About mY cuStom Work
A commission is an act of trust. You bring me your stories — sometimes your words, sometimes old photographs, sometimes just a feeling you can't quite name — and I translate them into something you can see and touch and hang on your wall. Every piece is built from what matters most to you: your people, your history, your symbols, the moments that shaped you.
This is not decorative art. It is specific to you and only you. Layered with meaning, made by hand, and made only once. My clients often tell me they feel seen in a way they didn't expect — that somehow the painting knows something about them. That's the goal. To make something that surprises you with how true it is.
If you have a story worth keeping, a commission might be the most meaningful thing you ever do with it.
Choose whAt spEaks to yOu
personal commissions
your story, made visible. You bring me what matters — stories, photographs, symbols, memories — and I build something from them. A painting that is layered with meaning, specific to you, and made only once. This is not decoration. This is your story, translated into something you can see.
children's drawings
a moment in time, made permanent.Children draw without hesitation. No second-guessing, no self-editing — just pure imagination on paper. I take those original marks and transform them into a painting that preserves that moment forever. It's a keepsake, a gift, and a reminder of who they are right now.
large scale & installation
art that lives in the room long after you leave it.Some stories need more than a canvas. Murals, gallery installations, and institutional commissions are an invitation to think big — to create something that transforms a space and becomes part of it. I work with galleries, organizations, and developers to bring large scale work to life that is site specific, conceptual, and built to last.
My prOcesS
inquiry
We have a conversation — about your story, your timeline, and whether we're the right fit for each other.
concept
Once you're in, we make it official — contract, deposit, and then you hand me everything that matters: stories, images, memories. From there, I begin to see the piece.
creation
I make it. This is where the magic happens and where I ask you to trust me.
delivery
Your painting arrives — and with it, usually a little surprise at how true it feels.
What cLients saY
“Working with Erin is such a joy—her collaborative spirit, her appreciation of unique perspectives and respect to lived experience truly lend themselves to a fun and refreshing process.”
skyler taylor
“Working with Erin Shaw has truly felt like an honor. From the very beginning, you can tell how much she genuinely cares about people. She listens in a way that feels real like she’s fully present with you taking in your story and truly understanding it.”
zarifa housini
“Her artworks blending painting, sculpture, installation, and community engagement are inspiring, as the motif of collecting stories weaves throughout her playful, rigorous, and expansive creative practice.”
jason rafferty
fRequEntly AskEd qUesTionS
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Pricing depends on size, complexity, and scope. Personal commissions typically start at $1500, children’s drawing commissions can start lower, depending on scale. Large scale and installation work is quoted individually. Reach out and we'll figure out what makes sense for your project.
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Most personal commissions are completed within six to eight weeks. Large scale work has a longer timeline that we establish together at the start.
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This is the question everyone wants to ask and I'm glad you did. I don't do approval sketches — I ask you to trust me. What I can tell you is that in twenty years of making work for people, my clients are consistently surprised by how right it feels. That said, we talk extensively before I ever pick up a brush, and that conversation is what makes it work.
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As big as you need. Personal commissions range from intimate to large format. For murals and installations, the sky is genuinely the limit.
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Just reach out. We'll schedule a conversation and go from there.
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Honestly? People tell me it feels easier than they expected. I ask good questions, I listen well, and I take the weight of translating your story seriously. You bring me what matters and I take it from there.
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I'm an artist who is also a researcher, a storyteller, and someone who has spent twenty years learning how to make the invisible visible. A commission with me is not just a painting. It's a translation of something true.
