The Commission Process

denHolm commissions are made and designed
by Steven John Clark.
 One of one pieces, bespoke and original.

All denHolm pieces are unique in that each has individual character, the imprints of the hands that made them.

Step to the right a little, in another industry they may call this human error, we celebrate this departure from uniformity.

Commission pieces are created for you and will not be recreated for another.

 
For the sake of this journey,
I will write as if it is you commissioning this piece.

This is the evolution of a commission.

 START HERE! 

STAGE 1 - "YOU CAN’T HAVE IT"

“I want this one.”
A lot of the time, this is how the conversation begins.
We explain, you can’t have it. 
You may have one inspired by, a remix, a rendition of. Good Weather.
Commissions are entirely bespoke to your style, function and environment.
Sometimes these pieces are for people to worship daily, in their home.
Sometimes the projects are more unconventional - bookshelves, fireplaces, bathtubs, baby-changing table.
 

STAGE 2 - THE DOCUMENT:

If this were a medical procedure, it would be an extraction.
The brief document allows us to capture the essential information, both up close and far away. This is better for everyone. It is especially better for your piece.

PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL 

STAGE 3 - HOW TO SELL YOUR CAR:

A common misconception is that money cannot buy happiness. Welcome to stage 3, denHolm sends you a quote.

STAGE 4 - DRAW IT FOR ME:

After the brief, comes the sketch.

This is a loose sketch, leaving space for movement within the process.
This is the starting point of your piece, the conception. The birth happens in the workshop.
Marks on paper influence the marks made on stone, though it is free to change.
More often than not, the sketch and the outcome are very similar. 

STAGE 5 - CAN I SEE IT?:

Progress shots, sometimes you get them sometimes you don’t.

 

STAGE 6 - ADOPTED:

Born - named, photographed and documented.

Pictured: 'TOORAK' for Simone Haag, photography by Peter Ryle.

Adoption papers complete.
Gone but not forgotten.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If this is not enough, we have more.
Please email us at shop@den-holm.com