I get quite a few questions at exhibitions and via email about various aspects of being a professional artist. One of which is the subject of commissioned work. As you may already know, I am working on quite a number of commissions at the moment. All of them on display on various easels in my studio. I have a great deal more of them than I did a short time ago. If the murmurings are correct, my prediction is that there will only be more of them in the future. It is a little overwhelming at times, having so many things just "waiting" for me in my studio. ;)
I know that numerous artists tend to dislike commissions, and refuse to take them. Most often, artists paint (or sculpt) things they feel connected to. There is usually a story behind a work of art that impacted the artist and generated the inspiration to make it. So, when a subject is predetermined, it is difficult at times to muster enough creative inspiration to plunge through some of them.
With that said, I should clarify that I really don’t mind painting commissions. It is rather interesting to have a subject for a piece requested. Often, I find that it makes me think of creative concepts and arrangements to make an idea "work" in a painting that I may have never thought of before. A creative exercise or puzzle, if you will. In a sense, the act of painting itself becomes the inspiration. 
