Not that I’ve ever found it too difficult to write about my work – this blog is testament to that ability – but this whole art thing is new to me still. “Here’s a pair of shoes I painted as a commission for a friend.” That would be simple enough. But that’s for Instagram captions. Here, I wanted to talk about the inspiration and the idea behind it as well.
Karina loves the ocean. She goes deep-sea diving whenever she gets a chance. Her name, “Karina”, means “pure”. It made sense to somehow try to depict the ocean on the shoes for her. But, Magandeep had already given a tight brief – he wanted my signature lines on the swoosh of the shoes only. Which I was relieved to hear because the polished coating of leather sneakers is notoriously difficult to paint on. Unless one wants to only work with Sharpies, which are available in limited colours.
The idea of the lines worked because it allowed me to represent the colours of the Ocean. A ripple of colours. The outside swooshes were painted in colour and the inside swooshes were painted in black and white. To represent shadows of those ripples. There’s both dark AND light everywhere. It is our ability to see both that makes colours and light so attractive to us.
HOW A COMMISSION CAN WORK
- You will have to purchase the footwear ( or jeans or whatever else ) that you want painted. This is not an off-the-shelf service. You pick your size and preference of the object. You can do this in consultation with me, to decide what material would be ideal for the kind of artwork I paint.
- We decide on the brief together : you tell me what you have in mind, I come back to you with what’s reasonably possible. The amount of surface area to be painted will affect the pricing of my services.
- A 100% advance payment from your side and a time-estimate from my side.
- You courier the footwear / jeans to my address and I get started.
- Depending on how comfortable you are with handling uncertainty, I can share work-in-progress images intermittently. Changes will not be made. Let me do my thing.
- Once the object is painted and dried and sealed, I will ship it back to you. Pricing above will include the cost of shipping.
Each commission is different. Please email me on n@naina.co. I prefer to keep all communication on email, so that we are both on the same page. I am, of course, available to chat on the phone as well – only via a scheduled call.
Working on a commission for a client is a big deal to me because it means I’m working with someone that trusts me. They like my art and want a piece of it. It is great to see my art go home.
The first canvas piece I sold is called GRASSEA. The line-art not only works well for my mental health, it’s also been received well. I also paint mini-paintings – art brooches that you can wear on your garments. No pins – my brooches have magnet clasps at the back.
All my art is available to see on this blog under the KhaosPhilos label. Some of it is also available to buy on my online store : www.naina.co/shop
If you have any questions, I’m available on email : n@naina.co
