Becoming a co-creator through commissions October 27 2026, 0 Comments

By Kimberly Nicoletti

Our last blog talked about living a more creative life, and another way to do that involves commissioning your own artwork. 

Commissions become a collaborative process of co-creation between client and artist. They illustrate your unique vision and story through the artist’s skill, resulting in the most unique, personalized work of art possible.

“The collectors come at it with their whole world experience, their ideas and thoughts and dreams and visions, and they share all of that with me, and then I add my dreams, hopes, experience and visions into their mix,” Rolinda Stotts said.

In this way, the painting becomes more than one person’s cherished view; it emerges into a special story.

Commissions usually start when people love a painting or sculpture but want specific colors, size, orientation or even details to match their style — yet, they still want the same feeling the painting elicits. They typically have a specific location in mind, as well as other artwork the commission must match. 

And, they usually want to convey their own distinct story or details. 

For example, one collector fell in love with Rolinda Stott’s depiction of Kangaroo Cornice in Vail, which she originally painted from a reference photo. The collector brought his direct experience with the cornice into the commission, drawing from years of photos and videos he had throughout his years skiing there. He shared personal stories of dropping off the cornice after gazing at the enormous mountain range. Together, they zeroed in on the exact lighting conditions he wanted, with the sun bouncing off the snow, forming highlights and shadows.

“He has this deep passion for that specific spot, and it's all because that was his very first encounter with Vail,” Rolinda Stotts said. “He looked over the vastness and saw the Gore Range. He knew that he had to come back on a very regular basis, and he made the decision right there and then to call it home — his other home is in Texas, but Vail is home now because that is particularly where his heart is.”

Naturally, he titled the painting “Home.” 

Home commissioned painting by Rolinda Stotts

The act of co-creating a commission doesn’t just thrill the client — it also enriches the artist.

“The art collector actually gets to become my art teacher. Every time I co-create, it stretches me as an artist. The collectors teach me about unique perspectives of nuanced things that I would have totally skipped over because, quite frankly, they weren't important to me, or I didn't witness it,” Rolinda Stotts said, using “Home” as an example. “Collectors will ask for a specific color combination or things that I would just never do on my own. So, it's pushing me to evolve as a creator at a rapid speed. The more I do of these co-creation experiences, the more I grow as a creator.”

Kate McCavitt’s commissions have always started with one of her paintings clients see in a gallery and want their own version of.

“They basically want the same feeling of the piece because it touched their heart in some way — they have an emotional connection with it,” Kate McCavitt said.

And that emotional connection grows stronger as they work with the artist to bring their specific vision to fruition. 

As clients work with artists, they develop a bond that enriches the story of the painting even more.

Each step of the painting, from selecting initial colors, size, orientation — and even, for instance, number of aspens or other details — to completion requires micro-decisions along the way. Artists share photos and short videos as they add layer by layer, asking clarifying questions and welcoming inquiries from clients, as well as receiving feedback about what to tweak.

“Because of our emails and all of the progress photographs, when the commission is finished, they have a literal storybook of their painting,” Kate McCavitt said. “They'll go back, and they'll go, ‘Wow, it started here, and look what we have on our wall.’”

Installed Kate McCavitt Commission

While some people feel hesitant to commission a piece, the artists — and the Raitman Art Galleries team — are pros at walking clients through a comprehensive process of continual and open communication to ensure they hit the mark.

A written contract also spells out everything, from size, color and orientation to price, which most, but not all, artists base on a specific price per square inch. 

And, if clients’ original vision doesn’t match their budget, the artists can offer different solutions. One client fell in love with Kate McCavitt’s 36- x 36-inch painting of aspens on raw gold leaf but wanted it to measure about 54- x 102-inches. That size stretched beyond their budget, so she suggested a diptych, with two 48x48 paintings, resulting in 96 inches horizontally to get close to their originally requested 102 inches — or one 48x72. 

Commissioned Aspen Painting by Kate McCavitt

Since the larger size required more trees and/or bigger trunks to fill the space than her original 36x36 had, she provided photos of her larger aspen paintings, so they could see what the piece would look like in its expanded version. Together, they settled on the perfect solution.

Rolinda Stotts describes commissions as reverse engineering, as artists create a customized piece to come alive in a collector’s home.

Commissions are an adventure that take both clients and artists on a journey full of personal memories, favorite colors, symbols and soulful inspiration. The result: Artwork that is solely the collectors — and something that would have never been birthed without the co-creation.

“True commissioned art isn’t the execution of someone else’s vision. It’s the merging of two visions into something neither person could have imagined alone. The finished painting carries two people’s energy instead of one,” Rolinda Stotts said. “I become the hands that show your heart.”