After recently finishing a commission I was reflecting on the challenges and rewards involved. The goal is to please the customer and still maintain your artistic integrity which can sometimes be difficult. Commission that come about because the customer relates to the artist’s style and gives them a lot of trust are usually the most rewarding. Ultimately it is a journey that the artist and client travel together and can be very gratifying for both with the artwork the impetus. The client has the joy of instigating the creation of something wonderful and watching it come to fruition while the artist has the joy of creating with the support a benefactor and of course, the artwork may well live on to bring inspiration for many generations.

The image above is of netsuke commissioned of a young solitary wolf. It also functions as a seal with the client’s name written in Chinese characters at the base.