March Newsletter: 2026
Come on, Spring. Where are you hiding? It has been a brutal winter here in Baltimore, and we are more than ready for the season ahead. We are looking forward to warmer days, opening the doors, and welcoming everyone back to experience the new works on view.
Before highlighting what’s ahead, I want to take a moment to thank everyone who braved the cold to visit the gallery and see On This Day by Arvay Adams. His monumental commissioned painting, We Insist, has now been installed in its permanent home at Gallagher LLP. If you were unable to see the exhibition, we have detailed the entire exhibit in our quarterly magazine.
Arvay Adams standing in front of ‘We Insist’
We truly appreciate being a part of Gallagher’s new office renovation. Choosing a local gallery and a local artist to highlight a significant moment in both Civil Rights history and Baltimore’s history is a powerful reflection of what it means to support your local art community.
Following the close of On This Day, we’ve expanded our Winter Group Show, Studies in Nature, into the back half of the gallery, introducing a new selection of works. The collection on view draws inspiration from the natural world, with each artist’s work thoughtfully complementing one another.
Tracey Halvorsen, Proliferation, Oil on canvas, 36 x 36in
Justin Winkel, Lily Pond, Encaustic on wood panel, 26 x 50in, Gold Frame
Ricardo Roig, Le Jardin I & II, Acrylic and spray paint on canvas, 30 x 60in (Diptych)
Shawn Humes, Early Morning Haze, Oil on canvas, 36 x 36in
Justin Winkel, Moonlight, Digital painting printed on German etching paper, 40 x 52in
Federico Gauna, Charco (Puddle), Metal wire sculpture, 15 x 15 x 15in
COMMISSIONED ARTWORKS.. How do they work?
We mentioned earlier how Arvay Adams was commissioned to create a large-scale painting for Gallagher LLP. I want to take a moment to expand on how commissions work and share another example from a recent project.
More often than not, commissioned paintings begin with a specific need for size. A collector may be drawn to an artist’s style but require a piece that fits a particular space, and sometimes there isn’t an existing work in the gallery that meets those exact dimensions.
Every commission begins with a consultation. This allows both the artist and the collector to develop a clear understanding of the scope, scale, and vision for the project.
For this example, I’ll walk through a commission I recently completed for a couple.
They are returning collectors who shared that they had always dreamed of having a true statement piece in their home. They began by sending photos of the space where the painting would live, which was their dining room.
They also shared images of previous works I’ve created to help communicate the style, color palette and overall feeling they were drawn to. Along with that, they provided additional inspiration images and expressed a desire to capture the atmosphere of a beautiful sunset.
From there, they provided the required dimensions. For this project, the painting needed to measure 24 x 60 inches. Among the sunset photos they shared from their travels, one stood out. It was an image they captured in French Polynesia, which ultimately became the foundation for the piece.
It’s important to note that every artist approaches commissioned projects differently. Personally, I like to share early progress images to ensure that our visions are aligned. I welcome thoughtful feedback, as long as I’m able to maintain creative control of the work.
Rather than asking for detailed direction, I typically check in to see if the client connects with the overall direction. This gives me valuable insight while still preserving the integrity of my creative process.
The final step is the reveal.
Below is the completed painting for this couple, which is currently on view in the gallery. If you’d like to experience it in person, we invite you to stop by before it is picked up.
Justin Winkel, Sunset in the French Polynesia, Encaustics on wood panel, 24 x 60in
RECENT COLLECTOR PHOTOS
