How to brighten your mood as we head through autumn

Being the creative types, we decided to make our own decorative wreath (or rather my wife did!) using flowers and leaves from our garden.  Sometimes we overlook the natural beauty around us or the ability to create something that adds more meaning to our lives rather than something simply bought off the shelf.

These beautiful reds, browns, oranges and yellows are uplifting, bright and a welcome contrast to the traditional black wreaths with spiders, bats and skeletons that we would have put up in the past. 

For now though, we are focussing our efforts on pumpkin carving designs, which becomes highly competitive in our house every year. A few new ones have come up in the search feed.  

But as with off the shelf purchases, these may not stand the test of time.  Come mid-November, I’m not looking forward to the clean up of the hollow, orange mess that has been left behind.  However, it does add essential colour, joy, life and humour (Trumpkin) into our world during these uncertain times.

Autumn has also caused me to consider my own work and why I paint such vivid colours trying to add vibrancy, emotion and joy in order to change the feeling of a space, wall, room or home.  As an art collector myself, I know how difficult it is though, to find that painting that just clicks; it has some meaning to me, changes my mood, makes me smile and I can get lost in it for hours.  Like the decorations we would have traditionally bought off the shelf, buying the right painting off the shelf can be a challenge, particularly in the current climate where it is difficult to venture out to look for the right piece and when there are other priorities and distractions.

Many of my friends, colleagues and clients are coming to the same conclusion and have decided that they would prefer something meaningful to them that they have been involved in creating from the beginning to end and have opted for a commissioned piece rather than buying off the shelf.  Unlike the majority of artists, I have come from a business background and actually enjoy the interaction with my clients, working to specific deadlines and tight specifications and creating something unique and personal together; it’s much harder to do on my part, but much more rewarding.

How do you go about commissioning art? It’s much easier than you think.  You don’t have to go searching artistic terms and understand the differences between impressionism, abstract expressionism or surrealism or worry about styles and techniques. The majority of artists that offer commissions will guide you through the process.  Mine is a simple but comprehensive 6-step journey, as I guide my customers throughout to make it an experience as well as a painting.

Time wise, a watercolour would take about two weeks and an oil painting about six weeks to allow drying time and delivery.  The price will depend on the time, size and medium.

If you would like to discuss a commission or have any questions then please contact me

Come and see my artwork, collect a gift card or drop-in to discuss a commission at my solo exhibitions in the Dun Laoghaire Pop-Up Shop, Upper George’s Street, Dun Laoghaire (opposite Permanent TSB and the Card Factory) from 19^th – 27^th October, 23^rd – 29^th November and 14^th – 20^th December 2020.