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A painting made for one wall in your home

Sergei Troshin accepts commissions: a size cut to your wall, a palette worked out for your room, or a new piece in the spirit of one that has already sold. It starts with a call or a short message about the space.

Call +1 (416) 919-8331
Joy, a canvas covered in thick poured loops of white, cream, yellow, teal and pink over a black ground
Joy, 2019, acrylic and resin on canvas, 18 × 24 in. Sold.
Your wallIts width, its light, the colours you would rather not see. A new painting starts from those.

Where does a commission usually start?

From one of two places. Either you saw a painting here that has gone, or you have a wall and no picture in mind yet. Both work, and they lead to different first conversations.

From a piece that has sold

Joy, the painting at the top of this page, went to its owner in 2019 and it stays sold. What can come back is what drew you to it: the palette, the thick poured loops, the glossy resin face, the scale. You tell us which of those matters, and the new painting is built around it.

It will not be the same picture. Each work here is made once, and the gallery does not make copies or prints.

The note on Joy's own page says the artist takes commissions and often has related work from the same series, so ask about both.
DaDa 2020, a dense labyrinth of hand-drawn coloured lines under a glossy resin coat

From a wall and nothing else

If you have no reference, the size of the wall becomes the main fixed point and the rest is worked out in the conversation. DaDa 2020 shows how far one direction can be taken: every line of its labyrinth was drawn by hand.

In the artist's words on that page, "As many lines,that many days of work it took!"

DaDa 2020 is 20 × 16 in, acrylic and resin on fiberboard, and it is still available.

What should the first message say?

"The wall is about 7 feet wide, above a grey sofa. The window faces east, so it's bright in the morning and dim after four.

I liked Joy, mostly the colours. Please no red, the rug is already red. Photo of the room attached."

An example of a first message that gives the artist enough to answer. Four sentences and one photo.

The contact page asks for the same things, and each one changes the answer you get back.

  1. The width and height of the wall, and what sits under or beside it.
  2. Where the light comes from and when. A layered surface reads differently at noon and under a lamp at night.
  3. Colours you want to avoid. People often find this easier to say than what they want, and it narrows things quickly.
  4. A painting you respond to, if there is one, from this catalogue or anywhere else.
  5. A phone photo of the room as it is. It doesn't need to be tidy.

Send it through the contact page, by email, or say it on the phone. The gallery replies with what is possible and how long it would take.

What you decide, and what stays with the artist

A commission here is still a Sergei Troshin painting. Knowing where the line sits saves a disappointing conversation later.

You chooseThe artist keeps
The size, down to the wall you measured.His materials: acrylic, natural pigments, resin, collage and diamond dust.
The palette, and the colours left out.How the surface is built. He is self-taught and works by experiment, layer by layer.
A reference work to start from.The composition itself. A reference sets a mood, it is not a drawing to follow.

A commission stays inside the materials and the abstract way of working you see in the catalogue. If you have a portrait or a landscape from a photo in mind, ask about that on the first call, before anything else. His own words and background are on the artist's page.

Why is there no fixed delivery date?

Because the time is in the layers, not in a queue. Each stage has to dry or cure before the next goes on, and a heavily layered or resin-coated piece simply takes longer than a lighter one of the same size.

So the estimate comes once the artist has seen the wall and any reference, for that painting. If you are working to a date, a move or a birthday, say it in the first message. It decides what is sensible to start.

The Tate glossary entry on mixed media explains the kind of surface this is, if the term is new to you.

Can I see the surfaces before I commission one?

Traces of the Forgotten, a tall dark mixed-media panel with a broken circle, rust-coloured textures and faint script
Traces of the Forgotten, 2025, mixed media, 30 × 48 in.
Under Media Cobweb, a wide pale collage of newspaper cuttings under a fine white web of poured acrylic
Under Media Cobweb, 2019, collage, acrylic and resin, 60 × 80 in.

Yes, and it's the fastest way to decide. On a screen these two look flat. In the room, the rust and metal on the first catch the light from the side, and the newspaper print in the second only appears as you walk up to it.

The gallery is at 473 Simonston Blvd, Markham, open daily 9:00 to 18:00, with viewings by appointment. Bring the wall measurements and your photo, and stand in front of the two or three works closest to what you have in mind.

Questions people ask before a commission

Can I commission a painting like one that has already sold?

Yes, in the sense of its palette, surface or scale. The sold painting itself stays with its owner, and the new one is a different work made once.

What do I need to send to get started?

The size of the wall, where the light comes from, any colours to avoid, and a photo of the room. A painting you like helps but is not required.

How long does a commission take?

There is no set turnaround. Layers have to dry or cure between stages, so the artist gives an estimate for your painting after seeing the wall and any reference.

Do commissioned works come with a certificate?

Every purchase from the gallery includes a Certificate of Authenticity signed and sealed by the artist.

Can a commissioned painting be shipped outside Toronto?

Works are packed individually and shipped across Canada and internationally, or collected in Markham. Shipping is quoted per piece.

Available originals to start the conversation from

Truth Truth White Night White Night DaDa 2020 DaDa 2020 Traces of the Forgotten (2025) Traces of the Forgotten (2025)

Describe the wall, and ask what is possible

Call +1 (416) 919-8331 with the size of the wall, the light it gets and any colours to avoid. You will hear what could be made for it and how long it would take, and you are welcome to visit 473 Simonston Blvd, Markham, by appointment, daily 9:00 to 18:00.

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