Notes from the Studio

I thought that I would try to lift aside the curtain for you and reveal some of the mysteries of the thinking process that I make in producing a piece of art. This, my first, full-fledged commission, “Companions to the Moon” began as an inquiry from an art buyer asking me if I would consider painting a piece like my iconic Stardust’ image for him. He had seen the painting at the previous San Diego Comic Con and had been disappointed when told that it wasn’t for sale. I love that particular painting, and knowing that I might be tempted to sell the piece at some point, I had given it to my wife as a gift and was just simply displaying it at my table. So initially I declined the offer. Over the years I’ve been asked numerous times about commissions but had never felt like I had the necessary time in my work schedule to pay proper attention to such a piece. Then too, I had never wanted to be just a hired hand, drawing or painting whatever that particular client dictated. Ideally, what I most wanted was to be paid to do “art from the heart.” I had just been thinking about several images that had been floating around in my head for some time. And also wondering if these images might never be painted because of constant deadlines with my book publishing work. So I wrote this particular client back and described one of those “art from the heart” pictures. I quoted a price that would allow me the time to lavish the attention that the image deserved and still be able to pay the bills. I also gave a timeframe that was flexible enough to work such a painting into the present workload. There was