The art of buying art...

I am a gallerist...I own an art gallery, a bricks and mortar art gallery in Muskoka. I love what I do, I love my gallery and the artists I represent and my clients. Recently I have been a party to a couple of discussions surrounding original art from different perspectives, one from the perspective of the artist seeking representation and another from the perspective of the client. I want to address the client end of things here, but if you are an artist interested in learning how to best approach a gallery, feel free to email me, or comment below.

The client end of things was spurred by a post on the marion house book, where Emma was introducing her readers to Art Bomb an online daily art auction site, you can read her post here.  In her post Emma spoke with an artist who is selling his work through this site. Francisco Gomez had this to say "As an artist he realizes that buying art from a gallery setting can be an intimidating experience".  This single comment is the reason for this post.

Borrowed Book and One Orange by Laurie Wonfor Nolan

I am not an artist. I am a designer with what I like to think of as a good eye. My husband and I spend a lot of time and effort curating a solid cohesive collection of work that we know will appeal to our clientele and in so doing be saleable and benefit the artists we represent. Above and beyond that, our role is to facilitate the purchase of art. Sometimes that means discussing at length an artist his background or her inspiration for the work. Sometimes it means sitting back and letting the client come to terms with a piece, being available, but essentially leaving them alone. And then there are times that my role is to make the client feel comfortable in the gallery with the art, and how they feel about it. I am sure you have heard it many times before, but art is subjective. It has no boundaries but only those that are held in the eye of the beholder, be it the creator or the viewer. Art is meant to evoke a reaction, visceral sometimes, emotional at others. It can make one feel alive, frenetic, or calm and serene. What piece evokes these feelings in one may not in another. Some artists will say to me 'tell me what sells and I'll paint it', I repeatedly tell them it does not work that way. An original work of art needs to be a piece of the artists soul.


Red House Glimmer of Sun by Kate Grigg

There are many different kinds of art buyers. Some will walk into the gallery and react to a painting and buy it on the spot, others will react, but need to let it simmer. Often they will walk away and return several times before they decide to purchase. Some walk away and if they cannot stop thinking about a piece they will be back to purchase. Sometimes this can be within hours or days, other times it is months. Then there are people that buy art for it's value, as an investment, for them it is about the artist and the probability of their work rising in value. Yet there are others who are buying art to match a room, a particular colour scheme, shape, shape, size or style.


Endurance by Scott McKay of Strongarm Forge

There is no right or wrong way to view, to feel or to buy art. It is always my recommendation that one buy original art where their budget will allow, but not all budgets allow.

My point in all of this is to say that if a client feels intimidated by an art gallery they are not in the right gallery. The same is true for the artist, if you are being represented by a gallery that you feel is intimidating to the client, then you are not in the right place. 

Farmland I by Michael Scott

It is my hope that no one ever feels intimidated in my space, to me when you walk in my doors you are walking into my living room.

How and where do you buy art? Do you like the comfort of your home and buy online, or are you as affected by the texture and presence of a piece and prefer to see it in person before you buy?

Quite simply...Merry Christmas

I woke early this morning and whilst lying in bed trying to fall back asleep and having no luck I thought about you... this blog, and anyone who stops by to check it out. That led to thinking about this post...which led to more not being able to sleep which led to me sneaking out of bed and turning on the laptop and now here I sit...

We are but a couple of days and a handful of hours away from the big day. For me I have been in Christmas mode for what seems like months, and so it is that about this time I feel totally void of any excitement...no worries though, it will return, just not until the last minute.

Here in my little corner of Muskoka, it has been raining...yes raining...ugh. Rain means mild temperatures, which at any other time of the year I would welcome, but I love me a white Christmas, which does not seem to be in the cards this year for us...oh well fingers crossed for some un-forecasted cooler temps to give us just a dusting in time for the big guy!

So I thought I chat a little about Christmas traditions and what my family does that is special to us at this time of year. As I said before my family growing up was not a stickler for tradition, Christmas unfolded in it's own way each year; the tree, the location, the host. The mainstays were always waking super early to see what Santa had placed under our tree and the opening of presents before the sun rose...or at least before breakfast, and the meal with extended family later in the day. Whomever hosted would lay all their gifts out on their beds to show to the rest of the family...It was always exciting when it was our turn.

And then I met my husband and the tradition of Christmas for us changed. He had traditions that he felt very strongly about continuing with our new family. The biggest change my Christmas traditions have undergone is the timing of the opening of the presents...We still wake early to see what Santa placed under the tree, but the rest of the presents are not opened until after dinner...yup after dinner. Now in fairness dinner happens early afternoon (3ish) but the anticipation builds...and therein is the point I suppose. It really is the best of both worlds...the immediate wow of the Santa gifts,and the ability to play with those things all day, but still more to look forward to after the big meal. I'm not gonna lie, it has taken some getting used to and my family still thinks it is crazy but I like the flow of the day, and the little extension of Christmas Day excitement.

