Five Reasons to Use an Art Advisor

By

-

February 2, 2019

By Doug Woodham
Author of Art Collecting Today: Market Insights for Everyone Passionate About Art

How Art Advisors Are a Solution to Art-World Complexity
(An excerpt from Art Collecting Today)

With so many wonderful things to buy at so many different art galleries, art fairs, and auctions, it is easy to get overwhelmed. Even when you know exactly what you want — for example, an abstract work by Gerhard Richter — it is challenging to sort through available work and make quality and price comparisons. With choice comes complexity.

At different points in their collecting journey, many collectors elect to use advisors. To demystify the marketplace for art-related advice, let’s start with different ways advisors can help collectors:

1. Collection Strategy Services
If you’re new to art collecting, art advisors can help you decide what to focus on given your interests, resources, and the time you can devote to collecting. If you’re an established collector, an art advisor can help you figure out where to prune or restructure your art collection in light of changes in your interests, the art market, or personal circumstances.

2. Buyer Support Services
From strategy comes tactics. Art advisors can help you source works of art from the marketplace and negotiate price and terms.

3. Seller Support Services
Most art advisors can help you buy, but note that fewer of them are skilled in helping collectors sell.

4. Collection Management Services
These are services that can help you manage and care for your physical art objects. Framing, conservation, installation, and lighting are services art advisors can arrange for clients.

5. Credit Services
Major private banks, plus a growing number of specialty lenders, will lend money based on some combination of the value of your art collection and other assets. Properly trained art advisors can solicit proposals from credit-market providers so you get the best possible deal.

When selecting an art advisor, as an art collector you need to have a clear picture of the type of assistance you need. If you are primarily interested in someone escorting you through a few art fairs and galleries and helping you buy art for a new home, then you need someone who can deliver a terrific buying experience. But if you have been collecting for a number of years and now need to create an art legacy plan, you need an advisor who can help you think through your options and work closely with your tax, legal, and financial advisors.

As an art collector, you need to make sure the advisors you retain will put your interests first, a so-called fiduciary relationship. Clean and simple. You should always have a written agreement that formalizes this obligation and how the advisor will be paid. By doing so, it will help you avoid certain pitfalls.

One final note about art advisors: auction house specialists and gallery employees are important resources to draw on for information and advice. But it is important to remember that they are sellers’ agents, not buyers’ agents.

Visit dougwoodham.com to learn more about Doug Woodham.

Sign up to receive Fine Art Today, the weekly e-newsletter from
Fine Art Connoisseur magazine.

Figurative Art as a Pursuit

By

Cherie Dawn Haas

-

February 1, 2019

0

Figurative art - Derek Spieker — Derek Spieker, “Portrait of John,” conte on paper, 9 x 12 in.

Seven artists won scholarships to attend the 2nd Annual Figurative Art Convention & Expo (FACE) last fall. One of the recipients was Derek Spieker (b. 1994), an artist who is based in San Francisco, California, and is a student and assistant at Sadie Valeri Atelier. Learn more about the artist in this exclusive Q&A.

Cherie Dawn Haas: How and why did you first begin your artistic path?
Derek Spieker: I knew I wanted to do something creative for a career, but I didn’t know what specifically. I’d always enjoyed drawing, but it wasn’t something I pursued very seriously until I was 20 or so. By that point I had made up my mind that if I was going to do something involving visual art, be it animation, illustration, etc. I had to learn to draw properly first, by studying the fundamentals. I found the Classical Program at the Sadie Valeri Atelier, and it was exactly what I was looking for. The more I began to study, the more I became attracted to the idea of figurative art as a pursuit in itself. Since then I’ve set my goal to be a figurative painter.

CDH: Was there a specific medium or subject that drew you in?
DS: What initially attracted me was seeing the instructor and student artwork being produced at the atelier, in particular the cast and figure drawings. I’d never seen drawings made that were so realistic. I knew that I had to study until I could achieve that level of fidelity to nature myself.

CDH: How has your art changed over time?
DS: I’ve learned to draw more from observation with an eye towards accuracy. I’d had difficulty when trying to work from life in the past; it was too intimidating and I had no idea what I was doing wrong or how to fix it. With practice, I’ve become more confident with jumping in and problem solving as I work.

