Pay What You Think It's Worth Sale - Recap

After closing my Midtown studio in 2014, I wanted to start having home shows again but hadn't gotten around to it.  When I resumed publishing my newsletter a few months ago, I promised my collectors and followers I would have an event so they could see the new art I had been creating, and decided to turn it into a sale they wouldn't forget.

Last Saturday I hosted a "Pay What You Think It's Worth" sale with my original art at my home studio.  An invitation was sent to everyone on my newsletter list, and about 50 people attended.  I have had many studio sales before, but this was an event to remember for many reasons.

Sign made with found objects by Robert Gordon - hung outside my gate

I got the idea of doing a "Pay What You Will" show after listening to a podcast and decided why not try it with my art?  I spoke with several artist friends about this and they thought I was crazy.  What if the attendees offered some ridiculously low price?  What if some of my collectors got upset because they had paid higher prices before?  What if a bunch of people came; ate the food and ran off with my art without paying a dime because they felt that was all it was worth?

Prior to Saturday I heard from several people asking how the sale would work, so decided to print a handout with my retail prices of the various canvas sizes.  My helpers and I let each visitor know the retail pricing was for reference purposes only, and they could make offers based on what they felt the piece was worth to them.  I also let them know as my guests, they would not be allowed to pay more than wholesale pricing for the art, which meant a minimum of 50% off the retail price.

Here's a copy of the price list that was posted at the show

(Since I'm not actively showing my paintings in any galleries at the moment, I felt comfortable with offering the wholesale pricing, and a lot of the glass art that did sell were seconds or old inventory that needed to go bye-bye.)

A triptych and small works in crates under the umbrella on the patio

Lots of glass art, clay ornaments and wood pieces on the table in the studio

In order to beat the heat, I held the event on a Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  I put carpet tiles along the fence and wall of my patio, and displayed the paintings on top of the carpeting.  Small cards with the canvas dimensions were placed above the paintings, and copies of the retail price chart were hung in several conspicuous places.  

Here's a few highlights of the "Pay What You Think It's Worth" sale:

•  In a four-hour period, I sold 53 paintings and a lot of glass art
• 5 of those paintings are headed to Alabama to be used in the models of a new home development
• An interior designer (a guest of one of my friends) purchased 6 paintings for a project he is working on in Modesto, CA
• Several people insisted on paying way more than the prices I suggested
• I pre-sold 3 paintings from my website the day before the sale, and 4 more paintings the day after the sale
• I reduced my inventory by about 25% which means I still have a lot of art but I also have a lot of estatic collectors
• I added several new names to my mailing list for future shows
• A large percentage of work sold were my small paintings (12"x12" and smaller) and works on paper which were matted and ready to be framed
• Two people want to commission me for making art for their homes (one wants glass art and one wants a painting)
• Several paintings that sold had been very old specimens and doomed for makeovers - now they're hanging in happy homes
• My helpers were way better negotiators than I ever could be 
• Two wonderful buyers left positive feedback for me on my Square account 
• A lot of my collectors told me they loved this concept and are looking forward to buying more art in the future - sale or no sale!

Larger paintings stacked against the fence in the driveway under tents for protection

Smaller works lined up against the house wall on the patio

I think it's safe to say the sale was a huge success, made possible with the help of six wonderful friends who were on hand to prep food; greet visitors; explain the sale process; collect $$$; wrap and package purchases; and lend a helping hand in whatever way they could.   For me, it felt amazing to release so many pieces of art and to make a lot of people happy with their art purchases.

One tired but happy artist!

Now that the sale is over, it's time to start prepping for my December show at FE Gallery and the Sac Open Studios event in September.  But first - I'm off to the coast for some long-overdue R&R and a touch of inspiration.....I can't wait!

P.S. -- Sign up for my newsletter at jjjacobsart@gmail.com or jj@judyjacobsart.com

Studio Sale - A Little Something Different

This week I'm getting ready for my first Studio Sale in over 5 years.  I used to do one or two a year  but once I had my Midtown studio I stopped having them.  With the Midtown studio closing in January, 2014,  I've managed to amass a huge collection of inventory, and what you see in these photos below is just a drop in the bucket.  I've got paintings stacked in my hallway; my bedroom; my inside office and my shed outdoors.  Did I ever mention I am also a glass artist?  Yep - lots of glass goodies too.  Time to purge.  I need to release these little gems and decided to do something really different.  Are you ready for this??

