When you’re considering a custom piece, it is important to provide as much information as you can about what you’re looking for. I want to make sure that you absolutely love the final product that you’re getting. I’d like to know about the space that the piece is going to be in, and really understand the feelings or emotions you’d like to get from the piece. We’d also have to chat about size, medium, colour scheme, etc.
Generally, once we’ve agreed on a concept, I’d take a 25% deposit to account for supplies, etc. and provide you a preliminary design (depending on what we’re doing this may look like a sketch, quick painting, or electronic design). Once the design has been approved, I’d move to the good stuff of getting your custom piece completed! I will also encourage you to make an appointment to pop by the studio to see the work in progress if you’d like.
Ryan Groot’s “The Pondering Monkey” is a commissioned artwork that captures a monkey in headphones assuming the iconic “Thinker” pose, embodying the theme of introspection. This abstract and expressive piece, rendered on a 24 x 36” gallery-wrapped canvas, reflects the client’s connection to themes of contemplation, natural essence over technological dependence, and a deep-seated belief in humanity’s innate, reflective nature. Through a vibrant, rainbow-inspired palette, Ryan emphasized the monkey’s thoughtful expression and the symbolic headphones.
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This painting was commissioned by the Calgary Health Foundation for their fundraising efforts for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Children’s Hospital in Calgary and it means so much to me. The painting (along with A Steady Hand) was commissioned to portray some of the feelings that parents go through while their children at in the NICU. This project was super-personal for me, as my daughter was born 9 weeks early and spent the first days of her life battling in the NICU. First Bath is from a photo that I took in the NICU of my wife giving our daughter her first bath (on Mother’s Day no less). I’ll admit that there were times that I was absolutely gutted while finishing this painting (it’s hard to paint through tears in your eyes – tears of joy though – my daughter just turned 14!).
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This was a large (9’ x 3’) piece that was commissioned for a client’s living room space. My client really wanted to get the colour right to match some of the accents they had in their house. The piece was designed to induce feelings of power, sound, and force that you’d feel at the base of a waterfall. The colours and flow of the piece really allow you to transport and feel the coolness and power of the water as it cascades down a cliff face. You can almost hear the rush and thunder of the water as it slams into the pool below. This was not a “passive” piece of art, and I absolutely loved working with my client to get the colour and flow correct!
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This piece was painted on gallery-wrapped canvas (24 x 36”) and was commissioned by the Canadian Adaptive Snowsports Calgary (CADS) for their annual Movement Gala. CADS Calgary is a volunteer based non-profit charity that provides opportunities for people with disabilities to experience the joy of learning, participating, and competing in alpine snow sports. This piece was donated to CADS and auctioned off to raise funds for the charity. When I painted this piece, I wanted to show the courage and strength that I have experienced working with both the instructors and student of CADS. I think that the “no quit, no limits” attitude that shines through this organization is reflected well in this painting, inspired by the photography of Whistler-based photographer, Justa Jeskova.
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Much like “No Limits”, COP in Spring was commissioned by CADS for their annual Movement Gala. This custom snowboard was donated to CADS to raise funds as part of their silent auction. Canadian Olympic Park (COP), now named Winsport is where the CADS program runs, in Calgary. The hill on the west side of the city is often the last place to lose snow in the spring (and if you’re familiar with Calgary at all that could happen anytime between March and August!). The piece shows that ski jumping platforms, the freestyle park and the downhill runs. It really is an iconic piece of the Calgary landscape, and I was happy to put this piece together for CADS.
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These two boards were a blast to complete. My client was looking for a cool board to put up in his cabin at the Panorama Ski Resort near Invermere, BC. He was looking for something to remind him of the hill, but also to be a conversation piece when entertaining guests. The deign is from a photo taken for the Columbia Valley Tourism Guide Inc. The original intent of the commission was to create a single snowboard of the mountain. Tree Time was the initial style of the painting that I created, and I think it nailed the intent of what my client wanted. As I was completing the first painting, I was intrigued by the image and decided to try a different technique of the same painting. Well, it turns out that my client like the first and second boards as much as I did, and he bought both! Win-win!!
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