Repartee is on Groupon!!

http://www.groupon.com/deals/repartee-gallery-and-frameworks?c=dnb&p=1

 

 

Follow the link to purchase a coupon for $39 to get $100 in custom framing at the Repartee Gallery.

 

 

Saturday Seething (part 36 of a 444 part series)

Is Art Recession Proof?

 

Yes, art has been around since the beginning of time.

Yes, art has and continues to serve a function in society.

But, art is a true luxury item and such items are the first things to go off a priority list when times get tough (financially).

 

The filthy rich will always be filthy rich and unfortunately there will always be some sort of poverty because it serves a function in society (from a Functionalist sociological theory) so that leaves the middle-class left to feel the effects of a fluctuating economy. I guess one could argue that the rich are the ones who purchase art (originals) so there will always be a market to sell art in. In this post, I am questioning the sustainability of the middle art market, meaning the market for fine art reproductions and small originals. 

 

We are in a golden age for quality reproductions. The gicleé (pronounced jee-clay) printing process gets us closer to recreating the original than ever before. Developed in the first decade of the 21^st century, they take several HD photographs of the original artwork then, using paint pigments instead of lithographic ink, spray the canvas with the image. The pigment is laced with a UV protectant to insure the canvas is impervious to any fading or sun damage. The colors are rich and the canvas has a glossy glow to it.  Gicleés are made to be cost-effective and with the middle-class art buyer in mind. If the middle-class no longer purchase gicleés, I wonder if the ability to maintain this technology will survive. I also wonder if an even better reproduction process could exist but would not be developed because lack of funding. 

 

The middle-class art market is slowly shrinking. Artists are going bankrupt (or selling their souls to big box warehouses), art publishers are cutting back product and galleries are going out of business all over the country. Luckily, museums are still going strong but even they have the felt the effects of an unstable economy. Yet we still hear stories of art being sold at auction for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Just this weekend, there was a story on MSN about Jennifer Aniston and how she let her boyfriend bid and win a painting titled “Stranger #44” by a contemporary NYC artist. The winning bid was $450,000 and that shattered the record for this artist’s originals that usually go for around $250,000. The high-end market is still very strong (in cities like NYC or LA) but in middle America, art for the middle-class is floundering.

 

The reason why I am concerned about this is not only because I sell art but because I love art.

I know that I will never be filthy rich, I can hardly even begin to hope to be minimally rich, but that should not mean that I will never be able to have good, quality art in my home. I believe that every one should have access to art that moves and touches them, or at least creates some sort of reaction. I believe that artists are blessed with talents that they must share with the world, not only the cultural elite.

 

So, is art recession proof? I don’t know but I sure hope we all can weather the storm. 

Custom Framing with Groupon

Big News!!! The Repartee Gallery is doing a Groupon next week for $100 in custom framing for only $39!! That is a discount of $61- woohoo!!!!!

It would be a great time to frame travel mementos or a gift for Christmas!

So, keep your eyes peeled for the Groupon offer which should run Monday through Wednesday of next week.

 

Allison Dawson

Gallery Manager/ Art Consultant

 

Repartee Gallery at Fort Union

1110 East Fort Union Boulevard

Midvale, UT  84047

(801) 352-2569

allison@reparteegallery.com 

www.reparteegallery.com

 

 

Competition

Life is hard- competition is even harder but what is the hardest is when you are your own competition.
The me of last year is kicking the trash of the present me (work wise).
I'm competing against my numbers from last year and this time last year I was very lucky. I had that rare magic of the right piece with the right client and a very negotiable right price. That is the ultimate triumvirate of original art sales.
All I can do is my best but it is so frustrating when your very best now can't beat your very best from the past.
My gallery is having crazy 1 day sale this Saturday where if you buy any framed item, you get a second framed item (of equal or lesser value) for FREE. The only catch is you need to like us of Facebook and print off a certificate to be eligible for the sale. At this point- I'm happy to waive the bringing in of the certificate just as long as people come.
I feel like I'm planning a big party and fear that no one is going to show up.
I really hope this works and that people purchase and I can make room for products for Christmas.
I know that competition is a good thing and works as a motivator, but it is frustrating and can make people emotional. I have such passion for art and I love my job so it gets to be really hard to hold back the tears when I'm not doing well. Hopefully this sale will be a great day and something to celebrate!!

My Day

My day has been filled with cleaning, laundry, and this... A snoring Fiona cuddling cheek to cheek.

Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey is a British television program that airs on PBS Masterpiece. The first series (season) won a bunch of Emmy’s last night: best mini-series, best director of a mini-series, best writer of a mini-series, and best supporting actress in a mini-series for Maggie Smith.

The first season starts the morning after the sinking of the Titanic and ends with England declaring war in WWI.

The second series premiered last night on ITV in the UK but we have to wait until January for it to air in the US. With our increasingly global society, I wish they would air them in both countries at the same time. I am going to try my very best to not read spoilers of the second series which will be SO hard b/c of my insane curiosity.

So to tide me over, I did find the series 2 cover image.  The first image on this post is the 1^st series cover photo and the second image is series 2. You can tell by the photo that Lord Grantham, Matthew, and Thomas are in the military. You can also see that Sybil is working as a nurse. I am surprised that O’Brien is in this series- I thought she would have left Downton after what she did to Cora at the end of series 1.

Any who… I am just super excited that such a great program was recognized in a major way. January 2012 does seem like a long way away, but it will be over the holiday season so I’m sure the time will quickly fly by.

 

 

 

Saturday Seething (part 35 of a 444 part series)

“The Holy War”

 

Today is the BYU v. Utah football game and I just need to vent about how much this “rivalry” disturbs me.

I know that sport rivalries are all in good fun but it seems to escalate more and more each year. There is nothing wrong with school spirit and fandom, but I have a huge problem when it becomes hateful and violent.

People are teaching/brainwashing their kids into hating a whole group of people (the opposing team and their fans).  My sister shared a rather humorous video on Facebook of a 3 year old little girl hysterically crying because she hates BYU so much. Where did she learn that behavior? Why is it OK to hate someone for liking BYU? The scary thing is that it is not too far a leap to start hating someone just because of their religion or skin color or politics.

Our contemporary culture (as evident in our current political climate) is increasingly becoming more and more extreme. There will be no real change until there can be compromise for the greater good.  With kids being bullied on the playground and online, with dems and repubs in congress hardly able to be in the same room as each other let alone work together, with all the trolls on message boards spouting hate speech, how are we ever to live in a Zion-like community?

I attended BYU for 6 years, the first of my siblings to graduate from that wonderful institution, but that doesn’t mean I hate U of U- my siblings went there and it is also a wonderful institution.  Both have great football programs and both represent our state very well.  Can’t we all just enjoy a game of football and realize that no matter who wins, it’s a great day for the state of Utah?

 

Oh well, Utah is now in the Pac 10 so I really don’t think we can consider BYU and U of U rivals any more.  The “holy” war is soon to be over.

 

 

 

And Now, a Dear John Letter

Something is happening to me.
I'm not sure why.
I'm a little scared.

I now think that Coke Zero and Diet Coke are the most disgusting substances I've ever tasted.

What?!!!!!

I used to live off of Diet Coke; we a had a deep, personal relationship, but I fear it has all come to an end.
I will miss the Crest drive-thru runs during grad school and cherish the limitless consumption while working at Eat a Burger.
I know this may be a low blow but I have moved on to other diet sodas like Fresca and Diet Dr. Pepper.
Diet Coke tastes like a chemical, and not in the good way. Yes, it lends itself to drink mixing with lemon, limes, vanilla and cherry, but that isn't enough to withstand the horrible flavor anymore.
So this is goodbye, my dear Coca-Cola products. I shall think of you longingly while eating spicy fries at Rumrz.

Sent from my iPhone

"Modern Chinoiserie"

So I found out about a new artist on artthatfits.com and I think I might need this piece in my apartment J

The first image is titled “Morning Light” and the second is “A Song of Celebration” by Kathe Fraga.

I kind of have a love hate relationship with Fraga’s art. She claims to have a modern Chinoiserie vibe to her art when really she has a heavy Asian influence in her paintings. Chinoiserie was the Western interpretation of Eastern (Asian) motifs in the 17^th and 18^th centuries. It is a matter of semantics but it bothers me none-the-less.  I believe she isn’t interpreting anything with her art; she is directly applying Japanese florals and mode of landscape narrative where the branches enter and leave the picture plane.  I guess one could argue that the Western aspect of her art is her non-objective abstraction but I still don’t see a Westerner reimagining the Eastern Other in their Western context.

 

Still, I enjoy her use of color and the mixture of Modern drips (a la Pollock and Morris Louis) and squares (citing Joseph Alpers).

I would classify Fraga’s work as Contemporary Art Nouveau which fits perfectly with the style of our apartment. We love florals, bright colors, feminine abstraction, and general girlyness.