Working together on a Commission
“Art is the well-doing of what must be done” – Eric Gill
For most of us, it’s unusual to commission an artist to make something for us. How does that work, actually? With me, almost every stone begins with a cup of coffee or tea in my kitchen at home. I like to meet my clients here so that they can see my (hastily tidied- up) workshop. Generally I give a short demonstration of lettercutting and we look at a few examples of my work. We discuss the types of stones that I use – mostly slate, limestone and Belgian hardstone (never granite) and look at a variety of artistic and finishing techniques.
After we’ve discussed the project, I usually make a few small, rough sketches as the first step in the design process. I send these off to my clients (we conduct a lot of our work through the post and e-mail) and they select the one that feels right. Then, I work more carefully with that sketch and make a finished drawing – or two. Sometimes a design is perfected very quickly; sometimes it takes a few tries. As long as it takes, a design is never finished until its right!
After the design is approved, I order the stone and take care of any administrative work. (For example, request and obtain planning permission for a gravestone) The entire process – from first meeting to placing the stone – usually takes from 6 months to a year.