Private Commissions

You won’t be working through a gallery when commissioning a private collage you will be dealing with the studio (me) directly. This means you can email or telephone me 24/7 to discuss any point you may wish to raise about your collage. I can’t say I’ll pick the phone up at 3am, but I usually reply to WhatsApp messages in the early hours. It also means that you’ll be corresponding with the person that is actually making the artwork – not a salesperson from a gallery. Throughout the process regular updates both written and photographic are supplied of the collage progression.

The commissioning process works involves quite a bit of information, so I’ve broken it down into these sections to make it easier to follow:
The Profile Image (Silhouette)

Examples of previous commissions

Photographs for your commission

Available sizes and costs for your commission

Framing

Collage Schedule and delivery

Client Testimonials
About the process
The Profile Image (The silhouette)

One of the most important elements of a private commission is selecting the correct figure profile silhouette to create a distinctive and engaging collage. I can source a new profile for you and build the collage around it using a curated selection of photographs you provide. Alternatively, you may supply a profile of someone such as your partner, husband, wife or even your dog, and we can incorporate your chosen images into the composition. The clients ideas and thoughts are an essential part of the process to point the artwork in the required direction. Having previously worked in creative teams in the London Advertising industry it taught me that the best creative work is usually achieved by collaboration.
Examples of Previous Commissions

I create original collages tailored to reflect my clients' lives, families, and interests and I have worked closely with a wide spectrum of individuals and families globally.

A French gentleman living in London had a passion for wine and literature, I photographed the titles of his book collection and wine labels to reflect these interests. He also shared images of his family and daily life, which I incorporated into the composition. A standing portrait he provided served as the perfect outline (silhouette) for his profile. Another family originally from Venezuela residing in Florida commissioned me to create a large collage featuring their two children. This family provided me with 250 images from which fifty images were chosen and colour edited to reflected their luxurious jet-set lifestyle.
Worldwide Commissions

The Far East is particularly active at the moment because I’m currently working on another family collage for a guy in Kaula Lumper which will contain a profile silhouette of him, his wife, his sixteen your old son, their two bull dogs and their Maltese dog – due to the size of the artwork it was decided to split the artwork into two separate framed artworks that can hang together.

There are one or two other potential private commissions of which may or may not happen. One possibility is to make a ‘head and shoulder’ collage of Churchill or The Queen – an interesting idea. If this particular commission doesn’t proceed I’ll probably make it for myself anyway.
Photographs for your Collage

The content of my collages explores themes of consumerism, branding, graphic design, street signage, products, and services. For your own piece, you may wish to include photographs that reflect your or your family’s favourite items, such as perfumes, watches, clothing brands, shoes, cars, the street you live on, or places you’ve visited. Images featuring typography work especially well, though I can also incorporate photographs of people and architecture.

For a client in Miami, I created two bespoke collages inspired by the city’s distinctive Art Deco architecture, sourcing all imagery from curated photo libraries. I also produced three large-scale works for a luxury hotel in New York, combining photographs that evoked the spirit of the city and reflected the hotel’s unique location. We also did the same of a luxury hotel in London.

To complete each collage, I draw upon my archive of imagery captured around London, combined with photographs that reference luxury international brands.

On average, a collage consists of about 150 photographs. When incorporating 15–20 personalised images, I request to be sent up to 50+ images to allow for careful curation; for 40 personalised images, around 100+ are needed to achieve the right visual balance. The greater the palette of images I have the better the collages tend to be.

A selection of the images you provide are edited, recoloured, and print tested for tone and contrast. I also crop images to reveal their most interesting details, for example, isolating a photograph of a dog’s eye to bring focus and character to the composition. Using cropped details of images provided allows the contents of the collage to be less obvious whereby the details within the collage can be revealed months or years later.
Commissioned Collage Sizes & Costs

Generally, collages can be made in three sizes:

H175 x W105 cm

H205 x W125 cm

H125 x W135 cm (Head & Shoulder collage only)

If, for example, I include a dog, or someone holding shopping bags, or two people, the college usually measures H185 x W125 cm. Larger multi person collages can be made much bigger because we would break the artwork down into two or three individual framed parts that would hand together.

The cost of a bespoke and commissioned collage featuring one profile (not a couple or family) depends on the number of personalised images you would like me to include. The options are as follows:

Size H175 x 105 cm:

1. Five to ten personalised images.

2.   Fifteen to twenty personalised images

3.   Thirty to forty personalised images

Size H200 x 120 cm.

4.   Five to ten personalised images

5.   Fifteen to twenty personalised images

6.   Thirty to forty personalised images.

Email me for costs

Larger multi person collages can be costed according to the individual specification required.
Framing Costs

Framing costs need to be considered at the onset of the project. Good framing isn’t cheap and cheap framing isn’t good. To keep framing costs to a minimum, I recommend that I specify the frame to the frame maker so the client can pay the frame maker directly. The frame is then delivered to my studio. This approach ensures the client is able to acquire a frame at the lowest cost possible. Galleries tend not to work this way and often include the frame in the overall cost of any artwork in an attempt to disguise that they have often marked-up the frame costs by 300%. Ouch.

For a H205 x W125 cm collage, the approximate cost of a standard frame with acrylic glazing is £1,800. If UV glazing is specified, the cost increases.

There is the option of non-reflective (anti-glare) glazing, which is excellent but quite costly—typically raising the cost of an H205cm x W125cm frame to over £3,500+. However, if you can stretch this far anti-glare glazing is a revelation.

Frames are made from semi-hardwood and are available in a white or dark graphite colour. I can provide exact costs and details once a size has been decided upon.

We also pack and send collages unframed if framing costs are more competitive at the collage destination.