What Actually Happens When You Commission a Piece

Commissioning a piece sounds more complicated than it actually is. Most of the uncertainty comes from not knowing what the process looks like, not from the process itself.

It starts with a conversation, not a form

Every commission begins the same simple way, tell us what you're imagining, and tell us your budget. That second part matters more than people expect. There's no published flat rate for a reason, pricing genuinely depends on the artist, medium, scale, and complexity of what you're asking for, so being upfront about budget from the start means you get an honest answer about what's actually possible, rather than a generic price list that doesn't reflect your specific piece.

Medium gets matched to the work, not the other way around

Commissions happen across oil on canvas, acrylic on canvas, and mixed media, and the choice isn't arbitrary. It's determined by what the piece actually calls for and which artist on the roster is genuinely the right fit for your brief. That matching matters, a commission works best when it plays to an artist's actual strengths rather than asking someone to work outside how they naturally build a piece.

A real deposit, and a real, honest timeline

A commission begins with a 50 percent deposit. From there, smaller works can be completed in as little as two weeks, while larger or more complex commissions genuinely take longer, and you're given a realistic timeline at the start, then kept informed as the piece actually progresses. That's a deliberate choice, an honest estimate upfront is more useful than a vague promise that slips repeatedly.

What arrives when the piece is finished

A completed commission isn't just the piece itself. It's delivered with a Certificate of Authenticity signed by the artist, full provenance documentation, and real care instructions specific to the piece, shipped worldwide with full insurance included. That's the same standard every original work at Marcolina's carries, a commission doesn't get a lighter version of it.

This has real, visible precedent

This isn't theoretical. The octopus mural at Cage Brewing, a real, named must-see piece in Tampa Bay, was a commissioned collaboration between Guillo Pérez 3 and Blake Emory, arranged directly through Marcolina's. That's what a commission can actually become, a real, permanent piece of a specific place, built around exactly what that space needed.

What this actually means if you're considering one

A commission isn't automatically more expensive or more complicated than buying an available piece. Sometimes it's simpler, since it starts from your actual space and budget instead of asking you to find something that already happens to fit. If a piece you've loved from a particular artist was the wrong size, the wrong palette, or simply already sold, a commission is often the more direct path, not a harder one.

Learn more about painting commissions →

Meet the artists behind this roster →

Marcolina's Fine Arts Gallery is Tampa Bay's leading contemporary fine art gallery, representing original work across painting, sculpture, photography, encaustic, and mixed media. Original works by Guillo Pérez 3, Willy Pérez, Ailene Fields, John Gurbacs, Elizabeth Fontaine-Barr, and represented artists. Private viewings by appointment. Ships worldwide.