A coworker recently commissioned me to paint a portrait of her cat, Myrtle. It’s the first painting I worked on since I moved into my new house. It was so satisfying. I have to admit I was a bit intimidated to take on this type of commission because my style is not anywhere near “realistic”. However, my coworker already knows my style and was aware that this pet portrait would be in my particular style.

For some reason, I cannot resist painting with a broad range of colors (basically the rainbow). So, I did not restrain myself to the colors present in the photo provided. My client had very specific requests. She wanted me to capture Myrtle’s likeness in the face, especially that white strip of hair above her nose. And, she wanted me to incorporate her favorite color blue in the painting much like I use in my other paintings.

You see, she had seen my previous “Cat King” painting and that’s what inspired her to ask me for this commission. I painted “Cat King” in 2019. It was a mixed media piece incorporating fine art papers with acrylics. This painting hung in my apartment prior to my move into my new house. Just before I was about to move my next door apartment neighbor and I had a conversation about my art. I let him look at the pieces in my apartment. He immediately wanted to purchase “Cat King” for his friend who loves cats and my type of art style. So, that’s the story of how “Cat King” found a new home.

As for Myrtle’s commission, I used acrylics, fine art papers with cats and acrylic paste over a stencil. The result came out with a multi-color mixed media piece which my coworker absolutely loves. She has it perched on one of her wooden shelves in her office at work. She’s already gotten numerous compliments on it which makes me smile. And, she plans to commission me for at least another piece. This was my first real commission piece. And, I’m so pleased with how it turned out not only with the piece itself, but also the overall communication with the client. I definitely plan on taking on more commissions in the future. But, I will make sure to provide them with the disclaimer that they are getting the commission in my art style. If someone is expecting a photorealistic painting, I’m not your gal. But, if you want multi-colored, dynamic mixed media you’re in the right place! Take a look at the completed commission below!

If you want to follow my art on social media, check out my Instagram page Rachael Caskey Art or my Facebook business page Rachael Caskey Studio.