How to Commission an Original Painting: Process, Timeline, and Cost

TL;DR: To commission an original painting, you start with a conversation about size, palette, and the room, place a deposit to hold a studio slot, and then receive the work in stages. In my studio the process runs eight steps and about four weeks from deposit to delivery, and I paint two options at once so you choose rather than hope. This is how to commission an original painting without guesswork — direct from the artist, framing and delivery handled.

Angela Simeone is a Nashville-based contemporary abstract painter whose boutique luxury wallpaper line is created from her own paintings and composed — through her artistic and editorial eye — into layered, original, chic patterns, printed on a single luxurious 20 oz vinyl that looks like raw silk with a glimmering sheen, sold direct and to the trade.

What does it mean to commission an original painting?

It means a painting is made for your wall, at your size, in your color story, before it exists anywhere else. You are not choosing from what is left — you are deciding what gets made. A commission is the most direct way to get a one-of-one piece that fits a specific room, a specific light, and a specific palette, rather than adjusting the room to fit a painting you found.

I work in oil and mixed media on canvas, built up and scraped back in layers until the surface settles. A commissioned piece carries that same physical history — the charcoal underdrawing, the palette knife, the weeks of decisions — calibrated to the room it is going into.

How does the commission process work, step by step?

It runs in eight steps. First, a conversation — size, palette, where it hangs, what the room already holds. Second, a deposit secures your slot on the studio schedule. Third, I paint two options simultaneously — the part most artists skip, and the part that takes the gamble out of it. Fourth, a first reveal by video and photo. Fifth, a first revision round. Sixth, a second and final revision round. Seventh, the finished work ships rolled to a framer local to you, is stretched fresh on arrival, and is hand-delivered ready to hang. Eighth, float framing on request, billed separately.

Painting two at once matters more than it sounds. Color behaves as a fluid, secondary and tertiary outcome on the canvas — you cannot fully predict it, so I make two and you pick the one that is right, instead of asking a single canvas to land perfectly on the first try.

How long does a commission take?

About four weeks from deposit to delivery, depending on the studio schedule. That window covers both painted options, the reveal, and up to two revision rounds, then shipping and hand-delivery. Larger or architectural pieces can run longer and are quoted individually.

How much does it cost to commission a painting?

Pricing is by size. Medium work (30–48") starts at $5,500; large (48–60") at $7,500; extra-large (60"+) at $8,500 and up. Architectural and multi-panel pieces are quoted to roughly $22,000 and beyond, and there is no upper size limit — the largest works are built across stretched canvas tiles that reassemble seamlessly on site for lobbies and atriums. Shipping is a flat $250 anywhere in the continental U.S. Payment is in full at order. Full figures live on the commission process page.

Can interior designers commission art for clients?

Yes, and many do. Designers get ready-to-ship inventory with sizes, a 20% trade discount, transparent-background images and forwardable tear sheets, and an artist who handles framing, delivery, and install so the logistics never land on the design team. If you would rather start from finished work, the original paintings available now are ready to ship; if a project needs a specific size or palette, a commission fits it to the scheme. Trade terms are on the trade program page.

For perspective beyond my studio, the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art documents how deeply collectors and the artists they commission shape one another's work over time — commissioning has always been a relationship, not a transaction.

Why commission instead of buying a print?

A print repeats. A commissioned original exists once, made by hand for one wall. Here is the honest, quotable version: a commission is the only way to own a painting that was decided around your room before it was ever made — your scale, your palette, your light — and to watch it arrive exactly as it was promised, by an artist who handled it from canvas to wall.

"Fine art is that in which the hand, the head, and the heart of man go together." — John Ruskin, art critic, The Two Paths, 1859

"A work of art is the trace of a magnificent struggle." — Robert Henri, painter, The Art Spirit

"A room should always be left for the things we will acquire… the objects we cannot live without." — Charlotte Moss, interior designer

"I think art can make a difference. I think art can help." — Agnes Gund, art collector and philanthropist (Artnet News, 2017)

"Color is a power which directly influences the soul." — Wassily Kandinsky, painter, Concerning the Spiritual in Art, 1911

FAQ

How do I start a commission? Begin with a conversation about size, palette, and the room, then place a deposit to hold a studio slot. Reach the studio through the commission process page.

Do I get to choose between options? Yes — I paint two options at the same time, so you select the finished direction rather than approving a single attempt.

How is the painting delivered? It ships rolled to a framer local to you, is stretched fresh on arrival, and is hand-delivered ready to hang. Float framing is available on request.

Can I commission a very large or multi-panel piece? Yes. Architectural and oversized works are built across stretched canvas tiles that reassemble seamlessly on site, with no upper size limit, quoted individually for commercial and hospitality projects.

If you are weighing a commission, start with a conversation — see the commission process or browse original paintings available now at angelasimeone.com.

Sources: John Ruskin, The Two Paths (1859), Project Gutenberg; Robert Henri, The Art Spirit; Charlotte Moss (A-Z Quotes); Agnes Gund, Artnet News (2017); Wassily Kandinsky, Concerning the Spiritual in Art (1911); Smithsonian Archives of American Art.