'Komorebi' Commission

I was approached to do a commission last month for a spacious extension in a townhouse in Edinburgh. One of the main features of their interior is the beautiful garden the extension looks out to; think huge windows and an abundance of green! The space looks very neutral and bright, so upon initial view I felt like it would be able to take a large colourful piece.

The client sent through images of the garden and the space, and specified they wanted me to capture the garden as the main inspiration of the painting. I always find it helpful to see the space the painting is made for before I start, and this included seeing images of the existing art work in the room. This was important in making sure it wouldn't clash with any existing pieces. We decided on a canvas size that would sit above their sofa and a colour palette base of green, with strong emerald teals and a mix of highlights.

They mentioned they didn't mind the colour scheme being too bright, and I do think injecting some strong colour in the space would work well, I'm used to do more neutral pieces lately so this was a little out of my comfort zone colour wise, but I was excited for the challenge.

The Palette 

The Inspiration..

The main inspiration I took from these pictures are of the garden and an existing piece in the space. I loved the greens and blues in this digital print - and the pops of pink in the florals in the garden.

The final piece

'The Japanese word Komorebi describes the moment when sunlight filters through trees and leaves - the interplay between the light and the leaves.'

This is a 60cm x 90cm canvas. As always, a mix of collage and acrylic. I stuck very closely to the palette we chose, worked into shapes and created form through layers of paint.

I started off by developing lots of texture with collage, and then went in with a really colourful minty green base. I started building up from there and blocking in where I wanted to put the bigger shapes, making sure the composition was right. From there it was about adding detail - I always go in with a white gesso to create more contrast against dark colours. This piece was designed to go landscape, but I also think it looks great as a portrait piece - its amazing how different it looks from one setting to another!

I had someone ask me last week if I plan out pieces. My answer is very rarely - only the colour palette I'll really consider beforehand. I think the most interesting part about painting is that you don't quite know how a piece will end up, its so unpredictable and that is the beauty of it. If someone asked me to recreate any of the pieces I've done, I'd struggle, and that's what makes unique pieces of art so valuable and special. Here are some close up shots showing the texture and pattern:

I always style up paintings if I have time, just to show what it looks like in a room and to give a real idea of scale and colour - I love this used as a centre piece here! 

​This week I decided to treat myself to a lil' something to take photos with. Adding little things like a vase / candle can help add scale to your painting. 

I decided to go for this matt vase from I Am Nomad's accessory collection and a tobacco and black pepper scented candle which smells AMAZING. (Unfortunately you can't blog smells, but if you could, this would be a 10/10).

​Link to the vase is here and the candle here.