scribblings !
The online journal of a passionate artist, writer and educator.
June 23, 2009
A New Art Studio
We learned the perils of renting this year when we did not immediately purchase a home in our new community. Instead we wanted to take our time, look around and find the right place to settle. In November, our massively-leveraged landlord succumbed to the lousy economy and is losing the house we rent. On July 31, he will become another statistic, his property reverting to the bank. On that date, we will also be out of a home.
After MONTHS of looking—and by looking, I mean daily watching MLS listings, searching RealtyTrac, scouring County Assessor sites, driving around all of two counties, and talking with numerous realtors, friends and acquaintances—we’ve found a place and the buyers have accepted our offer. It was worth the wait.
Once upon a time, the neglected property we are purchasing served the community as a school. The dilapidated-shadow-of-its-former-self now sits forlornly on the side of a hill overlooking a lake in a small town. I’m certain few people can see it’s potential for all the rubbish and repairs, but I couldn’t be more thrilled with this disguised blessing. It has an art studio and a shop hidden behind brambles and junk.
Call me crazy, but I love it. We’ve never been ones to buy new houses. Actually, this will be the fifth in our line of project homes, and, hopefully, the last. May this one be permanent.
April 9, 2009
Art and Wealth
This morning I ran across an article about Sotheby’s recent auction in Hong Kong. It sold half of the previous auction due to investor fears of the economy. Okay, so that’s not a surprise. What is interesting is the remark made by an economist talking about this story on his blog. To quote Mish, “Anyone who proposes that art is a store of value in this environment is either a fool or talking their book.”
As an example of talking their book, take this statement from the article
“Buyers are looking for value,” said Tian Kai, a Beijing- based art dealer who flew in to attend the auction. “Governments are printing so much money now. Fine artworks might be a better way to store value than currency.”
Mish has a point. Most art fails as an investment during economic depressions. In difficult times, the monetary value drops precipitously, particularly with contemporary art.
On the other hand, for those with wealth and power, building and maintaining that wealth is a relative thing. While not gold or silver, art holds a measure of recognized value in our cultural consciousness. Beyond monetary value, art plays an important role in our lives. It connects us to the past. Through art we learn about the thoughts and feelings of others.
I can experience boundless wealth while enjoying a lovely painting in my living room.
April 3, 2009
Art Show Opportunity
If you have taken classes from me through Daniel Smith, you are eligible to show in their upcoming Alumni Show in May. Call the Seattle outlet store for more details.
I heard yesterday that there are only a couple of slots left open in my April workshop at the Daniel Smith Seattle store; so, if you would like to participate in the Alumni Show and haven’t taken a class, this is your opportunity to be in the show and have a great time in an informative art class. Call and sign up!
April 2, 2009
Art and Writing While In Limbo
Thanks to a computer virus, a couple of hardened oil brushes soak in brush cleaner in my studio. It took a solid week to rid my computer of the nasty virus, but it’s finally gone. I never abandon my brushes with paint in them—except last week when the virus infected this half of my business. Hopefully it won’t take a week to get the goo out of them.
I’m excited to get back to the 5 foot by 7 foot painting that stands half painted in my workspace.
Our living arrangements remain in limbo. If you read my last post, you know that after selling our house last year we decided to rent while looking for a place to purchase, however, our landlord is now facing foreclosure on the house in which we currently live. We’re looking around for a house to purchase, but each time we find a good deal, it has an offer on it. Thankfully, we have a little time as the foreclosure process appears to take longer than we thought. Whew!
While in limbo, I am finding I can relax with my painting, continue to enjoy teaching my classes, and revel in my writing.
One more quick note: If you are in the Seattle area, I am teaching a workshop at the Daniel Smith store on April 19th from 11 to 4. You will need to call 425.643.1781 to sign up.
March 4, 2009
The New Normal
It shocks me that things look so normal--or what used to be normal. I read a recent account about the Great Depression of the 1930s and their surroundings started off looking normal to them as well.