What are your Christmas traditions? Have they changed since childhood? How have marriage and children affected how your Christmas plays out?

Wishing each of you the Merriest of Christmases, and the best in the year to come.

From my family to yours Happy Holidays!

Here I go again...

Warning...long post 1 picture...proceed at your discretion ;)

As defined by Merriam-Webster :

Definition of ARTIST

1 a obsolete : one skilled or versed in learned arts b archaic : physician c archaic : artisan 1

2 a : one who professes and practices an imaginative art b : a person skilled in one of the fine arts

3 : a skilled performer; especially : artiste

4 : one who is adept at something <con artist> <strikeout artist>

Definition of ARTISAN

1: a worker who practices a trade or handicraft : craftsperson

2: one that produces something (as cheese or wine) in limited quantities often using traditional methods

Okay now that the formal stuff is out of the way I'll explain...I just...and I mean just read Emma's post over at the marion house book. This post is part of her 52 objects series. In it she refers to an article she read in the New York Times regarding authenticity...read it here if you want to know what put a bee in my bonnet today.

First of all thank you the Emma for sharing the link to the article. Without her I don't think I would have come across it, and it is so very important to what I do. If you have never read Emma's blog you should, it is one of my go to's for great design inspiration and a great read.

Alrighty then...

The first question that comes to mind when reading the article is; if an artisan is mass producing (and not by his own hand) for the likes of Restoration Hardware et al, is his product artisan made anymore? I don't think so. Now don't get me wrong, great for him or her if they have made the leap into mainstream, it is great, really, it will offer them a form of financial security that few artists or artisans ever reach. However for big box retailers to sell these items as artisan made (if they are indeed doing this) is a bit misleading in my opinion. Artisan designed perhaps, or artisan inspired but not artisan made. It is important for the consumer to know the difference. Only then can they make an informed purchase.  Worse than mass producing an artisan piece is to mass produce it in China which CB2 is doing...how is that helping the economy, not to mention the environment...but that is for another day.

Often times I will have artists come into the gallery and say 'tell me what sells and I will make/paint it' I always tell them that is not the way it works. Art and handmade goods have an element of passion to them that is evident to those who appreciate art. You cannot paint birds because they sell unless you have a passion for birds, or an emotional need to paint them. A painting with no soul will not easily sell while one that jumps from the canvas with it's emotion very apparent will walk out the door. And so it is that art is subjective.

The article asks, "have we finally reached a saturation point, where the “authentic” loses its eternal quality and becomes just another fad?" as retailers like West Elm, Pottery Barn and CB2 jump on the band wagon. It is a valid question, but I ask are they selling handmade or are they selling something that appears handmade? I would suggest it is the latter. While we're here, let's define authentic (again as defined by Merriam-Webster);

Definition of AUTHENTIC

1 obsolete : authoritative

2 a : worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact <paints an authentic picture of our society>

b : conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features <an authentic reproduction of a colonial farmhouse>

c : made or done the same way as an original <authentic Mexican fare>

Note that original and authentic are not the same thing. Authentic implies reproduction, not original. I think it is fair to say that these two terms are oft used in the wrong way.

An artist or artisan that is reproducing, or allowing the reproduction of their work has in my opinion crossed over to the other side. That is not to imply that the other side is the dark side, or the wrong side, but I believe they are now on the corporate side of the fence as opposed to the handmade side.

Some of the individuals interviewed for this article seem to feel that their one of a kind or handmade items have lost some of their place at the hands of mass produced 'artisanal' objects ; as Casey Barber says in the article “If you spend enough time looking at this stuff” — objects that are vintage, handmade or that just appropriate those looks — “you get overloaded pretty quickly,”

Ms. Barbers feelings are worrisome for me and the the artists/artisans I represent. Big box retailers already have the upper hand where pricing is concerned, if they begin to mass produce 'handmade' (ish) items at a fraction of the cost, where does that leave me, my business and my artsists?

Supporting local businesses and buying handmade is a proactive way to 'occupy' Wall Street. By spending money in my store (or one like it) your hard earned dollars filter to me, the artists and out to my community and theirs. I just said this afternoon to one of my artists that every dollar spent here means another dollar I can use to buy local or buy handmade. He (Michael Scott) made a great analogy that buying local or handmade means the money is flowing out, not up...I thought that was an incredible observation and so easy to visualize.



Red Sky by Michael Scott

We can't buy everything local, or handmade, but where we can we should and the difference will be palpable.

It is important that I note that even I have a few mass produced items in the gallery...much to my chagrin...but I am always honest and up front about what is handmade and what is not...that way you, the buyer, can make the decision.

Thanks again to Emma at the marion house book for her post and to Michael and his brother for listening to me ramble this afternoon when all they really did was come in to drop off new paintings...which are fabulous by the way!

Happy Thursday all!

Imitation; the sincerest form of flattery...

Is imitation the sincerest form of flattery?
I am struggling with this today. 1: because I fear I have been one to imitate in the past and 2: because I am the one who has been imitated today.

