, they wanted the painting to have a soft vibe, to complement the existing color palette of the room.

Final-work-on-the-wall-Basuki

The client was drawn to artist Basuki Das Gupta’s style, so we developed a few themes and finally honed in on one of his existing floral panels. We then fine tuned the colors to sync with the sofa, table and wall color of the study. At the client’s request, Basuki also incorporated the names of their children in the painting in a discrete way.


Ramesh Gorjala commission client home before (only for blog)

After admiring artist Ramesh Gorjala’s work for a long time, this client decided to commission a painting of Hanuman, inspired by her family’s tradition of chanting Hanuman Chalisa every night. The artist was given very specific measurements to follow, since the painting would ultimately hang in a narrow wooden panel above the fireplace.

webRamesh Gorjala commission client home (Jun 21) (1)

Ramesh Gorjala designed a composition that would best fit the vertical canvas. He then used color sparingly, to keep the visual focus on the figure of Hanuman. Upon seeing the finished painting for the first time, the client was overcome with emotion, and this commission will certainly be a cherished reminder of family memories for many years to come.


bLANK

The client approached Laasya Art specifically with Nilofer Suleman in mind, as she adored the old world charm and sepia tones. After multiple conversations with both the client and artist, we settled on a series of three paintings, each with a different concept. The first painting would be a scene at a photography studio, the second at a tailor, and for the third, Nilofer suggested Bade Miyan, a popular street food joint in the client’s hometown of Mumbai.

Nilofer

In addition to “old world” elements such as hanging lanterns and miniature-style patterns, Nilofer also incorporated text in English and Urdu. The client was absolutely delighted with these details as well as the special references to her hometown, particularly Bade Miyan which was one of her favorite restaurants. Ultimately, the client chose to hang the paintings together in a straight line.


Tips for Commissioning Artwork

From the gallery’s perspective, here are our best tips on how to commission artwork smoothly and successfully.

  • Always work with an experienced gallerist who will be able understand your vision and communicate to the artist, as well as know the artist’s style, strengths and limitations.
  • Understand your likes as well as your dislikes regarding color, theme and other details. An artwork is a long-term investment and the painting will likely be on display in your home for many years — know your preferences so you can confidently make aesthetic decisions.
  • Learn about the artist that you will be commissioning and review their portfolio thoroughly, in order to understand what you love most about their work and what you would like to include in your own custom painting.
  • Invest time upfront to customize your commission painting. Be careful not to rush this part!
  • Trust the artist. Once you have agreed on the brief and intermediate sketch, give the artist space to get into their creative flow and deliver a phenomenal painting.

aNURADHA-Commission-before

The client absolutely loved artist Anuradha Thakur’s work and knew she wanted a painting by her. The client also had a specific vision for the painting: women dancing in unison, full of joy, like “when a peacock dances in the first rain.” As the painting would be the first thing that guests see when entering the home, the commission needed to have a “wow” factor.

aNURADHA-Commission-after copy

We developed two different concepts with the artist with a strong recommendation for one of them, which the client preferred too. Since the space did not have much natural light, we also intentionally picked a lighter color palette, skipping the darker hues in Anuradha’s signature rainbow gradation. The final effect was a truly stunning, exuberant painting.


JP before websize

The client was drawn to artist Jagannath Paul’s bold aesthetic from the beginning, with his vibrant colors and striking faces. Due to the lack of natural light in the room and dark wood paneling on the walls, it was important to emphasize bright colors and limit the use of charcoal in the painting.

Jagannath Paul

Inspired by another painting of Jagannath’s which incorporated words from a love poem by Rabindranath Tagore, the client requested to similarly use Tagore’s famous poem “Where the mind is without fear.” Once hung, the overall effect was stunning and brought a brighter, cheerful vibe to the previously dim space.

To learn more about the commissioning process, read our recent blog posts above, or browse recent testimonials below. To schedule a consultation, please reach out to us at info@laasyaart.com.

RECENT COMMISSIONED ARTWORKS: CASE STUDIES


TESTIMONIALS


Ganesh | Mixed media on canvas |  18 x 14 inches | Sold

We wanted to create a painting with a unique aesthetic that was a reflective of who we were and that matched the upholstery and carpet in that room.

We always liked Ramesh Gorjala’s work and the usual sizes he created did not work for the space we had in mind. We knew we would need to do a custom work. We liked the Ganesh motif and wanted to go with that.

Sonia and I looked went over his recent works to identify what we liked. Sonia was open and ready to experiment. It was a collaborative and pleasurable experience overall and as a team, we worked towards matching the vision we had for this painting in terms of look, colors and size.

Sonia spoke to the artist and once we commissioned the painting, she kept us in the loop on the work in progress including showing us an image of the painting as it unfolded. That was helpful in removing the nervousness and uncertainty we felt about the process initially.

The process was pretty quick and once we saw the final painting, it felt well worth it!

Sri Ramakrishnan
California, USA


Ethnic Serendipity178-54''x 30''-18

I fell in love with Anuradha Thakur’s paintings when I saw them at Sonia’s gallery but was looking for a particular size to fit above my mantel, which was not available at the time. Imagine my surprise and pleasure when I found that the artist was open to commissioned paintings! My husband and I suggested one style that we liked and the size and left it to the artist to paint her magic.

Within a few days we had received a sketch from the artist. We suggested a small change which the artist incorporated readily and in a few weeks we had the beautiful painting shipped from India and hanging above our mantel. We couldn’t be happier with our experience. The painting has received raves from our friends who love the burst of color and intricate detailing that are the hallmark of Thakur’s work.

V.P
California, USA


Sumana Chowdhury | Contemporary Indian Artist | Sea Surge | Oil on canvas | 36 x 48 inches

Sonia Patwardhan of Laasya Arts is what I was looking for in an art professional. She is very knowledgeable, willing to spend a lot of time and helpful in educating someone with limited knowledge of fine art. Sonia is also well-connected with art circles in India and has the ability to find appealing art styles from a wide variety of artists. Her pricing is also very reasonable compared to more established art galleries, and she can find art that is comparable or similar to other sources. I have personally bought art from her and would highly recommend her to anyone looking for fine art and wanting to get educated about it.

Rajiv P.
California, USA