NEW COMMISSION - LONG POINT, ONTARIO

Hey y'all!
I have been a busy guy this last few months with commissions.
BUT THIS ONE is really great.....ok.....maybe I always say that......but I am really pleased with the latest commish.
So, I have clients that bought a couple of smaller works back in 2005.....they were pleased with the works, but finally wanted to commit to a great BIG statement piece for their new home.
Recently they moved out to Calgary, but they wanted a reminder of their former cottage in Long Point, Ontario....let me save you the trouble of Googling......

Long Point is a sand spit and medium-sized hamlet on the north shore of Lake Erie, part of Norfolk County in Ontario. It is about 40 kilometres long and is about a kilometre across at its widest point. Lake Erie lies to the south of Long Point, and the waters to the north side comprise Long Point Bay. The bay is subdivided into the Inner Bay and Outer Bay by a line that runs between Turkey Point to the north and Pottahawk Point to the south. Some of the towns along the bay's north shore include Port Rowan, Turkey Point and Port Dover. Long Point is north and across the lake from Erie, Pennsylvania.

So........first step for me is to ask the clients for the key things that they would like featured in the commission. The custom work is about making something that the client will LOOOOVE, so it is important to start on the same page.

Thankfully, these clients really 'get' what my art is about.....so it was a very painless process!!
1. the humour was KEY!
2. they liked the idea of fishing being involved somehow
3. colour is important  (especially oranges and purples)
4. They gave me a few quotes that they LOVE and I chose the one I thought might work best:

"Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope.” -- DR SUESS

We knew there would be a quote - that there would be some vintage elements, and then a cool "poster". They sent me a bunch of links to Long Point things including links about all the shipwrecks.....

It seems that there is something called "The Long Point Triangle" (like the Bermuda Triangle - except on Lake Erie!) and the whole idea intrigued me - for the poster area....

To read more about it CLICK HERE!

At first, I thought that this would be a general layout:

It was ok....until I found the following reference that CHANGED IT ALL!

I really liked this one!!! So I took a number of different reference shots from the internet and Google Maps and made THIS rendering with place markers for the soon to be designed bits and bobs:

It was a hit. Next I went to finding some inspiration for the poster.....and found this:

LOVED IT.....so I went back to work to create all the other elements for the piece.

Here is the final rendering that got the go ahead:

It has fish......the cool triangle poster.....that featured the local lighthouse, and then the quote!

(I made a fisherman with a telescope to reference the quote!!)

THEN I got to work....here are the progress shots along the way:

I love this part of the process - it looks cool and ghostly!

I added a bunch of purples and oranges into the boat garages.

It began to shape up pretty fast!!!

Soon it was time to block in the 'poster' part

I then blocked in the fish artwork and the paper that the quote was to be painted onto. 

I then added some aging, and the folds and final touches to the poster

THIS WAS THE FINAL PAINTING (sorry to yell - but I am really happy with it):

The clients were also happy! It is gonna go above the couch in the living room.

So...what is our 'take away' here??

Well.....the moral of this story is clear! A commission is the BEST way to get an exact fit for your life.

As long as you commission the right artist for the job!

If you enjoy my work, and haven't found the 'right' piece for you....this is a GREAT solution!!!

It's your classic WIN - WIN!

So think about it.....and then email me!!!

In the meantime, this painting is packed up and ready to take its big trip to Calgary!!

HUZZAH!!