According to many people in the know, we have moved from recession into a depression. To quote Ambrose Evans Pritchard in his article We Need Shock and Awe Policies to Halt Depression, “Stephen Lewis, from Monument Securities, says we have been lulled into a false sense of security by the lack of "soup kitchens". The visual cues from Steinbeck's America are missing. ‘The temptation… is to see this as just another recession, over by the end of the year. But this is not a normal cycle. It is a cataclysmic structural breakdown,’ he said.” The entire article is worth the read. Mr. Pritchard has been consistently right about this situation in which we all find ourselves.
Suddenly, my own family seems to be experiencing the down and dirty of this depression. Here is just one in a long string of recent personal experiences.
A year ago we sold our home after taking substantially less than our asking price as well as holding a second mortgage for the purchaser. We moved into a rental in a new town until we determined the area we would best like to purchase a house. Last week we discovered our landlord wasn’t paying his mortgage when a bank representative posted a notice of default on the front door. Four months and counting we have paid our rent but he had not fulfilled his obligation on the dwelling.
Now our landlord is forced into foreclosure and we are looking at finding a new place to live. It’s not like this man is a fly-by-night landlord, either. He is a former military officer, a realtor with many years of experience and a broker. He had refinanced this place with an ARM to buy another. Skyrocketing payments wreck his credit as he cannot afford to pay them and cannot sell the house.
Now, we are caught in the middle and he is not playing nice. Once more, we’re packing.
A new normal is taking hold and beginning to look a lot less attractive than the old normal.
February 28, 2009
An Economic Update on Art and Writing
At the beginning of January, I wrote about three possible economic scenarios and their effect on art and writing. Even the sunniest of outlooks has ruled out the first scenario of a U-shaped recession.
Whichever way this goes, the L-shaped recession or depression, one man’s recession is the next man’s depression. It all depends on whether you are unemployed and the unemployment benefits have run out with no job in sight. Or, you may be like me and most of my artist and writer friends—independent contractors with no benefits at all, hoping we can keep projects rolling in.
As advertising revenue has plummeted, newspapers and magazines are going out of business, cutting freelance graphic arts, photography and writing jobs. I heard licensing called a “horror show” recently due to the decline in sales figures. Entire divisions of book companies have ceased to exist.
Casual polls of family, friends and fellow artists and writers reveal: contract job losses, pay cuts, layoffs, projects terminated, outsourcing, and slumping or non-existent sales. With few exceptions, this economy is seriously affecting most of these people… myself included.
For a growing number of folks, loss of income leads to loss of housing, dislocation, and, for some, hunger. My heart goes out to you if that is staring you in the face. I pray God’s leading and provision for you.
Meanwhile, in the world of conspicuous consumption, Saint Laurent $28 Million Chair Defies Economic Logic. I, also, just don't get it.
February 16, 2009
More Recent Art Sales News
There's been so much bad news about art in the last couple of weeks, I haven't had the stomach to post it.
For a taste, here is one from the Wall Street Journal, Is This the Art World's Last Hurrah?, about the upcoming lavish sale of the art collection of Yves Saint Laurent. Here are a few quotes from the article:
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"As the financial crisis pummels the art market, Christie's is about to throw the most lavish party in auction history..."
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"Critics say the event epitomizes the excesses of the art world in an age that is no longer gilded, a Titanic-size sale designed to wow its audience into exuberant spending despite the global economic meltdown."
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"The sale arrives at one of the art industry's bleakest moments. Galleries around the world are closing, and museums are struggling with dwindling endowments. Christie's is in the process of cutting 300 jobs, or about 14% of its staff. "
January 29, 2009
Brandeis Art Sale Backlash
and Considerations for Donating Art
Yesterday, I wrote about the planned sale of the Rose Art Museum’s collection due to endowment shortfalls at Brandeis University. The announcement caught the director of the Rose by surprise, and resulted in opposition from the board of directors and art experts around the country.
