Two different skills, often confused for one
"Finding an artist" and "finding an artist who creates art for interior designers" sound like the same search, but they are not. An artist can have a beautiful, extensive portfolio and still have no real experience taking a brief -- palette, dimensions, mood, deadline -- and producing a piece that did not exist before that brief. Selling finished work and creating commissioned work are different disciplines, and a design project needs the second one.
What a genuine commission process actually includes
It starts with a proper brief, not a browse: wall dimensions, photos of the space, palette references pulled from the actual materials and lighting, the mood the room is designed toward, and a firm deadline. From there, a real commission process includes a palette and style proposal that is developed and approved before any canvas is started -- this is the checkpoint that protects the project, because you know what you are getting before production begins rather than after.
Production then happens at whatever scale the brief calls for -- a single piece or a full multi-room collection worked to one consistent palette. The finished work should arrive professionally framed and ready to install, with no separate framer to coordinate.
How to tell the difference before you commit
Ask specifically for examples of commissioned work, not gallery pieces made on the artist's own terms and timeline -- these prove very different capabilities. Ask what volume they can produce and in what timeframe; a single feature piece and a forty-work fit-out are not the same job. And confirm the palette sign-off step exists, because without it you are trusting the outcome with no checkpoint in between brief and delivery.
About Leah Justyce
I built my practice around exactly this process -- every commission starts as a conversation about a specific project, not a browse through finished stock. Twenty-six years of professional experience, featured in British Vogue, The World of Interiors and House and Garden UK, working directly with interior designers, hotels and developers across Australia and internationally.
Read the full guide on where to find an artist who creates art for interior designers, or start a brief directly through the commission enquiry form -- I respond within 48 hours.