Well, you payed for it. It should be yours damn it. I can't really say much, nor do I think you can do anything 'law' wise..but if you pester tehm enough, then I think it should get through their thick skull

I was in the same boat with a piece of art I commissioned back in 2006. It was finished, scanned, posted but never mailed... Early in 2007 I started sending the artist a polite Note once a month until FINALLY getting a response and explanation about why it hadn't been shipped. Eventually got the thing nearly a year later in December 2007.

The guy in the first reply has the right idea, I'm just gonna back it up by saying be polite and persistant. If she ignores you or starts to get snarky about it, heck, out her on here. Most artists value their reputation enough to eventually make amends.

Edited at 2008-02-03 12:49 am (UTC)

Agreed with Oolong, start with a polite message.
Eventually you could graduate to a public comment asking her friends to pass on a polite message for you. If that doesn't help, air out the dirty laundry.

The polite message first sounds good, but if you get no reply then you should put more details here and name the artist really... that way you would have given them more than enough time and opportunity to respond... doing that would also apply pressure on them to resolve the issue so that other potential/existing commissioners won't see this and be put off commissioning them.

this sounds ALOT like the same situation I am in at the moment
can i name the person? well im gonna since i heard ALOT of people had trouble with here (funnily enough I cant find any messages about her here) anyway, her name is Lyanti, i commished her saw it, i also bougt an original from her, saw it
then NEVER received a thing, sent her emails, notes receiting my address countless times but no response whatsoever, last thing I heard from her was round June 2008

yah im sorry im ranting this stuff here but your situation sounds so similar to mine i thought it might be the same artist :/