Iconic Lighthouse triptych
each gallery-wrapped canvas, 8x24"
Hey folks, I made reference to these lighthouses earlier when I’d finished the first one. This weekend, all three paintings will be going to Carolina Creations in New Bern, NC. They will be in a show there that opens September 11. More information is available in the EVENTS section of my website.
Went to Raleigh and Chapel Hill the past couple days, and painted two iconic landmarks, The Old Well at the University of North Carolina; then, Krispy Kreme in Raleigh. If artists sold paintings like Krispy Kreme sells doughnuts, there would be no such thing as a “starving artist.” Maybe I can figure out a way to do edible art. Back to the painting . . . See the jogger? He was an afterthought. Just as I was finishing the painting, he went jogging by. I took a couple mental snapshots, and decided to put him in the painting. See more about my Krispy Kreme plein air adventure at my other blog. Just click on brendabehr.blogspot.com/
The painting above is in a
gallery and priced at $500. This includes a 3" gold frame, which brings
the size of the piece to 14x17". If you purchase the same painting
directly from me, in the same frame, the price will be $500.
“To Buy or Not to Buy from a Gallery” might be a better title for this
newsletter. The answer is, it doesn’t make any difference. A gallery is
essentially an art consignment shop. The gallery has not paid for the art.
Unless the gallery or the artist pulls the work, the artwork will be there
until it sells. When it does sell, the gallery will take a commission. Two of
my galleries take 50% commission, the rest take 40%, and the Arts Councils I’ve
dealt with [in North Carolina] take 30 or 35% commission.
This may sound steep. Why would an artist take that big a cut on their work? A
gallery is a business. It’s in the business of selling art, just like an artist
is in the business of making art. And so, if it’s a reputable gallery, it
probably has developed a relationship with a certain clientele. The gallery may
also be in a geographic location that is highly trafficked. Having art in a
gallery can bring exposure to an artist that the artist may otherwise not have.
So, if you approach an artist to buy direct, you may ask, shouldn’t I be able
to get this [artwork] for less? No, I say, turn your head around! Ask not what
you can do for your budget; ask what you can do for your artist. Yes, the
artist will make a higher profit; won’t this make you feel even better about
the purchase?
I am not writing this to discourage sales at galleries. I am writing
this to
diminish hopes that you’ll get it for less if you purchase artwork
directly from the artist. An artist who “cuts you a deal” is hurting
the very business that supports him/her. It’s called undercutting your
gallery. Anyone in the
retail/wholesale business knows how this works.
A “friend and family discount” of 10% is pretty much standard. So if
you are friend or family, don’t hesitate to remind me when it comes
time to make a purchase.
Speaking of friends, I hope you’ll share my newsletter with your
family and friends. Thank you for your interest in my art, and for
subscribing to my newsletter. What you’ve read above was the newsletter that went out yesterday to my email list. I invite everyone to subscribe. Sometimes the newsletter will be all about my art and/or current events; other times it will be my thoughts on art, or things I want to share with those perhaps less informed about the making and selling of art, but always, it will be about my stimulation of choice, which is Art. If you care to subscribe, just click here.
There must be an anology between the subject matter an artist paints and the way that artist lives his or her life. Mine has definitely lacked planning. I said yes to trips when I should have said no, I quit jobs when I could no longer tolerate the politics, and I married a man knowing he had cancer. Overall, I went for the gusto and for the moment. Last weekend, out exploring places (not animals) to paint, I stumbled upon a magnificent white egret. I always feel the bird is posing for me, and that I only have so much time to capture it. So, voila! Three more birds to add to my collection of very calligraphic bird paintings.
The lighthouse paintings, I’ll resume tomorrow. My neighbor, Barbara, has a condo at Topsail Beach, a community on Topsail Island just north of Wilmington, North Carolina. Even though my lighthouses are a priority, I couldn’t resist her invitation to join her for a weekend at the beach. Lots of long walks, beautiful sunsets, and painting between thunderstorms kept me entertained. I took 452 photos. I’m mesmerized by the sea, the sand, and all its visitors; [I] always have been.
Picasso had his blue, black and rose periods; I’m having my triptych period. This is the first of three that will become a North Carolina lighthouse triptych, headed for Carolina Creations in New Bern at the end of the month. Please see more information about The Iconic Lighthouse show in the Events category of my website. The paint in all three paintings will be applied with a palette knife in an impasto manner. For those unfamiliar with the term, impasto is a technique by which the paint is applied in a thick and textured way. I’ll post all three lighthouses when they’re complete, and remind you again about the upcoming show. Carolina Creations, if you haven’t been there, is the premier art and crafts gallery in historic New Bern, NC.
Don’t I wish? I just read something somewhere that reminded me to “Dream Big.” Many friends believe that I already have. And wow! I just mailed three commissioned paintings off to a Fifth Avenue address NYC. It feels good, believe me, but it sure doesn’t mean that I’ve “arrived.” I just hope the package does.
So here’s the Big Dream. I want my art on the cover of the New Yorker magazine. If any of you have any contacts, please direct them here. (insert smile face) Some people want to be on the cover of Rolling Stone; I want my art on the cover of the New Yorker. I suspect the owner of Woody’s does as well.
I encourage all of us to Dream Big. Dreams build hope. Hope destroys despair.
See the full size original painting below. Read more about the process of painting Woody’s at my other blog by clicking on brendabehr.blogspot.com
“Pelican Triptych”
three oils on gallery-wrapped canvases, each 4" x 12"
The inspiration, of course, came from the pelican perched proudly on a tall piling in Calabash, NC. This is the beginning of possibly three triptychs that I’ll be painting of this magnificent creature. The paint is laid on thickly with a palette knife, so I’m stocking up on paint. The largest of the triptychs will measure 60" tall. We’re talking a lot of paint!
“Grand Opening”
5 1/2 x 8 1/2" watercolor
$115. in archival mat
In North Carolina, Krispy Kreme is a big deal. Having sold many watercolors of the Peace and Person location in Raleigh, I know the popularity of this North Carolina born and based doughnut king. So when I saw Sunday night on the news that a new Raleigh location would be opening on Monday morning, I checked my schedule and decided I had time to run up and paint the new shop. I was not disappointed with the event or with the little painting I did. Two years ago, another of my Krispy Kreme paintings was awarded honorable mention in the State Fair. The person who bought the painting wanted a copy for his business as well as his home, so prints were made. I’ll include the image below.
“Waffle House on Hillsborough”
5 1/2 x 8 1/2" watercolor
I have been spending much time in Raleigh the past couple weeks, and it’s never dull. I actually painted this Waffle House while waiting out a rainstorm in the front street of my car. I don’t know why I haven’t painted a Waffle House until now. Certainly, it’s another iconic restaurant in this part of the country. My first experience with a Waffle House was in Richmond, VA, where as an undergraduate art student, I would go with friends in the middle of the night when working on all-nighter projects. There is something about familiarity and nostagia that strikes a cord in all of us. Can’t wait to share with you my most recent Krispy Kreme adventure.
