Saying goodbye: An artist’s commission
It is a bittersweet moment when an artist finishes a commission and has to let their paintings or art go to the buyer, patron or client (I like patron best - that’s what they used to be called for the Old Masters or maybe ‘sponsor’, ooh… nice!).
It makes it harder to say goodbye when the project has been so enjoyable and you are really pleased with the results, which in this case both were true.
But I suppose that is the point - no commission = no project and all the positive stuff that came with it.
What can you do to help let go?
Take good quality photos - include the whole artwork but also your favourite details. For me this is so important and I suspect for other artists it will be key as well. It is important because so much is learned from one painting or drawing to the next and visual reference is vital for a visual artist (that should not come as a surprise, and Picasso supposedly said something similar). I really can’t stress how important documenting your work is because if you do something and it works, you won’t remember it, along with all the other things that did work (and didn't work). That means going back to the metaphorical drawing board for every stage of the next piece. If a brushstroke, colour combination, layer of glazing or anything works then you need a way of remembering and referring back to it - the only way for an artist to do that, once that artwork has left the studio, is through good quality photographs. Again, it should not surprise any artist that visual reference is so important - for me, looking, seeing and referring is vital at every stage.
You can also keep some of the other stages of the process. If you worked on drawings or produced a study, they serve as a lovely reminder of a finished piece, which hopefully, is with its happy owners. But they also build up your own visual library that serves to inform projects now and in the future - this is why artists often cover their studios with a range of visual reference material.
That I suppose, is the final thing you can do to help let go. By making visuals accessible and available of finished pieces, you will never be without them completely.
I leave you with a video from YouTuber, ‘The Canvas’, who reaffirms the idea that art is about seeing (and stealing).