CDH: What is one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
DS: Like many other artists I’ve struggled with self-doubt. Social media makes it very easy to compare oneself with others. I’ve come to realize that everyone has a different experience and I just have to do the best to be gracious for the opportunities that I’ve been presented with.

CDH: Where do you see yourself a year from now?
DS: In a year’s time I’ll still be studying. By that point I hope to be practicing figure painting. While I don’t expect to be anywhere near finished with my artistic training, at least I’ll be moving closer to my goal of producing more finished work and being a more skilled artist in general.

CDH: What advice do you have for someone younger than you?
DS: My advice to artists who want to learn to draw and paint realistically is to focus on the fundamentals and work from life as much as possible. Also, there are other options to learn artistic techniques than from an expensive university art program or art school. Finally, don’t think that because someone started earlier than you it means that it’s too late for you to start.

CDH: How did you originally hear about FACE?
DS: I originally heard about FACE from my teacher, Sadie Valeri.

CDH: What surprised you at the event? What was different from what you expected?
DS: This being my first time attending an art convention I hadn’t expected such a feeling of camaraderie among the artists and attendees. There was so much positivity everywhere you went. It was refreshing to see so many people devoted to a common goal of celebrating figurative art and striving to improve their own work.

CDH: What’s the most important thing you learned or experienced at FACE?
DS: I’d say that the most important thing was learning about the variety of career paths of all the presenting artists. From studying abroad at ateliers, to apprenticeships with master painters, and attending art schools, there are many ways to the same goal.

CDH: Anything else you’d like to add?
DS: It was such a pleasure to meet so many of the artists I admire in person, as well as being introduced to the work of new artists. Meeting and making new connections with fellow artists was a lot of fun and I look forward to seeing their work in the future.

***
Stay tuned for future announcements about the 2019 Figurative Art Convention & Expo scholarship, workshops, and faculty. Click here to learn more about FACE, which takes place November 10–13, 2019, in Williamsburg, Virginia!

Sign up to receive Fine Art Today, the free weekly e-newsletter from
Fine Art Connoisseur magazine.

Angels of Paris, Hollywood, London, New York

By

Fine Art Today

-

February 1, 2019

0

Artist Giovanni Pulze is relocating his “Metropolitan Angels” collection of acrylic cityscape paintings to the East Coast for the first time after the summer showcase at the Italian Cultural Institute in San Francisco.

From the art show organizers:

The Italian artist, well known throughout Europe, will soon be exhibiting in the heart of New York City which — with its endless and everlasting energy and being such a fascinating crossroads for so many expressions of the human mind, heart, and soul — plays as the perfect scenario for this second American staging.

With “Metropolitan Angels,” a collection of colorful acrylic paintings, Pulze represents a current condition: human isolation in a world dominated by technology and superficiality. But he does not stop there, as the essence of his works is actually a message of hope.

Each of the cities featured in the paintings is easily recognizable, thanks to some of the most famous landmarks that play as the perfect scenario for what the artist feels the urge to say: In spite of so much activity, such large crowds and bright colors, individuals are lonely and trapped in their own rhythms. Yet those rare beings, symbolized by angels, who are open to dialogue and to deeper connections — offering hope for a sense of community which was thought lost and forgotten — are present everywhere: in each painting, in each city, and everywhere in the world.

The problem then switches from the lack of relationships, which is solved by the presence of the angels, to the ability of perceiving their presence. It is interesting to notice that in Pulze’s artworks, the first to notice the angels are children and animals, those with the most candid hearts — and not by chance. The artist’s ultimate message is that we should never give up. Rather, we should learn to recognize and approach those around us who are open to a real dialogue, one that we have too often ignored.

The exhibit will be hosted by MAISON10, a stunning concept store and gallery space which was developed around the concept that giving back is paramount, thus sharing values similar to those of Giovanni Pulze. The key is the number 10 embedded in the name of the gallery: 10-week-long exhibitions, 10 artists at a time, 10% of proceeds to charities.

“Metropolitan Angels” is on view through February 16, 2019 at MAISON10 (New York, NY).