It seems a case is being made that the majority of these pieces were donations and, therefore, may not be sold without the permission of the donor.
This brings up a few of issues:
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When contributing art to a museum, does the donor have any recourse if no restrictions were placed on the sale at the time of the donation?
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How far does the artistic/cultural obligation of the university extend to a city or region in which it resides when its operations budget suffers but fixed expenses remain undiminished?
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How do you define culture/civilization and who, besides the art establishment, determined these particular artworks should be held up as representative of the civilization?
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Should the market be flooded with modern art when the prices are already depressed, and if so, will the university receive the necessary operating capital?
I don’t have the answers… just asking the questions.
January 28, 2009
Brandeis University Liquidating Art
Brandeis University, a research and liberal arts college in Boston, plans to close the internationally known Rose Art Museum and sell all 6000 of the artworks it houses. Appraisers place the value at 350 million dollars. A drop in endowments necessitates the sale, which includes works by Andy Warhol, Willem de Kooning and Jasper Johns.
According to the Reuters story, “Educators and art experts called it a dramatic illustration of how U.S. colleges and universities are trying to plug financial holes.”
The asset liquidation just keeps on coming.
January 23, 2009
Investment Art
Art is NOT an investment. Yes, I'm repeating myself. Purchase art because you love it. If you ever needed confirmation of that fact, listen to this:
“Before October, it was easy to describe the art market in generalities, but now it’s impossible,” said Rosoff, president of New York-based Appraisal Service Associates. A recent appraisal of one client’s modern and Impressionist collection drew estimates of only 15 percent to 25 percent of the works’ insured replacement value, Rosoff said.
January 17, 2009
An Online Art Adventure You MUST Experience
Google Earth in partnership with the Prado recently placed a number of masterpieces in high resolution on the web for viewing.
The results? Simply stunning. Better than a visit to the museum because you can “step back” and see the entire piece without a tour obstructing your view, or you can zoom in on the smallest details and clearly see the brushstrokes of the masters.
For a jaw-dropping experience and priceless education, go here to begin.
January 16, 2009
Andrew Wyeth
Today, Andrew Wyeth died. The United States has lost a national treasure.
This man, son of N.C. Wyeth, master artist and illustrator, and father of Jamie Wyeth, influenced painting in the US as few others have. He brought watercolor and egg tempra painting the respect both media deserve.
He, along with Rockwell and others, largely rejected the use of abstract expression in their own work. They earned mixed reviews from the critics, but adoration from those who understand the skill necessary to produce excellent representational art.
When I began seriously studying art, Andrew Wyeth’s works and words were among those that consumed hours of my time. It’s important to understand how other artists think and see the world if you want to become proficient in the field, so I read and examined.
Andrew Wyeth’s work doesn’t universally appeal to me, but I have a print of a wasp’s nest he did that still captivates me. The beauty, simplicity and skill demonstrated in that drawing is amazing.
May God grant him peace.
January 14, 2009
Art Market Pulse
For an insider’s glimpse at the shocking decline in the art market, take a peek at the upcoming sales estimates for Sotheby's, Christie's International, and Phillips de Pury. The three sales together have an estimated value of $55.9 million. That is 23% of 2008's equivalent sales amounts. This stunning drop reflects the difficulty the market has in valuing artworks as well as a lack of buyers in this economic climate.
According to the Bloomberg financial news report, "The falling price of art is making owners reluctant to sell valuable works, said dealers. Prices and selling percentages declined in the last quarter of 2008 as the economic crisis curtailed spending by collectors. "
January 12, 2009
Art Demo and Workshop
This Sunday, January 18, I will be giving free hour-long demonstrations at Daniel Smith in Bellevue. Demo times are 12 and 2. There is also an upcoming workshop, "Beat the Winter Blues" at the same location February 15th from 11:30-4:30. Hope to see you there!
I realize my calendar page hasn't been updated to reflect this or the other upcoming events... What can I say? Life is FULL!
