Beetles and Bargains and Duds, Oh, My!

Drawing "Great Egret" pencil

You want to get a good deal – everyone does. You shop around, compare prices, and look for the best buy. If a larger project is needed, you get bids or estimates, at least you should. What you probably don’t do enough of is compare quality.

When I started my family, it was imperative that I save money and shop wisely. Being inexperienced, I sometimes chose an item based on its low price. I discovered sooner than later that my bargain wasn’t so great after all. In fact, it was a dud. Our family started calling these misbegotten finds “bδrgains.” I learned the hard way that you truly “get what you pay for.”

Your purchase may seem sweet at first, especially if you saved money. But if you want something to last, you can’t always take the cheapest product offered. Don’t get me wrong, there are quality items frequently on sale. These are the jewels floating on a sea of choices. When you find them, you should eagerly snatch them up if your budget allows.

"Cafe' Costa Rica"  12 x 12 acrylic on canvas (SOLD) prints and giclees available

On that same note, why do people expect quality artwork to sell cheaply? Yes, I’ve seen some beautiful canvases cranked out using spray paint and fingers; a sign that the artist is trying to produce something inexpensive so he can earn money quickly. Will the artwork surpass the buyer’s expectations? Will it last more than a lifetime? Maybe. Will the artist be able to sell enough “street art” to make a living? Debatable.

When we demean our artwork by pricing it alongside other bargain basement items, we reduce not only its current value, but its intrinsic worth. The education of the artist and his or her innate talent and acquired skills are belittled and undervalued; and once the price is set, it may be difficult to ask for more.

"Broken" mixed media on 11 x 14 canvas (SOLD) giclees and prints available

Just as there are graffiti artists who have tremendous talent and an obvious love for creating art. A street artist’s skill may be obvious to any passersby. People may watch and admire. They may be truly amazed at what they see. Some will see star potential and buy, but others will hesitate because of the lowly backdrop the artist has chosen for his demonstration.

In the same way that artwork presents best in a frame, the surroundings you choose to show off your wares may cast doubts on a potential buyer’s mind. Will they see a hidden gem in the midst of nearby muck and mire? Or will the asphalt and concrete be a turnoff?

Once I bought some soup beans on sale and eagerly took them home. I opened the first bag and washed the contents in a colander under running water. All of a sudden the beans came alive! Black beetles scurried to the surface trying to breathe. I was horrified. After examining the bags, I decided that several others contained these creepy crawly insects. I returned them all to the store where I’d purchased them. They gladly gave me my money back rather than allow the hideous bugs to escape.

Realtors have a saying: “It’s all about location – location!” The same is true for fine art. How you present your work says a lot about who you are and how you see yourself as an artist. Do you want to appear cheap or classy; as a professional or a novice? Image counts in dollars and cents.

(Coconut Point Art Gallery) -- Bonita Springs, FL

Eat Your Heart Out -- This one's for me!

"Through her Eyes" 9 x 12 quick sketch of live model

I used to think my ex mother-in-law was an old fuddyduddy. She was a rock hound, of all things, who spent precious time polishing stones. She also made fragile sand paintings inside of bottles that disappeared in a heartbeat if one of them got pushed over. She spent hours in her garden. Her house was an absolute dust bowl!

On a positive note, her grandchildren adored her and gathered around in joyful anticipation when she started one of her “projects.”

I thought of her the other day as I gathered still more poinciana seed pods to add to my collection. “Have I reached that predictable time of life,” I wondered, “when simple things seem much more precious than the purchased junk we usually settle on to clutter our lives?”

Out of guilt, I did try to neaten up my seed collection; more for those who would look askance at my seldom used dining room table which is now covered with beautiful “finds” from the fields and walkways where I exercise.

"Mother and Child" 8 x 10 print

My ex mother-in-law had it right. She would rather spend her days in the garden and out in nature than cleaning a house that grows dusty each day and needs to be cleaned again and again to keep it pristine. She was part of a culture that believed frivolity and self-indulgence were sinful. Artistic endeavors were frowned upon.

In her day, she may have been a frustrated closet artist. Her stone jewelry and sand paintings were cherished by many. She emptied her heart into each piece and used her fingers to create things from nature that others may have considered useful and practical. 

There was no guilt in leaving her cleaning behind to work in the garden, to cull the weeds that needed tending to or the people at church or in her family who needed her. “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop,” she’d been taught and so hers were busy all the day long.

I feel closer to her today than I did back then when she scrutinized my habits and frowned upon those times of relaxation as if they were sinful. Today, at long last, I understand her. I feel a kinship with her yearnings; probably many of them unfulfilled. She would never have admitted it, but she was an artist in her heart of hearts.

"Siesta" drawing with digital color

The wasted moments of our lives do go by in a heartbeat. Soon we all grow old and in the looking back we wonder what we’ve missed? In hind sight, the tender moments spent with a child are far more precious than the accolades of others that are fleeting and fickle. The ticktock of the clock sounds louder with age, and we wish we could squeeze every drop of laughter and sunshine into that place within that holds them dear.

Now I watch the dust settle and rise on the furniture and the baseboards while I capture some fleeting thought that may burgeon into a masterpiece that only I can see. I listen to the critics and hold my tongue. Imperfect, they imply, but before me I see yesterdays trail of tears melting onto canvas or paper in a colorful crescendo of joy.

Eat your heart out, I think quietly; this one’s for me!

"Release -- my Trail of Tears" 24 x 30 canvas (side panels available)

Below is the most amazing works of art you’ll ever see. It seems like a secret the artist wishes to reveal to you piece by piece.

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