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 put 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 life.
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.
What do the Artist think about a resale gallery?
What happens when an artist visits and sees their work hanging on our walls? Starting a business such as this has been tricky regarding the emotional side of selling art from a private collection. As an artist myself, I had to grapple with how this was going to work 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 think a patron has released your painting or sculpture from their collection. I ask the artists to stop and think...hasn't the artwork you have traded for over the years changed? Even an artist's tastes and interests shift and head in different directions. That piece is no less valuable because it is on the wall of a resale gallery. It is best to realize that the collector who consigned it actually respects you and felt a need to find a new home for your piece. It's also exposure that helps any current shows you may be having in town.
The best part of this venture is how great it can be to find a jewel by a favorite artist. I once was working on installing a show of work by an artist I truly admire. At the time I didn't have the money to buy the piece I fell in love with at that show...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, but continued to watch the artist grow. Several years later the buyer of that same painting came into the gallery with the work tucked under her arm. Due to financial distress she needed to sell the painting...and to my joy I bought it from her immediately. This type of exchange happened with clients several times at Greg Kucera Gallery 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 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, ask questions and enjoy the art!
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