Sign up to receive Fine Art Today, the free weekly e-newsletter from
Fine Art Connoisseur magazine.

Featured Artwork: Christine Graefe Drewyer

By

Fine Art Today

-

January 31, 2019

0

Where Dreams Come True
20 x 20 in
Oil on Belgian Linen
$3,200.
Available through Berkley Gallery, Warrenton, VA 540.341.7376

Having the freedom as a child to ramble and traipse through the countryside to her hearts content, artist Christine Drewyer still finds this practice of exploring the rich beauty of nature a constant in the creative process of her art.

Christine claims the in between times of day, when the light is dramatic and so unexpected and can take one’s breath away, is still the most magical for her. The low areas of the Eastern Shore of Maryland are filled with such extraordinary places of great wonder and ever-changing marshland and waterways. The scene depicted in Where Dreams Come True is a particularly favorite place for her to paint.

“With the exceptionally high levels of rain we’ve experienced this year, I’m finding many new vistas which capture that elusive reflective light where none existed only months before. With my landscapes, I hope to convey a sense of timelessness, a feeling of solidity and endurance and natural beauty,” says Christine.

“With this painting, my objective was to capture the subtle changes in color, what you would see if you were to just stand there for even several moments to see the skies change dramatically until the display is gone in a whisper. The painting is called Where Dreams Come True because often a single moment in time can remind you of that indelible quality of nature which reinforces the idea of the fleeting lifespan juxtaposed against eternity and see them collide and coalesce in that brief encounter of oneness.”

Christine paints in plein air monthly with other members of the Washington Society of Landscape Painters. “The experience only adds more fuel to the exploration component and bonding with both nature and fellow artists,” says Christine.

Christine is an invited guest blogger for Plein Air Today. Her latest blog is about setting goals.

Most recently, Christine was juried into the very prestigious American Women Artists exhibition “Looking West:Highlighting works by American Women Artists.” The venue is Steamboat Springs Museum. Exhibition dates are May 24th-September 2nd.

Upcoming Exhibitions:
Three-Person Exhibition at Berkley Gallery, Warrenton, VA June 1 -30 2019 Christine hopes to have a minimum of twelve new oil paintings for this exhibition.
Women Artists of the West 49th Annual Invitational Exhibition (waow.org) September 12th at Mary Williams Fine Art Gallery, Boulder, CO (marywilliamsfinearts.com)
A Tradition of Excellence: American Women Artists At The RS Hanna Gallery, Fredericksburg, TX ( [email protected]) October 21- December 6, 2019

Christine is a Member of these Fine Art Organizations:
Women Artists of the West – Master, Signature, Emeritus member / Board member
American Women Artists – Signature member / Board Member
National Oil & Acrylics Painters Society – Signature member
Washington Society of Landscape Painters

View More of Christine’s paintings at christinedrewyer.com.

Featured Artwork: Jill Banks

By

Fine Art Today

-

January 31, 2019

0

Sunday Marché
24 x 36 in
Oil on linen
$4950
Available from the artist

The painting Sunday Marché evolved from two plein air oil paintings artist Jill Banks created standing at her easel in the vibrant Rue de Mouffetard market in Paris. Initially, the setting appeared to be the perfect painting spot.

“I paint to capture life’s magic…to transport you inside my oil paintings – to feel the breeze, hear the sounds, watch the action, smell the beer,” explains Jill.
Each year Jill travels extensively, with the goal of living fully, putting herself “smack dab” in the middle of new, ready-to-be-discovered territory and keeping her eyes and heart open to the inspiring scenes that unfold all around.

“There are always strangers to meet, new places to wander and, on the canvas, the challenge and thrill of bringing vibrancy to my paintings,” adds Jill.

As for that day spent painting plein air on Rue de Mouffetard, a little trouble ensued forcing her to pack up quickly and head elsewhere. Curious to know why? Read what happened and more about Jill’s 2018 painting trip to France in her PleinAir website guest blog “A Paris Plein Air Adventure”.

In addition to painting trips, Jill also participates in invitational and juried plein air festivals. She will be returning to Telluride Plein Air in June 2019 as last year’s No. 1 Seller and Quick Draw First Prize winner.

