Commissioning a Large-Scale Original: What the Process Is Really Like

By Angela Simeone — contemporary abstract painter, Nashville

Most of the large paintings I make begin the same way: someone stands in front of a wall, knows it needs something, and can't find the something already made. The size is wrong, or the palette is close-but-not-right, or the feeling they want for the room simply doesn't exist yet on a gallery shelf. That's what a commission is for — a large-scale original made for one wall, one light, one person.

Commissioning art can sound intimidating, like it requires fluency in a language you don't speak. It doesn't. Here's how the process actually works, start to finish.

Why people commission instead of buying ready-made

A few reasons come up again and again:

• The wall is an unusual size. Very wide, very tall, a stairwell — the dimensions that make a space dramatic also make it hard to shop for. A commission is sized to the exact wall.
• The palette needs to be specific. Not "blue," but the particular blues, greens, and warm neutrals already moving through the room. A commission can hold the colors you actually live with.
• The feeling matters. Calm, bold, moody, architectural — a commission starts from the emotion you want the space to carry, not from whatever happened to be in the studio that month.
• It's personal. A piece made for you, documented and signed, becomes part of the story of your home in a way an off-the-shelf object rarely does.

Step 1 — The conversation

It starts with a conversation, not a contract. We talk about the wall (dimensions, light, what's around it), the room's purpose, and the feeling you're after. Photos of the space help enormously — even quick phone shots at different times of day. Designers often bring a palette, fabric, or mood board; collectors often just bring a sense of what they're drawn to. Both are plenty to begin.

Step 2 — Scope, size, and timeline

From there we settle the practical frame: dimensions, palette direction, materials (oil, acrylic, mixed media), framed or unframed, budget, and timeline. A large commission typically takes several weeks — original paintings are built in layers, and the surface needs time to develop and dry between them. I'll give you a realistic window up front. Good big paintings aren't rushed, and you don't want one that was.

A deposit secures your place in the studio schedule, with the balance due on completion before delivery.

Step 3 — In the studio

This is the part that's mine to carry. I work the painting in layers — building, scraping back, responding to what the surface is doing — until it settles into the feeling we talked about. I share progress along the way so there are no surprises, and there's room to adjust direction while the work is still alive on the easel. You're not micromanaging brushstrokes; you're trusting a process and staying in the loop at the moments that matter.

Step 4 — Approval, delivery, and hanging

When the painting is finished, you see it — in good light, in full — before anything ships. Once it's approved, large works are carefully packed and shipped rolled or crated depending on size, arriving ready to hang.

For installation, I always recommend professional hanging on a large original. It gets the height and level right the first time and protects a one-of-a-kind piece. If you don't have an art installer, TaskRabbit is a simple way to book someone experienced with heavy art and picture hanging for an hour or two. It's a small step that makes the whole investment land properly on the wall.

What it costs (and why)

Commission pricing scales with size, materials, and complexity — a large piece is more canvas, more paint, and more studio time than a small one. I'm always transparent about this in the first conversation, so you know the range before we go further. What you're paying for isn't just the object; it's an original work made to your wall that exists nowhere else.

For interior designers

I work with designers regularly, and commissions are often the cleanest way to solve a room that's otherwise finished. Trade-friendly terms, reliable timelines, and direct communication throughout — you can read more on the Trade Program page. If you've got a project with a wall that needs the right large piece rather than the available one, that's exactly the brief I want.

In good company: artists on the making

"Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it." — Michelangelo

"Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together." — Vincent van Gogh

"There are no rules. That is how art is born." — Helen Frankenthaler

"Art is never finished, only abandoned." — Leonardo da Vinci

Ready to start?

If you have a wall in mind, the best first move is simply to reach out with its dimensions and a photo or two. You can begin a commission on the Commissions page, see the range of my work in the portfolio, or browse large-scale originals available now if you'd rather find something already made. Either way, the wall doesn't have to stay empty.

Angela Simeone is a contemporary abstract painter based in Nashville. She makes large-scale original paintings and artist-designed wallpaper, and works with collectors and interior designers nationwide.