Commissioned original work
Custom abstract paintings.
Bring a one-of-one mixed-media painting into the place where your life happens. Dawud Shabazz creates custom work with the scale, atmosphere, and lasting presence your space calls for.
Made for your space
Begin with the feeling you want to live with.
A custom abstract painting gives a room something no ready-made object can offer: a visual language built around the life already unfolding there. It may be a living room where people gather, a quiet bedroom, a workplace that needs more energy, or an entry that sets the tone when you come home. The starting point is not a formula. It is the atmosphere you want the space to hold.
Dawud Shabazz creates each work through layers of acrylic, enamel, sand, glitter, texture, and gesture. Color fields can create calm or momentum. A raised edge can catch a changing light. A line can hold movement without telling a single fixed story. Those material decisions allow a painting to meet a room differently over time, becoming part of its daily rhythm instead of simply filling a wall.
A commission keeps that process personal. You can share the dimensions of the wall, photographs of the space, colors that keep drawing you in, or simply a feeling you want the work to carry. From there, Dawud brings his own visual vocabulary and years of practice to the conversation. The result is an original painting with a clear connection to you, while remaining recognizably his.
A thoughtful collaboration
Enough direction to feel personal, enough freedom for the work to breathe.
Great commissioned art is not about reproducing a swatch or matching every finish in a room. It is about finding a relationship that feels true. A deep blue may steady an active space. Gold and warm tones can give an entry generosity. A layered neutral surface can bring depth without demanding attention. Sharing the character of the room helps Dawud understand where the work will live and how you hope it will feel.
Scale matters just as much. A painting above a sofa, dining table, desk, or bed has a different presence from one meant for a narrow hall or an intimate reading corner. When you have measurements, the conversation becomes more concrete. When you do not, there is still room to start with the wall, the sightlines, and the moments you want the painting to meet.
Dawud was born and raised in Detroit, and his practice is grounded in the city’s creative energy. His work has been exhibited at the Charles H. Wright Museum, Irwin House Gallery, The Carr Center, and Flatlanders Art Galleries. You can explore his artistic path and see more of that history through the exhibitions page.
The conversation
Share the room, then let the painting become itself.
A useful first note can be simple: tell Dawud where the painting will hang, what draws you to abstract work, and how you want the room to feel. A photo can help show the light, existing colors, and surrounding furniture. Dimensions are helpful when you have them, especially for a larger wall, but a perfect brief is never required. The conversation is there to turn a starting instinct into a clearer direction.
As the work takes shape, Dawud’s materials do more than add decoration. Enamel can create sheen, sand can change the surface, and layered paint can bring a sense of time and movement. These are the details a screen cannot fully carry. They are also why a custom original can keep rewarding attention after it has become familiar in a room.
If you are drawn to a painting already in the collection, it can be useful to mention it. It may reveal a color relationship, energy, or material quality you want to explore. It does not need to be copied. The commission is its own work, made to respond to your space while allowing a new composition to emerge.
Start the ConversationAvailable now
See the language of the work in the collection.
These original paintings offer a closer look at Dawud’s color, texture, and sense of movement. The available collection is also there if you find a piece that already feels made for you.
An original that belongs
More than a match for the wall.
A custom painting can honor the real life of a space without becoming overly literal. It might echo a color that feels like home, create a counterpoint to a quieter room, or bring together elements that previously felt separate. The strongest choice is often the work that changes the atmosphere while still feeling inevitable once it arrives.
Because abstract art is open, it has room to stay with you. A textured area may become more pronounced in evening light. A small mark may begin to feel important after weeks of passing it. The painting can hold different moods without needing a single explanation. That ongoing exchange is part of what makes original work so rewarding to live with.
A commission also gives you a direct connection to the artist behind the work. You are not selecting an anonymous decorative object. You are beginning with a conversation, following a practice rooted in hand-built layers, and welcoming a singular piece into your daily surroundings. It is a considered way to mark a new home, a change in a room, a milestone, or simply your readiness to live with art that feels closer to your own life.
If you prefer to choose without waiting, the available collection offers original paintings ready to explore now. For a work made around a particular place or intention, visit commissions or contact Dawud directly. Both paths begin with attention, not pressure.
Make room for something personal
Let’s talk about the painting your space is waiting for.
Share the wall, the atmosphere, or the first feeling you want to follow. Dawud will continue the conversation directly.
Discuss a Commission
Frequently asked questions
About custom work.
What is a custom abstract painting?
It is an original painting made by Dawud for a particular space, feeling, or point of connection. The work is not a reproduction or a pre-set design. It begins with your conversation, then develops through Dawud’s own layered mixed-media practice.
What should I share to begin?
A photograph of the room, the wall dimensions, colors you are drawn toward, and the feeling you hope the work will bring are all useful places to start. You do not need to arrive with every answer. A first conversation can help clarify the direction.
Can a commission reflect my existing furnishings?
Yes. The work can respond to the atmosphere, scale, and color movement already present in a room without trying to match every surface exactly. A strong painting often brings a fresh point of view while still feeling at home in its setting.
How is a commissioned painting different from available work?
Available work is ready to be explored and purchased now. A commission is made for a particular space or intention, with a process that begins before the painting exists. Both are original works by Dawud, each with its own material presence.