January 7, 2009
Taxing the Arts
New York recently devised a unique solution to their $13.7 billion budget deficit—levy a 4-8% tax on the arts. So now, theatre and concert goers in this collapsing global economy get to pay more for the price of their tickets.
With already depressed threatre and concert numbers, we can expect to see the ripple effect from further dropping attendance affecting the community of artists even more. Not limited to performing artists, we will see artists who paint backdrops, lighting guys, musicians, script writers, screenplay writers, the guys who sell the tickets, etc. out of work.
Out of work people do not pay taxes. Thus we get another round of unintended consequences and another big “ouch” for the artistic community.
January 3, 2009
A Challenging Scenario for Art/Writing in 2009
While difficult to contemplate, bad economic times open opportunities for innovation, change, and new growth. This third in a series of posts on art, writing and the economy looks at the worst of the scenarios we will address.
The D Word or
Great-Depression-that-Sticks-Around-for-a-LONG-Time
How’s this for the depressing news story of the day: Next Federal Bailout May Go to States; Democratic Governors Seek $1 Trillion… 41 states and Washington DC reveal unprecidented budget shortfalls.
I’m over half a century old and don’t recall a situation this bad in my lifetime.
People who track unemployment statistics as they used to be tracked—like counting discouraged workers who’ve been out of a job more than a year—say the rate is running about double the 6-and-some-change-percent the government statistics state. Jobs reports are dismal.
Folks compare today to the beginning of the Great Depression, but in some ways times couldn’t be more different. Back then, the United States served as a creditor nation instead of a debtor one. Now numerous other counties own US debt opening the possibility of economic warfare. Families during the 1920s-30s had savings. Today, the average family carries a heavy debt load. Then, gold backed the currency while today only confidence stands behind it.
Here is a historical report of life in an artist/writer community during the Great Depression. “During the 1920s, Carmel-by-the-Sea, like the rest of the nation, flourished in an economy run rampant. But as the Great Depression took hold, real estate prices tumbled for the first time. Some locals bemoaned the fact that grocers no longer offered personal credit to Carmel’s starving writer class. Said one wag, “Time was when the Carmel grocer was big brother to many a writer and artist struggling toward fame and a check that would pay for ham and eggs.” The economic situation improved when Roosevelt took over the presidency, and 50 local writers found jobs with the Federal Writing Project, whose office occupied a small cubby next to the village post office.”
During the Great Depression, Federal Works Art Projects gave artists assorted art projects including murals. Gutzon Borghum completed the Mount Rushmore Memorial.
Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Georgia O’Keefe and Edward Hooper gained prominance. The 30s saw the completion of the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center and Andrew Mellon donated $10 million to the National Gallery of Art.
Americans looked for an escape from the misery. Entertainment took the form of movies, radio, board games and books.
Fitzgerald, Hemmingway, Nash, Steinbeck, Sanberg, Richard Wright, and Agatha Christie wrote during the 30s.
Crisis moments create opportunities. As artists and writers, let’s approach the future with that thought.
January 2, 2009
Mid-range Scenario for Art and Writing in 2009
An L-shaped Recession
or Stuck-With-This-Mess-For-At-Least-Three-Years
Yesterday I discussed the scenario of a short recession and it’s implications for artists and writers. Today, let’s look at a longer or L-shaped recession, how it might impact us and our options as artists/writers.
Data supporting the idea of an L-shaped recession or worse abounds.
California, for instance, is weeks away from declaring bankruptcy. Yes, we are talking about the entire state going bankrupt, the 8th-used-to-be-6th largest economy in the world. Housing prices in Monterey County have dropped 65% in the last year. It’s county budget boasts a $24million shortfall. The collapse of consumer spending is decimating this artist mecca.
Unemployment serves as a lagging indicator of a downturn and usually remains depressed until after the economy begins to improve. Countries around the world are predicting rising unemployment throughout next year. For just a sprinkling for recent news on this check out: Germany, England and India.
