Summer Fête with mangos

Summer Fete, oil painting, Jean Wilkey, oil on panel, 10x8 in
Summer Fete, oil painting, Jean Wilkey, oil on panel, 10x8 in
Summer Fête, Jean Wilkey, oil on panel, 10×8 in

Summer Fête is a commission I just completed for a friend who gave it as a gift. I found the fabric when I was at a thrift shop recently and it’s the same print in different colors as one I used in a painting nine years ago. Go figure.

Mangos are one of my favorite subjects. I love the high chroma reds which always remind me of life in the tropics. This painting is filled with similar colors to another painting that the person liked. Doing commissions are sometimes tricky and I’m always worried that the person will like the result. This time she did.

Have you ever commissioned a painting and how did it turn out?