The start of another week...

NEW INVENTORY: GORNIK, ANDOE, GIPE, IVEY, STEENSMA, HORIUCHI...
So we had a busy weekend here and after two days off I'm ready to hit it again! I'm excited because of the change in inventory. As you can see by the headline, we received a slew of great work recently. The main focus is a great collection of Jay Steensma paintings and drawings, a beautiful monochromatic Paul Horiuchi collage and a 1962 William Ivey painting (seen here). I'm in the midst of researching/pricing them right now and hope to have them up on the gallery site soon.

It seems the art fair participants have all made it back home to Seattle from the Aqua Art Miami show last week/weekend. This past weekend was also the big Art Basel Miami Beach fair along with a few "anti-establishment" types of art fairs - mixed reactions to those. Seems sales were generally good for our Seattle dealers and no one came home in the red.

I'd been jealous all weekend as I thought of the throngs of soaking wet dealers and collectors from Seattle who were immersed in warm, balmy sunshine, powdered sand, fun fair parties and stellar art from around the world. Seems only the latter deserves my envy thus far...it was rainy and cloudy with far from 85 degree temperatures - no tanning was to be had. I'll have to hold the scoring on the party circuit until I catch up with the hipsters James Harris and Scott Lawrimore.

Can I give a call out to my chica, P-I art critic Regina Hackett - got some good readin' on THAT blog! She keeps me hip to the art hop, alright!

The Weekend...

Saturdays are always strange...mellow, yet good. I've already had three great collectors come by to visit...people I truly enjoy seeing. I felt great that we had at least a dozen new works up since their last visit. After working so many years at Greg Kucera Gallery, the magic of exhibition opening nights and artist lectures was nonexistent. When I quit last year, I wanted no art discussed on any level...burned out on all of it. Boy what time can do! I find myself welcoming the opening invites and getting excited about artist lectures. The only problem is they all seem to fall on Saturdays, which is now a work day for me.

One lecture scheduled today at noon at Howard House (204 Second Ave, just north of James St) is by artist Dan Webb. He's got a show of amazing work opening there (one of the new pieces is at right). Dan is a friend I've watched for many years...Ten years (was it longer than that?) ago I went to his studio for a visit and ended up walking out with my latest purchase: a beautifully carved male head with huge "Dumbo" ears and eyeballs shooting from his sockets. An amazing piece, especially when you realize it's carved wood. The detail is just amazing. (Please note that he wasn't represented at that time or I would have made the purchase via his gallery) When I received the invite I emailed Howard House to get a price list for the show, but I was too late - mostly sold out or strong holds on the remaining available works. Lucky for me I didn't have to make a choice since his prices were beyond my current bank account balance. Go Dan!!

I guess I'll just keep on enjoying my carved head on its little wood shelf. It would be a shame to have to split my admiration for the googly-eyed fella with a new piece, right? Yeah, that makes me feel better alright...

Another mention is about the Robert Motherwell show at Greg Kucera's gallery (212 Third Ave S, between Main and Washington). Greg has done it again...another great selection of prints from Motherwell. It would be difficult to find anyone on the West Coast with more knowledge about one of Washington State's most famous alumni. Please take note of my favorites: GLASS GARDEN (above) and SPRINGTIME DISSONANCE (below). I know you are supposed to be drawn to the reds the most of all, but I love his GREENS! What I like most of this show is that he focused on more gestural works...and that he has prints in a wide price range! Check is out - it's up until the 23rd.



And, if you know anyone who collects vintage nativity sets, I have a tip for you...Rick Rasmussen, a great theatrical stage designer has a secret hobby. He collects vintage nativity set figures and animals. He writes:

I have always enjoyed enjoyed collecting and displaying Christmas Nativity Scenes. The Nativity sets I create are collections of figures gathered from various sources. Each set is unique and is constructed from figures manufactured at various times and from numerous places throughout the world. The main sources for these figures are the countries of Italy, Germany, Japan, France and the United States. The figures in these scenes are for the most part Italian paper mache but may also be constructed of chalk, composition, hard rubber, ceramic and in a few cases, plastic. They are vintage...the age may vary but most are probably from the 1950s and 1960s...I have repaired and refurbished some figures if I thought it would enhance the presentation of the group, but many will show the patina of time and use...this makes them more beautiful. I hope that it will help you celebrate the Christmas Spirit and become a tradition in your holiday celebration. The Creche that is sold with the figures is hand made by myself in the hope that it will enhance the beauty and uniqueness of each Nativity group."

So, if you are into the collecting of such sets or are looking for a gift, come see them at Gallery Frames downstairs from ArtREsource (625 First Ave, at Cherry) and in our back area of the gallery.

Have a great weekend!

A Blog about Seattle ArtREsource

Finally there is a place for collectors to buy and resell their secondary market fine art. ArtREsource is in the historic Pioneer Square neighborhood in Seattle, Washington. What kind of business is it? It's a new type of gallery for Seattle called ArtREsource, your source for buying art from private and corporate collections as well as a place to consign art from your collection.

I thought a more personal blog might be a great way to keep tabs on what's happening here, how the venture is progressing and what kind of inventory is coming and...seems I get new inventory each week, but can't always get it photographed and up on the web site fast enough. We've been open almost a month and so far, the quality of work consigned has been stellar and diverse. My hope is to keep it varied and keep the price range wide so seasoned as well as new collectors can find something they can take home.

Although we have many nationally recognized artists in the inventory, we also consign northwest artist's work. Note I didn't say ALL northwest artist's work...we have to be selective and only take in work we know we can sell. Please also note that I didn't say we are consigning art DIRECTLY from artists. That's not what this gallery is about. We are THE LINK BETWEEN COLLECTORS. I have posted guidelines on our website to introduce you to our consignment process.

