An original artwork can begin with a place, a memory, an image, or a question. My fine art portfolio brings together paintings, architectural subjects, landscapes, and imaginative work. This guide introduces those examples and suggests how to start a conversation about a personal or organizational commission.
Fine Art Commissions in New England and New York
I’m Vladimir Shpitalnik, an artist, theater designer, and educator based in Connecticut. My fine art is part of a wider creative practice that includes watercolor painting, illustration, set and costume design, murals, sculpture, and installations. Across these media, I am interested in imagination and storytelling: the way an image invites someone into a particular world. If you are exploring a fine art commission in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, or New York, the paintings in this portfolio provide a useful introduction to that sensibility. For collectors and organizations in New York City, including people searching for commissioned artwork in NYC, the starting point is the individual work rather than a general label. Look at the subjects, atmosphere, and relationship between observation and invention. They can help you describe what kind of artistic connection you are seeking and whether my approach feels relevant to the piece you have in mind.
Yale University: Architecture, Light and a Sense of Place
Yale University is named in the “I’ve worked with” section of the home page, and several Yale subjects appear in the fine art gallery. The captions include Harkness Tower, Battel Chapel, Sterling Hall of Medicine, and the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at the Yale School of Medicine. These works show an interest in architecture as more than a record of a building. A setting can carry atmosphere, memory, and a sense of discovery. The composition directs attention toward particular relationships: a facade and its surroundings, a passage of light, or an interior experienced as a complete scene. For someone considering a painting of a meaningful place, these examples provide specific reference points. They can help begin a discussion about what makes the subject significant and what the artwork should emphasize, without assuming that every architectural painting must follow the same viewpoint or treatment.
Landscapes, Watercolors and Observed Environments
The gallery includes works captioned Beach, Rainy beach, Creek, Winter, Garden, Fog, and Golden day. Their subjects suggest different ways of encountering an environment, from a recognizable place to a moment shaped by season or weather. My biography identifies watercolor painting and painting en plein air as part of my practice. These interests connect close observation with an imaginative response to what is seen. A landscape can be valued for its location, but also for its mood, rhythm, light, or association with a personal experience. If you are considering an artwork connected to a place in Massachusetts or Rhode Island, explain which of these qualities matters most. A photograph may help introduce the subject, while a short description of your relationship to it can add another dimension. The portfolio is a starting point for that conversation, not a guarantee that a new commission will repeat the appearance of an existing painting.
The Shubert Theater and Imaginative Fine Art
The Shubert Theater appears in “I’ve worked with,” and the fine art gallery includes a work captioned 110th Anniversary, Shubert Theater. Door design, Long Wharf Theatre Gala is another entry that connects visual art with a theatrical context. These examples sit naturally within my broader interest in performance and storytelling. I have described theater as the lens through which I view the world, whether I am designing for a stage or working on a painting. That does not mean every fine art piece needs a theatrical subject. It means an image can suggest a scene, a mood, or a world beyond its immediate surface. For a personal commission, there may be room to discuss a more imaginative interpretation alongside an observational one. The appropriate direction depends on the subject and the intention, and it should be developed through conversation rather than assumed from the word commission alone.
Cambridge University Press and Alfred A. Knopf
Cambridge University Press and Alfred A. Knopf are among the organizations named in the home page’s “I’ve worked with” section. These publishing references belong to my multidisciplinary background and should not be mistaken for a list of fine art buyers or endorsements. They are relevant because illustration and visual storytelling form part of the same creative practice as my paintings. An image made for a page and an artwork intended for a room may have different contexts, yet both depend on composition, attention, and the relationship between detail and the whole. Visitors interested in the narrative side of my fine art may therefore find it useful to explore the illustration portfolio as well. Looking across categories can reveal what attracts you to the work: an imaginative setting, a carefully observed subject, an expressive object, or the sense that a familiar world has become slightly unexpected.
Materials, Scale and the Experience of an Artwork
My practice ranges from large wooden sculptures to small illustrations, from murals to intricate paper work. Fine art belongs within this exploration of how different mediums perform. A painting is encountered at a particular scale and distance, in relation to its surroundings and the person looking at it. Before choosing a direction for a commission, it can be helpful to think about where the artwork will be experienced. Will it be viewed closely, from across a room, or in a setting where people pass by? Is the subject already clear, or are you still exploring possibilities? These questions do not determine a finished design, but they make the first discussion more useful. The suitability of a medium, dimensions, presentation, and other practical details should be considered for the individual proposal. Existing portfolio images are references for artistic fit rather than a fixed menu of sizes, formats, prices, or delivery arrangements.
Fine Art Inquiries from Massachusetts and Rhode Island
If you are researching fine art commissions in Massachusetts or looking for an artist to discuss a Rhode Island subject, I welcome a conversation grounded in your particular idea. My studio base is in Connecticut, and the website presents my existing work and biography rather than claiming an office in every state. A regional inquiry might begin with a meaningful building, a landscape, a personal image, or a response to something already in the gallery. Describe what makes the subject important and which qualities you hope an original artwork might convey. If you have reference photographs, you can explain what they show and what they do not capture. There is no need to arrive with a finished composition. It is more useful to communicate your intention clearly, identify any practical constraints, and allow space for an artistic response. Availability and the scope of a possible commission can then be discussed directly.
New Jersey, New York, New York City and NYC
People searching for commissioned fine art in New Jersey, New York, or New York City may be looking for very different things. A private collector may have a personal subject in mind, while an organization may be thinking about the character of a particular setting. NYC is one part of a wider regional conversation, not a single style or subject. The paintings on this page offer examples of my approach, including architectural studies, landscapes, still-life subjects, and imaginative work. If you are making an inquiry from New York City or elsewhere in New York state, please describe both the subject and the intended context. The same applies to a New Jersey commission. A clear introduction makes it easier to discuss whether the idea connects with my practice. Location, schedule, budget, presentation, and the practical arrangements for a new work need to be considered individually rather than inferred from a regional search term.
An Artistic Background Rooted in Exploration
My biography describes a journey that began with ceramics at the Abramtsevo Art School and continued through studies at the Moscow Art Theater and an MFA in Set and Costume Design from the Yale School of Drama. Moscow Art Theatre School, Yale Cabaret, and Yale University also appear in “I’ve worked with.” These references explain aspects of my training and professional background; they do not establish a commission history for each painting. My work has moved across disciplines because I see creative possibilities in different materials and settings. As an educator, I have also spent more than three decades helping students find their own creative voices. That continuing interest in exploration is part of how I think about art. A new commission can begin with observation, but it also needs room for interpretation: a way to make the subject meaningful through an image rather than merely describe it in another medium.
Start a Conversation about an Original Artwork
Please use the contact form to introduce the artwork you are considering. Helpful details include your location, the subject or idea, where the work may be displayed, and any approximate dimensions already in mind. If there is an important date or an initial budget range, mention it so the discussion can begin with realistic context. You can also identify a painting from this gallery and describe what you respond to: its atmosphere, composition, architectural subject, or imaginative character. Sharing an example is an invitation to discuss direction, not a request to reproduce a previous work. Whether you are contacting me from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, or NYC, the aim is to understand the relationship you hope to have with an original artwork. The next step is a direct conversation about artistic fit, possible scope, and the information needed to consider a new commission thoughtfully.