Art Around the World, A Commission with David V. Gonzales December 05 2021, 0 Comments

Every once in a while we complete a sale that makes us sit back and appreciate the impact our galleries and the artists we work with can have on people. It amazes us that our galleries have a reach literally around the world. It is incredible that much of the art we sell becomes family heirlooms, significant pieces that tell the stories of the people who get to live with them. 

David V. Gonzales recently completed a 7-foot-tall by 4-foot-wide painting of a young girl named Audrey skiing down Peak 6 at Breckenridge. The scale of the painting and the fact that it captures a beautiful moment in a family's life would be enough to make us stagger. The fact that we shipped the painting to Taiwan makes it even more significant. 

Commissioning an artist is a wonderful experience. With so many of our artists, the process of commissioning them to create a special piece involves a lot of direct communication with the artist over a period of many months. In the case of "Unbounded Love," the painting of Audrey, 98 emails were sent between the clients, folks at our galleries and David Gonzales. We take pride in the fact that the commission process is a hands-on experience, with clients getting to remain directly involved throughout the process. 

For "Unbounded Love," Gonzales began with a photo of Audrey cruising down the slopes. From there, we were able to dial in the form she would be depicted in, an important component of every ski painting. We worked with our clients to find good images for the background of the painting, which was to show Audrey skiing in the high alpine terrain that Breckenridge is so well known for. Peak Six is one of Audrey's favorite parts of the mountain so special attention was paid to showing the interesting couloirs and rock formations at the top of the mountain to give the piece a real sense of place. 

Gonzales said, "The effortlessness in creating this painting really stood out. Working on a vertical piece with Audrey as a focal point and the mountain as an important element, I wasn't sure how the composition would pull together. There is an unbridled joy in a child on skis that really brought out the ease in creating this painting. When I put together the drawing for it, everything fell into place to the point that I could already feel the energy in the painting just from the sketch. I wanted the painting to immediately convey that it is a child on skis. That playful action, motion and the colors came together really nicely."

He goes on to say, "It is really nice to see that people throughout the world have a love for my work and want to have a painting that is specially created for them. Something that is personal to them, that means something to them. I feel very blessed to do what I'm doing and it is such an honor to create a piece just for their family. When I'm creating my paintings I have so much positive energy and love and I like to think that positivity and love is shared in peoples homes. For it to be in a different part of the world is a pretty cool thing, it is so nice to share that love, energy and happiness around the world."

Our clients said, "We finally received the painting last evening. All I can say is it is worth the wait! I attached a photo that shows Audrey (now 7) proudly standing next to it. It is a meaningful piece for sure. Thank you all for making it happen."