Here's the deal:  No prices -- people will tell me what they want to pay and it's theirs. 

My artist friends tell me I am crazy for doing this and perhaps I am - but I truly believe each and every person who attends my sale believes in the value of hand-made creations and will pay something to own an original piece of my art.

Why am I doing this?  I've got many reasons but a few of them are:

1. I have managed to create and collect a huge collection of my work which represents my half-century journey as an artist.  This means I have a TON of work I just can't throw away and there's simply no room to store it anymore.  I'd rather let it go to someone who would love it versus tossing or donating it to the Good Will (I did this recently and a friend of mine unknowingly gave me back one of my sculptures as a hostess gift - I SWEAR!)

2.  Since I began concentrating on my art career, I've been blessed with friends, family, collectors, and students who have supported me beyond my wildest dreams.  This is my way of giving back to all of you for your love and support of my journey.

3.  I believe when you let things go, you are left with an empty space that allows new things to come into your life.  I've experienced this with people, relationships, situations and "stuff."  I'm at a point where I'm exploring some new directions with my art plus I'm ready for some changes in my own life, and you're welcome to help me make it happen!

I've posted a lot of work in past posts on my blog, and there's even more on my website.  

And today I've decided to extend this special deal to my blog readers -- that's YOU!  

Just check out the sites and if you see something that interests you, make me an offer.  If the painting doesn't have the dimensions or you want to know more about it, just ask.  You can email me at:  jjjacobs@comingabstractions.com

And if you already know about the piece and want to purchase it, just tell me the name of the painting and the price you feel it's worth.  If it's reasonable (don't worry about insulting me - I've got thick skin) it's yours plus shipping costs.  

I take PayPal, VISA/MasterCard, and of course cash.  I will even arrange payments if you want -- let's make a deal!







 

Neutrals and the Art of Zen

The 100 Artworks Challenge has been a real eye opener for me in many ways.  To begin with, I never, ever thought I'd enjoy working with neutral (aka "yucky") colors.  I had sworn off using monochromatic themes and black/white paintings after spending nearly an entire semester of a college design class that focused on creating tonal works.  Using only two tubes of paint out of my vast paint collection bored me beyond tears and after I got my grade (A!) I said "sayonara" to neutrals and "hello" to beautiful, bold and vibrant color.

Also, I didn't think I could ever pick a specific theme and use it 100x over.  Still life paintings were another thing I swore off doing after studying art many years ago.  Boring!!  But my latest vessels series actually makes me happy.  Each painting is simple and funky and has its own personality - and they can be mixed and matched and look amazing with a white mat in a black frame.   The fact that I have already sold over 25% of them without really doing any marketing doesn't hurt either.  I'm nearing the finish line of the challenge, and just completed #76 called "Sugar."  It's the first painting in the photo above, and I started adding words to some of the pieces, just for fun.

Working with neutrals and a simple, minimalistic theme has had a very calming influence in my personal life as well.  This year started with a lot of mini challenges and for awhile I felt like I was putting fires out wherever I went.  The peace associated with the creation of these little paintings could not be more welcome, and they're helping me find my little spot of Zen that was desperately needed.

Another thing that has developed during this process is my desire to start writing again.  After having a weekly and bi-weekly column in our local newspaper for 7+ years (landlord/tenant related), I burned out and stopped doing any writing other than my blog and journal entries.  I've got some ideas that are churning with this new desire and we'll see where it goes.

I've also begun de-cluttering and had a very successful garage sale last Friday at my house.  I've been toying with the idea of selling my home and buying a small piece of land or tiny house and with the market prices rising in my area, I think this may be the time to sell - at least for me.  So I'm starting to clear things out of drawers and closets, piece by piece.  I've got an Open Studio sale that I'm planning in July to get rid of some art and have my on-line stores that I'm slowly stocking. 