When not traveling, she often works in her studio/gallery at the Artists’ Atelier in Great Falls, Virginia.

The Atelier is open many days of the week and by appointment. To schedule a visit email [email protected] or call 703.403.7435. In February, the Atelier is hosting special/extended open hours, a free painting demonstration and a reception.

Follow Jill online. On her website you may sign up for her monthly newsletter to catch the latest paintings, news, tales and events.

You can also follow Jill on Facebook, her blog Life as an Artist and Instagram. Plus, make sure you are the first to see fresh work by signing up for New Art Alerts.

Featured Artwork: Lars Jonsson presented by the National Museum of Wildlife Art

By

Fine Art Today

-

January 31, 2019

0

Settled for the Night

Lars Jonsson was born in 1952 in Sweden. He has painted birds since he was 4, and has been a professional artist since the age of 18. His favorite subjects are birds; his work also includes landscapes, portraits, plants, and large mammals. He has written and illustrated a field guide to the birds of Europe. His art has taken him to six continents. He has been included in Birds In Art at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum since 1982, and he was named Master Wildlife Artist there in 1987. He has published 11 books, including two covering his own art: Birds and Light: The Art of Lars Jonsson and Lars Jonsson’s Birds: Pictures from a Near Horizon. In 2004, he opened a museum in Southern Gotland, Sweden, where he resides.

Lars Jonsson’s Settled for the Night is currently on display at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The exhibition Living Legends: Discovering the Masters of Wildlife Art is on display through April 14, 2019. Each of the thirty nine artists included in this show have played an important role over the years of the Museum’s development. The exhibition honors not only this relationship, but also highlights each artist’s ability to capture the essence of the Museum’s mission to collect the highest quality wildlife art.

Read more about Living Legends: Discovering the Masters of Wildlife Art here.

The L.D. “Brink” Brinkman Collection

By

Fine Art Today

-

January 31, 2019

0

Western art for auction — Robert Wesley Amick (1879–1969) “Man o' War,” 30 x 40 in. (estimate: $3,000 - 5,000)

Bonhams is pleased to announce the auction series devoted to the L.D. “Brink” Brinkman Collection, a private collection of Western American art. The entire collection comprises approximately 350 works of art, with sales running February 8–15, 2019.

From Bonhams, Los Angeles:

L.D. “Brink” Brinkman (1929–2015) was a renowned entrepreneur, philanthropist, and art patron of Kerrville, Texas. He exhibited his impressive collection in both his home and corporate office, which became the epicenter for his collection of Western art, where he greeted both friends and artists. He acquired outstanding examples of this genre by artists such as Joe Beeler, Ken Carlson, G. Harvey, Jim Reynolds, Howard Terpning, Douglas Van Howd, and Olaf Wieghorst.

A distinguished grouping of 170 lots will be included in the live auction to take place in the Los Angeles saleroom on February 8. The online only auction, which opens for bidding worldwide on February 8, will feature approximately 180 additional lots from the collection.

Following these designated single-owner auctions, Bonhams will offer additional works from the collection in the California and Western Paintings & Sculpture sale on April 16, Native American Art sale on June 3, Traditional/Individual: Contemporary Native American Art sale on September 16, as well as a selection of monumental bronzes available for private sale.

For more details, please visit https://www.bonhams.com/brinkmancollection/.

Sign up to receive Fine Art Today, the free weekly e-newsletter from
Fine Art Connoisseur magazine.

Featured Artwork: Lisa Gleim

By

Fine Art Today

-

January 28, 2019

0

Alpenglow
16 x 20 in.
Pastel on Pastelbord
Available through the artist
$2200

Atlanta artist Lisa Gleim is a branch of a family tree of artists with deeply rooted Southern connections. A graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Lisa is strongly influenced by the great American Impressionists. A love of pastels took off when a family friend gave her a set of French pastels—Lisa was immediately hooked.

“The medium,” she says, “allows me the ability to capture the effect of light with extreme vividness. Pastels have the unmatched richness of painting with pure pigment. The beauty of light and how it affects subjects, whether it be an animal or a coastal landscape is what one will see in my paintings.”

