When Art Tells Your Story: Two New Commissions That Lit Me Up

Yesterday, I had the joy of reconnecting with a dear friend and his fiancé, who had commissioned two deeply personal paintings from me last fall. Seeing these works through their eyes — and the meaning they hold — reminded me why I love doing commissions.

The first piece, A New Beginning, is a 24x36" acrylic painting inspired by their love of watching sunrises together at the beach. At one point during the process, I hit a block. So I trusted my intuition — pouring phthalo blue along the top and using my fingers to spread it freely across the canvas. That moment of release brought the sky to life. The water glows with color and texture, created using a bowl scraper to echo the shimmer of the sea.

The second, Let Your Love Shine, is a 16x12” mixed media painting that captures two daisies in a mason jar, glowing under a night sky lit by fireflies — another moment they love to share.

To be trusted with these stories — and to transform them into visual keepsakes — is one of my greatest honors as an artist.

I’m currently accepting a limited number of commissions. If you have a memory, a feeling, or a shared ritual that deserves to be held in color and form, I’d love to create something just for you.

Let’s bring your story to life.