The gallery handling Cecile’s wood carvings also started selling my
southwest Indian leather pictures and copper embossed pictures. I
was fortunate enough to buy three of Cecile’s cartoon characters when
they cost $26 each with the profit I made from selling my art work.
That was back around 1965.
Unfortunately Cecile has passed on. I would never think of selling
my collection. Unfortunately my kids are not into western things so
when I go to meet Cecile, his work will probably be sold in a garage
sale.
This brings up another point. Have you ever had a customer who buys
one of your pieces than confides in a friend that they are looking
forward to the day you pass on so their purchase will go up in value.
That’s happened several times to me.
I have a gentleman who buys some of my art work for his gallery. He
puts about a third of all his purchases into his safe waiting for the
day I no longer create my work.
My husband and I have a running joke that when I croak (I’m 13 years
older than he is…) he’ll become a rich man, since my work will
increase in value. We refer to this business of deceased artist’s
work increasing in value as “The Stiff Factor”…as in, “She’s a
"stiff” now and won’t be producing more work so we’d best up the
price!" One way to leave an enheritance!
Walk in Beauty,
Susannah Ravenswing
Jewels of the Spirit
Germanton, NC
There was a demonstration by several will known artists here in
Arizona many years ago. They took many of their paintings out on the
desert and burned them in protest of the inheritance laws. I don’t
know what the law reads now but then when an artist died the state
would evaluate all the paintings left to the family and want
inheritance tax immediately.
You can imagine what the inheritance tax would be on many paintings
left behind by a well known deceased artist. The value of the
paintings could amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. The
family could not let all the paintings on the market at once for fear
of flooding the market. It was a very large problem for artists.
I have a gentleman who buys some of my art work for his gallery.
He puts about a third of all his purchases into his safe waiting
for the day I no longer create my work.
That is really creepy, Lee, but I guess it is a compliment on your
fine work? Whatever. You might as well enjoy it as a compliment, eh?
I have a gentleman who buys some of my art work for his gallery.
He puts about a third of all his purchases into his safe waiting
for the day I no longer create my work.
I’m not sure if you should be flattered or weirded out. Let’s hope
that he passes on before you do!