I couldn’t figure out why the giant oil painting of sequoias in snow was taking so long. The answer is that I had a math accident.
The customer decided on 18×36″, and I agreed that I could finish it in the time needed, although it would be quite tight.
I painted and painted, each morning before heading to work on the mural in the afternoon, some mornings before teaching drawing lessons in Exeter, mornings before my business referral group Zoom meeting. It seemed that I wasn’t making much progress in each session. Although I got areas finished, they were a smaller percentage of the entire painting than I expected to cover.
One day, I was looking over my inventory list, adding and numbering new jobs (have I mentioned how much work I have?) and I noticed that the canvas of sunny sequoias, which I converted to the snowy sequoia painting, was listed as being 24×48″.
I got the tape measure out, and sure enough, instead of painting 18×36″, I am painting 24×48″.
24×48″?
Yeppers.
Ridiculous math accident.
And that is why I have to stand on a ladder to paint the top edge.
My customer was extraordinarily gracious and understanding. We spent a fair amount of time laughing together on the phone about the situation, and then he told me to adjust my price to reflect the true value of the painting!
His company has plans to reproduce it in several formats, and it will still work because the proportions are the same as 18×36. Because it is larger, I am able to achieve tighter and better detail. So, it is all turning out better than planned or imagined.
6 Comments
Gracious is definitely the right word to describe your customer. Very nice resolution!
Nikki, he blew me away. But, I only know him as a very enjoyable neighbor and never understood what he does for a living or what a Big Deal he is in hisplace of employment.
Well, Jana, I had to laugh too. My transfer of the Magnolia from a 36 x 36 to a 30 x 30 came out after the printer gave me sections and I had to piece them together to see how it fits the 30 x 30 canvas. That took time, now has been transferred and that took more time! and ready to paint!
Janet, this is why we call it “art WORK”!
How nice that you erred on the side of the client, and that he adjusted his price accordingly. Win-Win!
Sharon, if I had known how well this would turn out, I might have tried it on someone else sooner. NOT!!
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