Select Past Commissions.
"I've always been adamant that commissioning a piece of art should be easy and convenient for the client. At Annie Bao Art, there's no need for a photoshoot or even an exact photo. I work with clients to select an assortment of photos already at their disposal and paint from an amalgamation of them as a reference. Everything from composing a painting to the "studio visit" to framing can be done virtually.”
“This client and I met at a mutual friend’s farewell dinner and overheard me talking about painting another client as Marie Antoinette. She immediately jumped on it and before our main courses even arrived, we had already picked out what jewelry she wanted to add to her own painting! I began my portraiture career with these kinds of mischievous commissions and this type of transformation into iconic paintings/historical figures/fictional characters is still the most popular amongst clients.
I urge clients to go beyond reality into the surreal and even the fantastical because after all, you can be painted as anything! From period costumes to
icons of pop culture and even animated characters, I’ve had so much fun creating art with clients to make tangible their personalities and imaginations. After all, what’s life without whimsy?”
Client as Marie Antoinette, 24"x36", Oil on canvas
Client as "Girl with a Pearl Earring”, 18"x24", oil on canvas
Client as General Bill Murray, 18”x24”, oil on canvas
Client as the Last Empress of Russia + Harry Potter’s “Philosopher’s Stone” Scepter, 24”x36”, oil on canvas
Client as Beijing Opera Singer, 24”x36”, oil on canvas
“Even with professional photoshoots, you may not be able to get that perfect picture. One person might have blinked, the wind might have caught a corner of a dress, unintended figures might have photobombed in the back, etc. One client requested to replace her hair with a photo of what it looked like before the humidity set in on the curls. Others have requested for more sculpted bodies, younger countenance, different backgrounds, meaningful jewelries added, and in the case of one commission, the addition of a whole person who could not be at the event.
The best and the most frequent request by far is to have their little pets added since these fur babies are usually not allowed at most events. And that is the best thing about paintings: the flexibility on reality. You get to create a reality exactly as you want it — because well, why not?"
Wedding Day x 3 + Cats, 12"x24", oil on canvas
Wedding in Jamaica (with "pre-humidity" hair!), 18"x24", oil on canvas
Wedding Day in Red + Fur Baby, 16”x28”, oil on canvas
The Only Couple in Grand Central, 18"x24", oil on canvas
"When it comes to portraits of young children, I'm often asked how I find the perfect photo reference and the answer is, I don't! Parents come to me worried that they don’t have a “good” photo because it’s so difficulty to get all the kids to sit still and all smile and look at the camera at the same time. This is when piecing the painting together from an amalgamation of photos comes to the rescue!”
Brother and Sister Together in One Photo, 18”x24", oil on canvas
“I know from experience how impossible it is to get a good photo from pets — much less in the right lighting and in front of your preferred background. Thank goodness for the billions of photos we can’t help but take of our little fur babies, we can construct a painting of just about anything.”
Cat in Front of Her Beloved Fireplace, 18”x24", oil on canvas
Easter Blessings for Spike, 18"x24", oil on canvas
Cats painted into Jan van Eyck’s “Arnolfini Portrait”, 18”x24”, oil on canvas
Poopie in Thought, 12"x12", oil on canvas
“This couple loves the 1920s and instead of doing a photoshoot which requires much more energy and time, they opted instead to be transported via paint into a Downton Abbey-esque setting with all the quintessential fashion items of that era.”
2018 Couple in 1920s, 24"x18”, oil on canvas