To refuse to pay for this commission?

She sounds like an arrogant idiot frankly. I wouldn't accept the painting with the signature. You asked her not to do it. She did it knowing you didn't want it. Why would you pay for something you didn't like?! She takes it out or keeps it.

You have her a scope with a specific jn it, she chose to ignore it so she doesn't get paid. Maybe it'll teach her a lesson.

Pay her with 'banknotes' that you've printed off and scrawled your own massive signature all over.

Tell her "It's my individual payment style, and I know that people love it, in spite of what they all tell me to the contrary."

If you have the agreement in writing you could just refuse the piece, or ask for it to be completed as agreed. If it was just verbally agreed, you may be stuck. Either way it causes a rift unfortunately. Her signature sounds like a distraction from her fabulous work, what a shame.

A verbal agreement is still an agreement. She sounds like a complete idiot and worse than that, a narcissist.

Hi Op I think she’s out of order for 2 reasons 1 the signature it’s making a point, and 2 that she’s making u pay £200! My sister is a relatively well know artist and people pay thousands for her picture but when she paints my kids she doesn’t charge me, she’s my sister!

@Advent0range

Yes, the big red signature.

I really want to see it....

I didn’t know I needed to see a terrible dog painting with a massive red signature on it, but now I know one exists I simply cannot rest until I do.

Ugh she's autographing them rather than signing them. What an ego!

I want to see it too!

I just cannot imagine a talented artist spending a lot of time and effort on a brilliant painting and then just scribbling all over it like a toddler. Wouldn't everything inside you tell you that was a truly bad idea?

I absolutely will not rest until I have seen one of your sister's paintings with her giant blood red signature on it

That's the problem, though: it sounds like the painting itself is great, not terrible at all. It's just difficult to see it behind the massive tag.

It must look like the poor dog is in prison behind some huge red art nouveau railings!

She needs to accept that even though you are family, she is also a business owner and needs to treat any work from family the same as any other random from the public.

Although she also does this to her other clients, from the sound of it

I'd not pay her or accept the painting. She had done what you asked, as you saw it in a photo, but then added what you had specifically asked her NOT TO DO.

Why on earth is she expecting you to pay for what you don't want?

I make clothes on commission and yes, sometimes I'm not sure the client has chosen the most flattering style or colour, but you know what I do? I shut my mouth and make sure THEY are happy and comfortable.

Your sister needs to park her ego somewhere else unless she's painting just for herself, or for a speculative sale. Commissions are not about her.

I hadn't thought of it quite that way.

Is it like a great valuable work that has previously been used by the Mafia for money laundering purposes, but the godfather has now scrawled a gigantic warning about 'swimming with the fishes' across it in the blood of his last victim?!

@FatherJackHackettsUnderpantsHamper That's pretty much the image in my head, yes.

I wouldn't pay for it. She agreed no rediculous signature. She hasn't done what she agreed.

Yes of course I did.

She was "looking around for" another artist, but does not say she had chosen one.

She chose her DSis, on the basis of no "massive" signature.

Their respective (and subjective) views of what is fairly described as "massive" aren't going to get resolved.

As this is also a family matter, then perhaps the wider relationship needs to be taken in to account when pondering what could or should be done next

No-one cares about the artist's name unless they are someone well-known. A small signature is fine, what sounds like a huge watermark across the piece is absolutely not, especially if it's a commission.

Refuse to pay her. She needs to learn somehow.

Honestly, I would treat it that these pieces aren't actually commissions for paying customers, but rather free-issue showpieces for her own PR purposes.

Also, I'm thinking of the likes of Alamy and Getty Images, who deliberately personalise (and thus 'spoil') their work (although you can clearly see the quality behind the watermarks) until people pay them for it.

I've seen people "stamping" photos of their work when they post online so others can't pass off work as their own, but have known them to do it to the actual paintings 🙃

She was "looking around for" another artist, but does notsay she had chosen one.

But surely the fact that her sister is a talented artist and she hadn't gone straight to her (unless it was a present for the sister, say) makes her feelings quite clear?

If your brother was an electrician and you started looking around for quotes from strangers to re-wire your house instead of even approaching him initially, you'd think that something wasn't quite right somewhere, wouldn't you?

I wouldn't pay her. You were very clear about it.
She needs to learn that if she is commissioned to produce a painting for someone, she needs to follow the client's wishes and if that means no red signature over the painting that is what she should do.
If she's painting pictures which will later be sold at an exhibition or a gallery then she has complete free reign to do whatever she likes. The pictures will either sell or not. Some people might like the red signature-

Indeed, and if someone had chosen to go elsewhere it says it even more strongly.

But OP didn't go elsewhere, she didn't choose another artist; and now has to deal with the consequences of her choice.

Which is that there is no meeting of minds about what "massive" means, and seemingly no prospect of reaching one.

Whatever happens next would, I think, benefit from consideration of the wider family relationship.