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Special requests make custom art unique
Custom art is the most unique art you can invest in.
Nicole Hanson
1/14/20252 min read


Custom art is the most unique art you can invest in because it is tailored directly to you. Instead of purchasing wall art from a chain store (who are dictating the options to you), with custom art, you decide exactly what you want.
(For some, all that responsibility can feel stressful. Read my guide on how not to be disappointed in your custom art.)
Custom art, or commissioning an artist, means different things to different artists. For me, it means clients send me a reference photo (or several) and explain what is most important to them, and I interpret their photo in watercolor art.
The Reference
My clients have carefully selected the reference photos they’d like me to refer to while working. The image has a special meaning to them, making it worthy (to them, and to me) of artistic interpretation.
Perhaps a beloved, yet passed, pet, in their favorite pose.
Or a striking angle of the home they raised their family in.
Or a cherished scene from a core memory or family vacation.
Choosing the photo sets your wall art apart from the generic options precisely because it is not generic-- it is deeply meaningful and specific to you.
Of course, you could just frame the photo. And that’s a viable option for many. However, some people want to take it a step further with custom art. These are people who want to give the special image extra honor, people who want to see it interpreted into art, and people who are interested in the adjustments made with artistic flair.
If you want your final custom piece to look exactly like your photo, you probably really are better off framing the photo itself.
Art interprets
In the process of drawing and painting, the artist draws attention to some things and pulls it from others. The artist will arrange things in their painting differently than they appear in the photo for a better composition or better arrangement of lights and darks. That’s because we’re interested in making a beautiful painting, not meticulously copying what the photo has already accomplished.
The client can make special requests to add, remove, or alter how things show up in the photo. I have added beloved pets, removed wires and drain pipes, and even painted a gray sky because the client does not decorate with blue. With custom art, these little details are within your control.
















Custom art is your solution for combining a meaningful photo with your taste and your specific vision. By clarifying your expectations and communicating them with the artist, you ensure that your final piece will live up to your vision.
Then, when you finally get to display your cherished piece in your space, you will express yourself so much more than you would have with a generic piece from a chain store. It is likely to draw attention from your friends and family who visit, and you will once again get to tell the story of why it's so important to you, and how you made that piece happen.
I am currently accepting queries for custom art. If you would like to talk about the piece you are considering (with no obligation), email me at Nicole@NicoleHansonArt.com. We can either talk about it over email or schedule a phone call.
If you’d like to check out more examples of my custom work, you will find them here.
CONTACT
nicole@nicolehansonart.com
LOCATION
Rochester, MN