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Yes-- We know 'this is a lot of reading'.  However the

'fine print' is mutually necessary and indispensable.

We've made it as readable as possible.  Thank you.

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Hello! David Seacord Fine Art warmly welcomes you! Your visit to this website is your opportunity to offer ANY amount you chose for any of David Seacord's paintings that are included within the AVAILABLE ART GALLERIES as shown on this website.  As you will discover, we do NOT ‘price’ any of David’s artworks, we only post a suggestion to you as to what we believe the art is minimally worth. We call this suggestion ‘our Reserve’, and you’ll read why in a moment.  You are free to agree with our suggestion or not, and to reiterate, you are free to offer ANY amount whatsoever.

However, the actual collection of a David Seacord original ALWAYS begins with YOU MAKING YOUR OFFER FIRST, because you’re ‘the market’, and the market rules. Plus, because 1. your offer, plus 2. our acceptance, plus 3. an “exchange of value” creates “our contract”.  Of course we are prepared to negotiate particulars as we see fit, as you should also be.  But… EVERYTHING starts with YOUR offer. Your offer tells us what a David Seacord original is worth—to you… and that’s where we start from.

That said, here’s the acquisition process in a nutshell:

There is no registration required to present an offer to us, however by presenting us with an offer you are affirming your agreement with our procedural policies as described below, AND, that if we accept your offer,  you are now legally responsibility for the amount that you offered, and we are legally responsible to provide you the art upon the receipt of that amount.

Further details: 

a. No matter the painting under consideration, our art acquisition process has two levels… an ‘offers’ level, and a ‘potentially competitive level’.

b. The ‘offers’ level is defined as ‘any monetary amount offered BELOW our suggested “reserve”’.

c. The ‘potentially competitive’ level is ‘any monetary amount offered ABOVE our suggested “reserve” that is less than three times our reserve’.

Explanation: In other words, directly below the website image of every piece that we are offering as available for collection we are posting a hypothetical monetary suggestion (it’s the “the best offer above/greater > than $____” info).

This is a figure which WE believe represents what the art is minimally worth. Thus, this posted value IS ABSOLUTELY NOT a ‘for sale price’….it is our ‘Reserve’,  as explained below.

OFFERS BELOW OUR RESERVE ARE 30 DAY OFFERS…

What happens if you offer ANY amount BELOW our reserve, ...respectfully..., your offer is ‘a thirty day offer’, and it’s ‘on the table only’, i.e., it is one we will continually consider and may accept and/or actively negotiate with you about for up to 30 days.

Since your offer is BELOW our reserve, we are free to choose to accept or not accept it at our sole discretion. If, all things considered, it’s a reasonable and respectful offer, we will certainly negotiate with you.  

OFFERS ABOVE OUR RESERVE TRIGGER POTENTIAL COMPETITION

Because an offer above our posted reserve ‘satisfies our minimum’ it removes our discretion,  …BUT… to make sure your offer is the BEST OFFER, it also triggers a short window of potential competition… i.e., it activates our option during a short 36 hour time window to communicate with any other person(s) who we know or believe might be interested in that piece also… to advise them of your offer… and to ask if they now wish to make a better offer themselves.  If no one does that within those 36 hours, your offer IS accepted. If someone(s) does out-offer you within that time period, you and they can competitively make offers again and again…for up to 5 days from the moment that you first made your offer, with the highest offer then receiving that artwork.

Obviously the reason why we are implementing this strategy is to establish the value of a David Seacord original masterpiece via a market-driven transparent competitive process, which is the gold standard for establishing art value. This is in the longterm interest of both the artist AND the collector.  Further, any collector wishing to bypass this potential competition may do so by tripling our reserve suggestion and offering that amount. Barring the most unusual of circumstances, your 3X Reserve offer will be accepted without competition-- unless a competition is already in existence. In that case, a 3x Reserve offer is incorporated into the existent competition. 

