Commission a Custom Scottish Landscape Painting

A commissioned Scottish landscape painting gives me the opportunity to create an original piece based on a place that has a particular meaning to you. It might be a favourite view, somewhere connected to your family, a landscape from a memorable holiday or simply a part of Scotland that you have always loved.

I paint locations throughout Scotland, from the Highlands, Glencoe and Skye to the Hebrides, lochs, mountains, beaches and west coast landscapes. With a commission, I can take the location or photographs you provide and interpret the landscape in my own painting style.

Commissioning a Scottish Landscape Painting

Every commission begins with the place you would like me to paint. You may already have a particular photograph or view in mind, or you might have several reference photographs that help explain the landscape, colours and atmosphere you are looking for.

I don't approach a commission as a photographic reproduction. My paintings are interpretations of the Scottish landscape, so I may simplify details, strengthen colours or give more emphasis to the sky, mountains, coastline or light where I think it improves the finished painting.

The aim is to create an original painting that remains recognisable as the place that matters to you while still looking and feeling like one of my paintings.

Scottish Highlands and Mountain Commissions

The Highlands provide some of the most dramatic subjects for commissioned paintings. Mountains, glens, lochs and changing skies give me plenty of scope to work with colour, scale and atmosphere.

Locations such as Glencoe can look completely different depending on the conditions. Dark cloud and mist can create a much more dramatic painting, while evening light or clearer skies can bring out different colours in the mountains and surrounding landscape.

If you're considering this type of subject, you can explore my original paintings of the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands to see examples of the landscapes and atmosphere I work with.

Commissioning a Painting of Skye or the Scottish Islands

Scotland's islands are another important part of my work. Skye and the Hebrides offer an enormous range of subjects, from mountains and distant islands to beaches, turquoise water and expansive skies.

Island commissions can be based on a recognisable landmark or a much simpler coastal view. Sometimes the most effective composition is little more than a beach, distant land and a large changing sky.

The light is particularly important in many of these paintings. A sunset, approaching weather or reflected colour across the water can completely change the character of an otherwise simple landscape.

Commissioning a Painting of a Scottish Loch

Scottish lochs work particularly well as painting subjects because water introduces another element into the composition. Reflections, mountains, islands and changing skies can all interact with the surface of the water.

A loch painting doesn't necessarily need to be dramatic. Some of the landscapes I'm most interested in painting are relatively simple, with subdued colour, distant hills and reflections creating a quieter atmosphere.

At other times I may use stronger colour and more expressive skies, depending on the location, reference material and the kind of painting we have discussed.

Using Your Photographs for a Commission

You don't need a professionally taken photograph to discuss a painting with me. What matters is that I have enough useful visual information to understand the landscape and the elements that are important to you.

Sometimes one photograph provides everything I need. In other cases, several photographs of the same location can be useful. One might show the composition particularly well while another gives me better information about the mountains, coastline, buildings or surrounding landscape.

If there are particular elements that matter to you, tell me. The significance of a particular mountain, cottage, beach, island or section of coastline may not be obvious from the photograph alone.

Choosing the Size and Shape of Your Painting

The size and proportions of the finished artwork are worth considering before I begin. A wide panoramic landscape can work particularly well for coastlines, mountain ranges and views across water, while other compositions may suit a more traditional landscape or square format.

It can also help to think about where the finished painting will eventually hang. The dimensions of the wall, nearby furniture and the distance from which the artwork will normally be viewed can all influence the size that works best.

My background in Interior Design has influenced how I think about proportion and composition, so these are considerations I naturally take into account when discussing a commissioned painting.

Colour, Light and Atmosphere

One of the reasons I continue to paint Scotland is that the landscape never really has one fixed appearance. The same location can change completely depending on the weather and light.

A Scottish beach beneath a bright sky can produce an entirely different painting from the same beach beneath approaching cloud. A mountain can be sharply defined in one painting and partly disappear into mist in another.

When we discuss your commission, it's useful to tell me if there is a particular atmosphere you prefer. Your reference photograph may already capture it, or we can discuss the colours and mood you would like the finished painting to have.

A Painting with a Personal Connection

Many commissions begin because a particular Scottish landscape has a personal connection. It might be somewhere you grew up, a family home, a favourite holiday destination, a wedding location or a view associated with someone important to you.

Others are commissioned simply because someone loves a particular part of Scotland and wants an original interpretation of it in their home.

I think that connection is one of the things that makes commissioned landscape paintings particularly interesting. I'm creating a painting of a landscape, but I also understand that the reason you've chosen that landscape may go far beyond the view itself.

My Approach to Your Commission

I want a commissioned painting to remain recognisable as my work. Rather than copying a photograph exactly, I use it as the starting point for the painting.

My work ranges from more detailed landscapes through to impressionistic and more abstract interpretations. Colour, texture and atmosphere are important throughout, and the individual subject usually influences how I approach the finished piece.

You can look through my current collection of original Scottish landscape paintings to get a clearer idea of my style and the different ways I interpret Scotland.

Commission a Scottish Landscape Painting

If you have a Scottish landscape you would like me to paint, you can find more information about commissioning an original Scottish landscape painting and get in touch with me to discuss your idea.

You don't need to have every detail decided before contacting me. A location, a photograph and an idea of what you're looking for are enough to start the conversation.

From there, I can create an original interpretation of a Scottish landscape that has a particular connection to you.