Okay so when I say I have imitated before I am really referring to what I consider being inspired by others and moved to act myself. Primarily I have done this in my young blogging life where I am trying to create content that is interesting, and important to me. Often times I have been inspired by something I read or saw on anothers blog and have always linked back to that blog for reference. Is this imitation? Is it flattering?

Now as the one who was imitated I am trying to decide if I am flattered or frustrated.
As some of you may know I own an art gallery  (Silver Bridge Gallery) in the small town I call home up here in Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. Two weeks ago I started a Christmas advertising campaign called '12 Saturdays Until Christmas'...it is something I did last year and am doing again. Each week on our Facebook page I post a gift idea from within our gallery which features original art and artisan made products. Just about everything in my gallery is handmade and it is my way of featuring the artists and artisans while possibly giving someone a light bulb moment for that hard to buy for individual. I digress...

I had a customer in the gallery late last week who was from an artists collective two hours north of us. We spoke about our businesses and I expressed a desire to go north and visit her in her business. As we discussed the importance of buying handmade I spoke about my little ad campaign and how it helped draw people in last year and I hoped it would do the same this year.


Here we are! 12 more Saturdays until Christmas...Time flies, so why not get ahead of the game?
Each week for the next 12 weeks, we will provide a gift idea for all the special people in your life.
This week we will start with wonderful jewelery by Adea Chung of Billy Would Designs.
Each unique piece is handmade using recycled and reclaimed hardwood.
Rescuing exotic hardwoods from various local woodworkers and factories
where the size of the wood is no longer usable for them.
Come in and see our selection of Necklaces and Earrings.
Silver Bridge Gallery...two rooms full of beautiful things.
Shop local...Save on gas!

 Following our exchange of information, I 'liked' her business on Facebook. I then logged into Facebook last night only to see a post from her business noting '10 more Saturdays until Christmas'. Now, by no means do I own the rights to this phrase, nor the idea , but I just felt it was a little obvious, and I felt a little sting when I read it. Kinda like a 'hey that was my idea' sting, a 'give credit where credit is due' sort of sting if you will.

11 Saturdays until Christmas...still lots of time, but why not get ahead this year!
This week we will focus on Potter Antje Gagne. Antje used to live in
Port Sydney and though she has moved to the Midland/Penatang area, we still claim her as local.
Antje's pottery has a refined rustic quality about it.
She creates amazing forms which are at once beautiful and functional.
From mirrors and birdhouses to vases and trivets to pie plates and serving bowls,
Antje has something for just about anyone on your list. Come in and see her great selection today.
Silver Bridge Gallery...two rooms full of beautiful things. Shop local...Save on gas!

It is of little consequence as her business is not competition for me, nor would it serve the same clientele so at the end of the day I have decided to be flattered that my idea is so good someone else decided to use it.

But it got me thinking and wondering am I causing a sting to someone else when I use their blog post as inspiration for my thoughts or opinions? I sincerely hope not. What do you think?

BTW...only 10 more Saturdays until Christmas. Please consider supporting your local merchants this Christmas, or choose to buy handmade, either way you will affect someones bottom line...and it won't be Wall Street's.

A Tisket a Tasket Filling the Picnic Basket

It has been a beautiful week here in Muskoka, full of sun and hot temperatures. Here in my house we do not have central air conditioning, and some days that is dreadful. Our two window air conditioners have been going fairly non stop and I am dreading our next hydro bill, but the trade off is I can sleep at night and it keeps the migraines somewhat at bay.

The best thing about living in Muskoka is there is water everywhere and often just around the bend. Here in my neck of the woods we have a lovely little beach called Kirby's Beach. This is where Jake and I had our first Muskoka date and it has held a special place for us ever since. In the early days we would plate our dinner and drive over to the beach to eat. When the girls came along it became a bit more of an operation, but we relish our picnic dinners at the beach. This week we prepared a wonderful meal;

mixed greens, baby spinach, strawberries, blueberries, pecans, cucumber...yum!

homemade dressing

grilled chicken and pineapple

Put it all in the picnic basket, packed the car, and away went...Kirby's Beach here we come!

Now we need lots of stuff; toys, suits, floaty things, towels.

the girls always willing! (this is in the garage...it is not night)

ahhh...Lake Muskoka

park before dinner

x's and o's anyone?

our gourmet picnic...yum yum!

daddy and his baby girl

that would be me...a rare okayish pic

Lilah's ready to get wet (Izzy was a bit camera shy today)

brrr...breeze off the lake made it cold getting out of the water

do we have to go home?

And so it is that we are able to cool off on any night we choose, and we choose many...love it!

Btw if you are in Muskoka this weekend stop by the 49th Annual Muskoka Arts and Crafts Summer Show in Annie Williams Park Bracebridge. When you're done and need to cool off stop into the air conditioned gallery; Silver Bridge Gallery  4 Manitoba St. Bracebridge by the falls!

Happy Weekend All!