I have learned that as an artist, if you take commissions you have to be ready for an adventure along the way. And sometimes the adventure is epic, spanning a much longer timeline than you could ever imagine.
Two years ago, in the spring of 2022, a man who lives in my community in Florida told me he was renovating his kitchen and wanted to install a glass backsplash with a seascape-inspired painting on the back side.
This was nothing like anything I had ever done. As I contemplated doing it my mind went back to an interview I’d heard with the artist, Cesar Santos, in which he was asked if he ever refused a commission because it wasn’t something he liked to do. He replied with something to the effect of, “No, I think that if you turn someone down who really wants a painting, just because you don’t want to do it, and you’re able to do it, you’re just being [a jerk].”
There were all sorts of unknowns with the project. I had never painted on glass, except for a long-ago crafty project painting glass Christmas ornaments. And I knew that I’d have to paint from the foreground up to the background since it would be painted on the reverse side of the glass, the opposite of how I normally paint. The logistics of working on a huge and heavy piece of glass that would span the entire length of a rather long kitchen counter also gave me pause.
But still, I told myself that I could figure it out, and said yes.
The client showed me a couple of paintings he has and a few photos he took from a recent beach visit for style and color reference. He wanted a beach scene with sand and grasses in a lose style.
I researched acrylic mediums and techniques that would produce the desired results since my usual medium, oil, would not adhere to glass. I went into the studio and created a study on a small piece of glass.
It turned out well and the client loved it. This was mid-summer 2022.
The client’s construction manager told him that they would be ready to install the glass in October of 2022. That would line up with my return to Florida so I planned to get started on the final project then.
Florida residents will remember that on September 23, 2022 record breaking hurricane Ian hit the shores of Fort Myers. It devastated the area and prompted a flurry of re-construction activity. With a supply chain still reeling from the 2020 Covid pandemic lockdown, what glass plate that was available was diverted to construction projects. My client was told the project would have to be put on hold.
So we waited.
I moved on to other projects.
My client had time to think.
He had time to think of all the things that could go wrong with a risky project like this. Would moisture get behind the glass and cause issues? Would it last the test of time? Would the mounting method the installer used be effective? Would they be able to install the final project without shattering the very expensive, one-of-a-kind artwork?
In the end he decided to go with tile.
So, the project was cancelled.
I was both disappointed and relieved. I wouldn’t have to deal with all of the unknowns, but I had taken a non-refundable 50% down payment and I didn’t feel right about keeping it without producing a final product.
At this point, the fall of 2022, I painted other paintings of my own and worked on commissions, and waited to see what would happen.
And now, dear reader, I ask you to wait till the next essay to see how the final chapter of this adventure unfolded.