Commission For My Church

Several months ago, the United Methodist Women of Christ of the Hills United Methodist Church requested that I do a painting of the church for use as the cover image for their 2008 cookbook.  Like all commissions, it was a bit of a struggle, as it needed to be more realistic, or "architectural", than my normal style, and it had to be in a vertical format to fit the cover, even though the church is a low, rambling building.  I painted a large sky and foreground to provide space for the text planned for the cover.  I completed the painting in April, and once we were sure my image of the painting was acceptable to the printing company, I framed the painting (half-sheet size) and presented it to my pastor, Mike Morey.  Everyone who has seen the image or the actual painting seems to like it.  It feels good to be able to use my art in service of my church.

Commission Work

Until now, I had not considered taking commission work because of the likely constraints on the painting. However, when Marshall Riggan approached me to do a painting of the sailboat Fandango that he and his wife Betty lived on for many years, I was intrigued. He asked for a painting of their boat in a rolling offshore sea, consistent with other paintings I've done. So, I decided to give it a try.

Working from photos of Fandango at dockside, and a similar boat under sail, I was able to create a painting that we all liked. Marshall and Betty have summed up their feelings about the painting as follows: "We are extremely pleased with the painting Jim created of our beloved sailboat Fandango. It's as if she is back in our lives and we are reminded daily of the wonderful adventures we had aboard for so many years." I've included an image of the Riggans taking delivery of their painting.

I found that it was very satisfying to provide a painting to clients that is really meaningful to them. This was such a good experience that I decided to add a page on commissions to my website. What I plan to do is to only accept commissions that are consistent with my style and usual subject matter.