Anatomy of a commission: The initial meeting and concept development

Meeting in person with the 4-member art selection committee, I presented my artwork (using my website, on their huge video screen) to give them an idea of the scope and variety of solutions. I asked how they wanted the piece to feel -- should it be active, somber, scream hipster or traditionalist, etc. The criteria that emerged were to keep the piece interesting but not distracting, contemplative but not boring, and somehow intimate the continual optimism of this vibrant area, Silicon Valley.

The next step (always the most time consuming) was to develop three approaches that would please the client and be pieces that I would be enthused to work on.