I'm an artist with a plan (finally!)  I feel a calm and "Zenful" feeling that has been missing for a long while.  I'm very grateful I accepted the 100 Art Work Challenge and that I chose to work in a theme with neutral colors.  I needed to discipline my Self and focus on my next step in this life journey, and once again, making art was the catalyst for finding the answers I needed. 

Challenges and New On-line Store

67/100 -- "3 Bowls" - 6" x 6" mixed media on paper - $75

The past month has been pretty stressful with some personal matters and today I'm going to escape to the beach for a little R&R and some creative soul revival time with my favorite art buddies.  I'm still doing the 100 Art Works Challenge and am finally up to #67.  I enjoy participating in these contests because they force me to challenge myself to do things I either haven't learned before (like abstract figure painting) .....

30 Paintings in 30 Days - abstract figures - 2014

.....or working with mediums that I used to avoid like oil paints!

30 Paintings in 30 Days -- oil paintings - 2015

Besides the 100 Art Works Challenge, I've participated and completed four "30 Paintings in 30 Days" contests.  These challenges are in addition to my normal painting routine, and though I do sell many of these works to my art collectors, I haven't really be pushing sales which means I've developed quite an inventory of work that needs to find happy homes. 

On May 4th, I opened a shop on ArtFinder, an on-line venue for artists from all over the world.  It's a juried site, which means you have to submit your work to be accepted.  I was thrilled to make the cut and made my first sale last week to a man in Florida.  If you get a chance, please check it out here and let me know what you think!!  One feature that I do like about this site is it allows people to make an offer on work they are thinking of purchasing.  Since I often discount my work anyway to my friends and collectors, I was thrilled they let me do this.

I'll be adding more work to the site as I get time, and in the meantime I'm starting plans for a huge studio sale which will be at my home studio.  If you're in the Sacramento area and want an invitation  please send me an email -- jj@judyjacobsart.com and I'll give you more details.  I'm thinking an ice cream social with the theme "Christmas in July....." - a late morning/early afternoon event which will hopefully beat the heat!

2 Finished Gelli-Deli Paintings

Working with the Gelli-Deli prints has been a fun experience.  When I work with the Gelli plate I tend to go for simpler designs in a limited palette which works perfectly with my theme for the 100 Artworks Challenge!  Here are the first two finished works using the Gelli-Deli's - both are 6.25" x 4.25" mixed media on 140-lb watercolor paper. 

"Flowers for Mom" - 66/100

"Lost at Sea" - 65/100

Raindrops are Falling - 5 New WIP's

Woke up around 4:45 this morning to a dripping noise outside my window......got up to look outside and saw raindrops!!  What a delightful way to welcome a new day and create some art.

Awhile back I used my Gelli Plate to make some textural-like designs using tissue-like deli paper.  I loved the look of the papers and vowed one day to use them in some of my work, but hadn't gotten around to it until today.

This morning the rain inspired me to try something different, so I cut up a couple of the Gelli-Deli sheets to make a few collages for the 100 Artworks Challenge that I joined on March 15, 2015.  Above is a photo of 5 new works in progress - each are 6.25" x 4.25", which fit perfectly in some 10" x 8" mats I have lying around.  Can't wait to see how these look when they're done!

While writing this post, the sun came out.....looks like the rain show is over for sunny Sacramento.  Hope we get some more rain soon.

Catch Up Time

I've been lax on posting the paintings from the 100 Art Works Challenge.  I started out strong and was posting daily, then life took over and I just neglected to keep up.  So here are a couple of group photos showing paintings #1 through #30 and #31 through #48.  If you would like to see any particular one closer, shoot me an email at jj@judyjacobsart.com

As of today's writing I'm up to #64 and am using some color.  Not because I'm tired of working with neutrals but because I was in a show that specifically asked for my work because the curator loved all my color!!  Since working with this challenge, I've fallen in love with the vessels and little flowers that sometimes adorn a design, and thought it might be fun to spice things up a bit and bring on the chroma.  Here's #49 through #64 - still doing the same vessels but adding some of that "JJ" punch to keep things interesting.  Enjoy!