Commissioning Irish Art

Contemporary Irish art provides a pleasurable and enjoyable experience whether it is in the home or in the office. However finding the right piece of Irish art is not always easy. One way to solve the problem is to commission a contemporary painting or sculpture from one of Red Rag's Irish artists.

How to successfully commission Irish art portraits and commission art for your office or business.

Commissioning an artist to produce a contemporary painting or sculpture can be highly rewarding and may prove a great Art Investment. Original art work is always unique, but specifically commissioning Irish art makes it very personal to you and satisfies your exact requirements. As artist Ken Howard says: 'We all have loved ones, loved places, loved things and there can be nothing more satisfying than making them immortal by commissioning a work of art.'�

You can commission an artist to create any type of painting or sculpture. This includes everything from Landscape paintings, Architectural paintings or Marine paintings through to paintings of Figures. One of the most popular Irish art commissions continues to be Portrait paintings.

Each Irish art commission varies slightly in the process from conception through to completion. Every customer, artist and approach is unique. At Red Rag Gallery we are always happy to assist you through the art commissioning process but here are some basic suggestions to help you commission your very own work of Irish art:

Produce an artist brief for your artwork or portrait painting

Ideally this should be a written brief for the art gallery and artist. It should convey your ideas and requirements about the finished contemporary art work. It is a useful aid when discussing the commission with the artist and will also be a helpful reminder for the artist when he starts your art work.

Questions to consider for your Art Brief and Commission

Who or what is the Irish art work for? Is the contemporary art for your home? Is it an Art Gift ?. Are there any constraints or special requirements? Is the art piece or portrait painting to be a special place or a person? Is it like another painting you have seen? What size of art work do you want? Where are you planning to display the art work? Is there a preference for specific finishes eg Oil or Acrylic paintings; Bronze or Stone sculptures? Is there a specific Irish artist that you have in mind? What other artists do you like? Do you prefer a particular style of art? What is you budget for the proposed piece of art?

Meeting the artist

Once you have agreed your brief with the gallery a meeting will usually be fixed with your chosen artist. The artist needs to discuss the art brief to reach a detailed understanding of what is required. Once your requirements are known the artist can decide whether, or not, he or she, feels capable of producing the art work. Obviously if you are asking an Irish artist to produce a similar painting to one you have seen before this may not be necessary. Discussing the contemporary art commission with the artist offers the opportunity to develop the ideas of your art brief a stage further. Before starting a commissioned art piece the artist needs to discuss the project with the customer and reach a detailed understanding of what is required. Once a customer's requirements are known the artist can say whether, or not, he or she, feels capable of commissioning and producing the painting or sculpture that is needed.

Art Commission agreements

Agreements for art commissions vary enormously depending upon the requirement. Typically the gallery of your chosen artist will record and provide you and the artist with details on: the artist; materials of the art work; and the anticipated timescale to complete the art work. Commissioning a major art project requires the roles and responsibilities of the parties to be formalised. This is not normally the case where you commission a family portrait or painting of your favourites Landscape.

If you are unsure then consult a lawyer specialising in the laws related to Arts, and have a legally binding contract drawn up to protect both yourself and the artist for larger scale art commissions. You need to ensure the agreement clearly states who will pay for the art materials and any other fabrication costs eg if part of the production will be handled by a third party

The Process of commissioning your Art works.

Before commissioning your art piece or works the price and payment schedule needs agreeing with the gallery or artist. If it is a large commission the payment for the art work is usually based on the artist achieving milestones. Typically 30-50% is paid upon agreeing the art commission. Once the artwork has been produced this deposit is non-returnable, even in the unlikely event that the final artwork is rejected. A second payment can sometimes be made mid way through the creation of the art and the final payment on completion and delivery of the artwork.

Artists work in different ways. Generally, but not always, artists produce initial sketches or models for your consideration before commencing the final artwork commissioning commences. After that some artists may provide on-going views of the art work such as digital images but often you will not see your art work until it is complete. Reviewing progress with the artist is recommended on very large scale commissions. The number of meetings required will depend upon the size and scale of the art commission.

When complete some some commissioned artists will delivery your art work others prefer to work through art galleries. If it is a very large art piece make sure to agree responsibility for the delivery of the artwork upfront. After taking delivery of your art work do consider how best to care for your Irish Art and think about Art Lighting for the commission

Finally - under copyright laws the artist retains ownership of art work produced by them. If you are not happy with this you need to agree in advance with the artist the ownership and copyright of the artwork.

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