Here in my backyard, reports suggest Microsoft will lay off 17% of its workforce January 15th. No small beans, Microsoft employs 90,000 people. While I don’t work for them, some of the people who take workshops from me do. They purchase artwork at the Bellevue Art Festival. They support the arts in Seattle. They buy books and my Quick Reference Guides.
Writers are taking hits in nearly every corner of the market due to cuts and industry changes in print media. These jobs will never return.
Surviving as an artist/writer through three to five years of an economic downturn, mayl mean a serious decline in sales and prices. Take up or expand your freelance work. Consider taking another job and working on art/writing in off hours. Cut expenses and overhead to a bare minimum and make whatever lifestyle changes necessary to continue your craft. Think about operating as an informal business. Read up on gorilla marketing. Get online.
As my husband works indirectly in the construction industry, we wonder whether his job will hold up through this recession. As a proactive move, we're expanding our publishing business by developing additional products and keeping overhead down by operating as an informal business. I'm continuing to teach and freelance. We'll see how it works for us in the long term.
January 1, 2009
Best-Case Scenario for Art and Writing in 2009
If you are new to this site, consider visiting the final post of last year and read about the 2008 art and writing market. It provides some foundation for this post and those soon to follow.
Over the next few days we’ll look at the possible economic scenarios for the art and writing markets in the coming year. Let’s begin with the best case and proceed to the worst, consider how people coped with similar circumstances in the past and examine possibilities for continuing to live and work as artists and writers through these scenarios.
U-shaped Recession or the Best Case We Can Hope For
While analysts debated all year whether to use the recession word, in late fall official news sources finally proclaimed we had officially been in recession since December of 2007. That eliminates a V-shaped recession, one where we go down and immediately back up, since we’ve passed that possibility already.
The likelihood of a U-shaped recession, a recession that drags out a bit longer, declines by the day as unemployment continues to climb, home prices plummet, and unintended consequences from the bailouts mount.
Suppose for a moment we believe the Pollyannas preaching a revival of the economy in mid-2009. Despite the odds, the economy miraculously stabilizes, folks manage to keep their jobs, taxes don’t go up, the price of oil stays down, home prices rebound and people find themselves with abundant credit and barrels of money to spend on art, books, magazines, films, etc.
Our personal experience with the last U-shaped recession intensified by September 11, 2001, included closing our gallery/café/frameshop. After the attacks on 9/11 we watched our income drop almost to zero for two solid weeks. NO customers came in to spend money on artwork, books, supplies or framing. Not even one. Everyone sat at home in shock over the evil deed and I don’t blame them one little bit. By mid-October, customers still weren’t purchasing. Since the recession had begun long before the terrorist attacks, summer sales fell below normal. Thankfully, we had income from a fall-festival to carry us briefly. With the slow-down in sales, our bare bones budget indicated we had better close or face bankruptcy within a few short months. We chose the former.
Others shared our experience. A friend with a huge national company that manufactured and distributed picture frames went out of business. Artists across the board saw drops in income. Some gave up their art entirely. Others, the ones who live it, persevered.
Writers and publishers took similar hits. Expensive printed material doesn’t sell well in recessions. Other market forces in the publishing industry have combined to force failure or consolidation on major publishing houses and those remaining are going digital. Many magazines and independent papers likewise have met their demise.
Best-case scenario: Tighten your belt. Cut your expenses. Take a job if you can find one. Keep painting/writing and have fresh material when folks begin to open their wallets around Christmas. Freelance. Tutor or teach.
We went informal with our business. My husband took an outside job. I went to a national writers' conference and booksellers' convention, talked to writers and publishers and learned everything I could about the business. We began our own publishing company, developed educational art materials, and got a trademark. I teach part-time as a private contractor.
In addition, we’re exploring some interesting alternatives as we move beyond this scenario into the L-shaped recession we’ll discuss tomorrow or into a depression, something we’ll look at in a couple of days.
In the meantime, if the current economic climate has you down and you need a laugh, visit Hoofy and Boo’s Gimme Shelter video.
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