HOW TO MAKE AN OFFER

STEP 1 -

If you're interested in making an offer, please use our "Inquire About or Make an Offer" form for that purpose.  If you are interested in any artwork that is NOT designated as available (i.e., art in the Legacy Galleries), please use the same form to inquire about it.

STEP 2 -

Fill out the form and all required information and send it to us.

Please note: it is our experience that the nature of original art acquisition agreements make some direct phone communication necessary— which is why the contact form requires a cell phone number (unless you only use landlines).  FYI, all person to person direct phone contact is normally pre-scheduled via text messages.

STEP 3 -

After sending us the form you will receive a confirmation message that your offer or inquiry was received. You will also receive a personal reply in as timely a manner as is possible.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER WE ACCEPT YOUR OFFER…

The first thing that will happen soon after we notify you that your offer has been accepted is that you will receive a personal phone call from David to thank you for becoming a collector of his work. Also during that conversation it will be decided to what address and by what method the art is to be shipped, and by which of several methods the financial transactions between you will occur.  David will also gladly answer any further questions that you may have, and you will give him your instructions as to if or how you would like the art frontally signed, and in what orientation. (This is further explained herein below.)

Because your offer was made without actually seeing the art piece in person with your own eyes, our contract will specify that after receipt of the painting you will have a full week after delivery to notify us that you intend to return it in undamaged condition ...if it somehow does not meet your understandings and expectations.

For perfect clarity of understanding and expectation then, what you have made an offer for is 'the original artwork itself, as photographically described --as accurately as possible'. This phrasing means that both we and you understand that a perfect rendering of an original artwork to a computer screen is a technical impossibility, and that because of paint textures, color calibration, and resolution challenges on all viewing screens involved, the original itself will be subtly distinct from the screen version.

Additionally fyi, if the art is a work on 22" x 30" paper original, normally the painted area will be approximately 20" x 28". If the paper is 26" x 40", normally the painted area will be 24" x 38". In other words, normally there will be an unpainted 1" border that was masked off during painting which has been photographically cropped for online display. This 1" margin is intended to provide both a place for the artist to frontally sign and title the painting, and normally partially lays under a mat in standard framing. Also, as many times paint does leak somewhat under the masking tape edge, it is now David’s practice to repaint over any paint tape leaks with Titanium White.  If desired, we respond to requests for photography showing the margin and/or the reverse as quickly as we are able through sending text photos as long as you have provided us your cell number.  

The back of the painting will have, in David's hand in #2  pencil, A. an ID code (i.e., a series of numbers similar to a car’s VIN number that is unique to that painting alone and which is to be used for insurance purposes etc), B. the Title if the piece is titled, C. the copyright date, and D. David's signature and locus sigilli mark.  If the painting is clearly directional, David may have signed and titled it in pencil on the unpainted front border. David rarely signs in paint upon the painting itself, considering that it would artistically detract from the art. Also, if the painting is potentially multi-directional he normally only signs the front at the request of the collector, as unsigned, the collector could rotate it and enjoy viewing it in different orientations.

The painting will arrive to you inside a crystal clear protective envelope which has been rolled into a well-insured shipping tube or triangle. You may request it be shipped flat at extra cost to you. If your painting is a 'rollable work on paper' our shipping practice is to provide complimentary shipping within the United States.  However, you will be assessed a surcharge to cover the level of insurance that you chose. International shipping and insurance fees will also be in addition to your offer, and will be charged to you.

Framing the art to match your decor desires is both the creative opportunity and the fiscal responsibility of you, the collector.  This is because framing translates the art into your specific room environment and only you and your framer can properly do that.  We do recommend you use the highest quality non-reflective 'museum' glass, as we believe the difference it makes makes it worth the investment. 

Finally, if you love the art but feel that an under-glass presentation is unacceptable, there ARE options. However, they add significantly to the cost and complexity of framing, and some aspects must necessarily be done by the artist himself before shipping, and at a surcharge. Therefore, prior communication is imperative if this is your desire.

Yes, a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist will be either included or sent separately. 

Thank you for your attention to all of these necessary communications! Thank you for your artistic appreciation also! 

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