What is great about this venture is that it fills a big hole in the art scene. As someone who worked in a gallery for many years, I feel I can say that galleries really aren't interested in consigning secondary market artwork....and for good reason. Galleries are contracted to work for artists - to sell an artist's newest work. Why would a gallery be motivated to sell an earlier work (getting a reduced cut of the profit and helping a collector instead of their artist) when they already have a storeroom of art they are contracted to sell for the artists? You will find few galleries willing to take in art for resale.

In Washington State, the artist sees no profit from the resale of their work (although this is changing slowly - in NY living artists get a small percent of the work resold and other states are in the process of adopting such a law. Read about Europe's new resale law.

So, you have an artwork you no longer want to keep...as sad as that sounds, cheer up..because ArtREsource is here. We DO want secondary market fine art. We DON'T work directly with an artist. 10% of our profit (a mere 30% of the sale price) goes to Artist Trust, a non-profit arts organization.

The fact is, sometimes art needs to find a new home. There is a need for collectors to have a respectful place to exchange artwork that no longer fits in their home or direction of collecting.

One point to make clear at this point is that this does not mean the work at ArtREsource is sub-par or a worthless example from an artist's oeuvre. Let's face it, collector's tastes change and frequency of buying can increase or diminish with age or financial changes. For example, a collectors has a large collection she has groomed for years, but is now retiring and moving to a smaller home - where does all the art go? What if you inherit a great painting from your Uncle, but you only collect black and white photography? Or maybe a collector has been collecting for decades and the initial pieces that got their attention in the beginning no longer hold their interest. What I find even more frequently is seasoned collectors taking inventory of their collection as they begin estate planning - what happens if these collectors have children with "zero" art appreciation? (When these collectors must decide where their collection will reside, I hope they FIRST consider a donation to their local museum so eyes will still see the work...after that, I hope they think of us!) For these reasons, Seattle needs ArtREsource.

One other aspect I'd like to add to our service is a "wish list" of desired artists or specific pieces. Often we don't take in everything offered, yet I know someone out there is looking for it. If you have a piece you are seeking, just email me the information and I'll add you to the list.

How do the artist feel about having their art in a resale gallery?

"So, what happens when an artist visits and sees their work hanging on our walls?" - This question seems to be asked most often since opening. Starting a resale art business that includes artwork from local, living artists has personally been emotionally tricky. As an artist myself, I had to grapple with how this was going to play out since it's probably just a matter of time before I see one of my paintings arrive for resale.

Artists may find it difficult to know a patron has released your work from their collection. Yet, stop and think...hasn't the type of artwork you have traded with other artists shifted over the years? Even an artist's tastes and interests can change and head in different directions. An artwork is no less valuable because it is on the wall of a resale gallery.

It may be best to realize that the collector who consigned it actually respects you by feeling a need to place the work in another collection. There is also the aspect of increased exposure that comes with having older work on the wall. It can help get the word out regarding current shows you may be having up elsewhere - I do try to keep up on the exhibition schedules and make sure art by exhibiting artists are out so I can let folks know they can see more current work at another gallery.

The best part of this venture is how great it can be to find a "jewel" by your favorite artist. I once was working on installing a show of work by an artist I truly admired. One piece stood out from the rest. At the time I didn't have the money to buy the piece I fell in love...I came to work each day wishing I had something to sell so I could take it home. It didn't happen and I dismissed the idea of owning it. Several years later the buyer of that special painting came into the gallery with the work tucked under her arm. Due to financial reasons she needed to sell the painting. We took it in and I bought it from her immediately. This type of exchange happened with clients several times at Greg Kucera Gallery...and it's an occurrence I hope will begin happening at ArtREsource.

Who Am I?

My name is Jena Scott. Long ago I was an art student at college. I ended my college days at grad school with a Masters degree in drawing. Dreaming of being a visual artist was where it all began, yet I never thought the degree would really take me anywhere of merit since I had no interest whatsoever in teaching art. Gee, what else can you do with an art degree, right?

I moved to Seattle in the late '80s and after a few months of working in a deli and freelance illustrating by day (and scouring clubs at night to see the grunge band of the hour), I ended up at an art supply store. I spent a few happy years there "working in the real world" and meeting some great artists as well as working my way up the ladder to management. I eventually left after a disagreement with management (long story...not getting into it here). As I walked out of the building for the last time, it hit me that I had no paycheck coming in two weeks and I freaked out. I had a mortgage! I had car insurance to pay! Dog food to buy! I had to make a decision: take my large back-pay check for all the vacation days I never took and go to Europe for a year OR panic and find a job. The nervous, financially-sound worry-wort side won out - I grabbed a Seattle Weekly and searched the employment ads.

Long story short, 14 years ago, after three interviews with Greg Kucera, I began working as the manager of his gallery, the Greg Kucera Gallery, in Seattle. It turns out this experience was useful - and so was my degree! Much was learned and many relationships cultivated. The job was quite worldly, fun, full of travel and visually stimulating. After a dozen years, I eventually found myself (at 40 years old) asking if I was doing something that was satisfying at this point in my life. I was also recently married for the first time and with that marriage came a stepdaughter. My husband had a great job and it was soon clear that it was time to leave the gallery life. I spent the last year working for myself...painting, illustrating, learning how to play mom to a tweener and to take inventory of my life.

Fast forward to last September, almost a year to the day I quit at the gallery. I received a call from Greg. He had an idea he wanted to throw my way. To make the second long story short, I liked the idea and found being a housefrau wasn't really me - I missed the people I knew in Seattle's artworld and the daily life in Pioneer Square. Greg, his partner Larry (that's them at left with me) and I worked out details and Seattle ArtREsource was born. I had a new horizon. And here I am.

So, stop by and see the space, say hello, ask questions and enjoy the ever-changing art!