Lisa is always looking at her daily encounters as possible paintings. She never leaves home without her camera or phone so she always has the option to capture a perfect moment. Although her work is primarily created in studio, she does paint in plein air whenever possible. Each year she takes a week-long painting trip, usually near water.

Both her portraits and landscapes can be found in many private collections across the United States including the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical, the Court of Chancery in Wilmington, DE, and has been included in numerous publications, including several issues of the book Strokes of Genius: The Best of Drawing series by Northlight Books. She is a signature member of the American Society of Marine Artists, a Master Circle Member of the International Association of Pastel Societies, and a juried associate member of the Society of Animal Artists, to name a few.

After living and working in Philadelphia for eight years, Lisa returned to her native home of Atlanta in 2000 where she maintains her studio and residence with her husband and 13 year old daughter.

Select honors:
2012 & 2016 Audubon Artists Gold Medal of Honor for Pastel recipient
2013 Audubon Artists Art Spirit Foundation’s Gold Medal Award for Pastel
2016 Atlanta Branch of the National League of Pen Women’s Artist of the Year

Visit Lisa’s website for more work and to sign up for updates on new work.
And go behind the scenes via: Instagram • Facebook • Twitter

Kehinde Wiley’s 11 Lucky Strangers

By

Fine Art Today

-

January 28, 2019

0

Kehinde Wiley contemporary portraits — Kehinde Wiley, “Charles I,” 2018; oil on linen; image: 96 × 72 in.; framed: 107 × 83 × 6 in.; Saint Louis Art Museum, Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California 2018.133 © Kehinde Wiley

On view now > In “Kehinde Wiley: Saint Louis,” the celebrated artist re-envisions museum masterworks featuring Saint Louisans.

Kehinde Wiley (b. 1977) creates large-scale oil paintings of contemporary African American subjects in poses that recall grand traditions of European and American portraiture. His models — real people dressed in their own clothing — assume poses adapted from historic paintings. Wiley’s portraits often feature ornate and decorative backgrounds, elements of which surround and sometimes weave around his subjects. His works address the politics of race and power in art, drawing attention to the pervasive lack of representation of people of color in the art world.

The Saint Louis Art Museum is proud to present “Kehinde Wiley: Saint Louis,” an exhibition that is deeply connected to this city and informed by visits Wiley made in 2017. Through a process of street casting, he invited strangers he met in neighborhoods in north Saint Louis and Ferguson to pose for his paintings. Wiley then created eleven original portraits that are inspired by carefully chosen artworks in the museum’s collection.

In 2018 Wiley became the first African American artist to paint an official U.S. presidential portrait for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. Former U.S. President Barack Obama selected Wiley for this honor. Wiley has held solo exhibitions at the Brooklyn Museum, the Jewish Museum in New York, the Columbus Museum of Art, and the Studio Museum in Harlem. His works are included in the collections of numerous public institutions.

“Kehinde Wiley: Saint Louis” is curated by Simon Kelly, curator of modern and contemporary art, and Hannah Klemm, assistant curator of modern and contemporary art, with Molly Moog, research assistant. This exhibition and related programs are supported with a grant from the Trio Foundation of St. Louis. Additional support is provided by Mary Ann and Andy Srenco.

“Kehinde Wiley: Saint Louis” is on view at the Saint Louis Art Museum (Missouri) through February 10, 2019.

Sign up to receive Fine Art Today, the free weekly e-newsletter from
Fine Art Connoisseur magazine.

“Modern Day Settlers” Wins Award

By

Fine Art Today

-

January 28, 2019

0

Dean Mitchell watercolor paintings — "Modern Day Settlers" by Dean Mitchell

Please help us congratulate Dean Mitchell for winning the Gold Award for his painting “Modern Day Settlers” at the California Watercolor Association’s 49th National Exhibition.

The exhibition is on view at Firehouse Arts Center’s Harrington Gallery (Pleasanton, CA) through February 16, 2019.

Sign up to receive Fine Art Today, the free weekly e-newsletter from
Fine Art Connoisseur magazine.

WEEKLY NEWS FROM THE ART WORLD