Commissioned Paintings -"A picture paints a thousand words"- "its only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye"
There follows a small selection of my most recent commissioned paintings. These are all made on deep edge canvas or professional illustration board. However, you will not be surprised to read that something a wee bit different is involved in their creation lol. You see when I painted them, I was wearing that "inside out hat" I may have mentioned in my "About" section. When I wear that hat -which is of course thankfully-invisible, I can make portraits and landscapes of people and their "friends"- but a simple glance below will inform you that these images are not of anyone`s "day to day" outside face and form. These paintings are a bright reflection of my clients seen from the "inside" in the light of the world they carry beneath their skin.
"OH-Jessie that IS strange- tell me more, I`m all ears!"
Well, alright then I`ll try. All but two of the paintings on this page were made for utter strangers, folk I know nothing or next to nothing about, and more often than not I `m totally clueless as to what they look like in their skin and bones! At the risk of sounding unfriendly- that is just the way I like it! The less I "know" about my clients the better and I`ll tell you why in a moment.
Fabrication, Fantasy and Vision
What`s the difference? Well when working as an Illustrator on a picture book, making images to accompany the wonderful words of an author- it is the writers description of places people and atmosphere which rightly dictate the imagery the artist will draw and paint to support the story.
If I was conjuring a fantasy image from my imagination, I would follow my fancy so to speak. I would say to myself- I am going to draw a person and I`d decide what they wear and what they are doing and what it looks like where they are. Basically, I dream up and dictate everything that appears, moving all the pieces around like inanimate furniture!
Now then- brace yourself lol! For these paintings, I`m not working from somebody else`s description, and I`m not creating from my own fantasy and imagination, I am drawing from Vision. I do this by quietly thinking of my client- a stranger physically far- far away. I only know their name and that is like the cover of a mysterious book with no words and to open it I inwardly say their name and ask to see what I need to see to make a portrait for them. It is as though the dark cover of that book opens and many lights pour out gradually becoming "pictures" and I simply draw absolutely everything that appears and I don`t think or question it no matter how odd or challenging it is to make a normal everyday kind of sense of lol.
Afterwards everything needs to be looked at with my "artist at work- bring me coffee" hat on so as to be drawn into a artfully pleasing composition because- after all this is intended to be a beautiful inspiring painting to hang on the wall and enjoy for years! Once I have done that I take a photograph and email it to the client-and WHAT A SURPRISE THEY GET!!! That part is always really very moving indeed.
I hope that helps and I imagine you can see now why I don`t want to know any details about the clients first-because when they see what appears for them they would think- "Oh sure! Jessie already knew this or that thing about me beforehand!", and THAT would really- REALLY spoil the unadulterated magic of the surprise wouldn`t it! To be perfectly frank with you- I`m always deeply amazed by what appears for "strangers` " and it has profoundly affected my own life experience for the better. So it would be hard to miss the sense that, possibly, more than a few of us would welcome just such supportive surprises`; the kind that are soul satisfying, in a way that strengthens and inspires us to go on reaching and striving to deepen and grow as human beings. I feel that one of the beautiful aspects of this STRANGE work is that it can demonstrate, in a very natural way that we are all connected to each other and to everything- its a Mystery!
FEEL FREE to use the CONTACT page here if you would like to find out costs and details of how to commission your own Faery inspired portrait