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

'fine print' is mutually necessary and indispensable.

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

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Hello! I warmly welcome you!

No matter who you are-- I am honored by your interest and appreciation of my art. 

AND... I also understand that when it comes to acquiring art different people have vastly different budgets.

Therefore, your visit to this website is your unique opportunity to 'Name YOUR Price' and to OFFER ANY amount you chose for any of my paintings that are included within the GALLERIES labeled AVAILABLE ART that I am showing on this website.  As you've just discovered, I do NOT ‘rigidly fix the price’ of any of my artworks. Instead, based upon my career sales history, I only post my suggestions as to what I believe the art could, would, or should be minimally worth to an experienced and affluent art collector. I call this suggestion ‘my Reserve’, and you’ll read why in a moment.  You are free to agree with my assessment or not, and to reiterate, you are free to 'name YOUR price' and/or offer ANY monetizable form of negotiable value whatsoever as an exchange for my art. I absolutely will never be insulted by a sincere offer from anyone who genuinely loves my art.  

That clearly said, because I am the actual artist and am not a 'gallery art salesperson' with a make-the-sale motivation....AND because since 2008 (after I was given my first major artistic excellence award) I have not fixed any price on my art, ...since then, the actual collection of one of my originals has ALWAYS begun with YOU MAKING YOUR OFFER FOR THE ART...FIRST.  Of course, after you present me an offer, I am prepared to negotiate, as you should also be.  But… please understand clearly....EVERYTHING STARTS WITH YOU PUTTING YOUR OFFER ON THE TABLE ...FIRST.  Why?  Because, obviously, it says to me that you  are serious, you've done your homework, you're done browsing and 'tire kicking', and are now committedly offering to collect a piece of my art.  My response is to give you my full attention and do my best to have your desires be satisfied. 

CONTINUING THEN, here’s the acquisition process in a nutshell:

LEGAL NOTICE:

There is no registration required to present an offer to me, however by presenting me with an offer you are affirming your agreement with my procedural policies as described herein, AND, that if I accept your offer,  you are now legally responsibility to provide that amount according to the terms that we have agreed upon, and I am legally responsible to provide you the original art upon the satisfaction of those agreements.

A Brief Synopsis: 

a. No matter the painting under consideration, my art acquisition process has three levels… an ‘offers’ level, and a ‘competitive level’, and a 'Buy it Now' level. 

a(1). The ‘offers’ level is defined as ‘any monetary amount offered BELOW my suggested “reserve”’.

a(2). The ‘competitive’ level is ‘any monetary amount offered ABOVE my suggested “reserve” (but that is less than three times (3X) my reserve’).

a(3). The 'Buy it Now' level is three times (3X) my reserve.  It is available as an option for those collectors who are 1. clear that such a price for my work is fully justified by the artistic merit being offered, 2. who do not wish to risk a competition for the particular piece of art, and/or 3. who recognize that beyond my lifespan that their investment will be seen as an excellent bargain. 

Explaining the Above in more Detail:

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

This is a figure which I believe represents what the art is minimally worth to an educated affluent collector. Thus, this posted value IS ABSOLUTELY NOT a ‘for sale price’….it is my ‘Reserve’,  as explained below.

OFFERS BELOW MY RESERVE ARE 30 DAY OFFERS…

Since my policies allow you to offer any amount you chose,  what happens if you offer an amount BELOW my reserve, ...respectfully..., your offer is deemed ‘a thirty day offer’, and it’s ‘on the table only’, i.e., it is one I will continually consider and may accept and/or actively negotiate with you about for up to 30 days.

However, since your offer is BELOW my reserve, I am free to choose to accept or not accept it at my sole discretion. If, as all relevant circumstances are being considered, it’s a reasonable and respectful offer, I will certainly negotiate with you in good faith.  

OFFERS ABOVE MY RESERVE TRIGGER COMPETITION

Because an offer above my posted reserve ‘satisfies my minimum’ it removes much of my discretion,  …BUT… to make sure your offer is the BEST OFFER available, it also triggers a short window of competition… i.e., it activates my option during a short 72 hour time window to communicate with any other person(s) whom I 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 72 hours, your offer WILL BE 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 7 days from the moment that you first made your offer, with the highest offer then receiving that artwork.

It's probably obviously the reason why I have created these policies is to establish the value of  my original artwork via a market-driven transparent competitive process, which is the gold standard for establishing art value. Yes, I believe this is in the longterm interest of both myself the artist AND you the collector. 

MY 'BUY IT NOW' OPTION

Further, any collector wishing to bypass all potential competition may do so by tripling my 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 procedure. 

HOW TO MAKE AN OFFER

STEP 1 -

If you're interested in making an offer, please use my "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., older art in my Legacy Galleries, or brand new art that you know exists but is not yet uploaded to ths website), please use the same form to inquire about it.

STEP 2 -

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

Please note: it is my experience that the nature of original art acquisition agreements make some direct phone communication necessary (ie, it cannot be completely transacted only online)— 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 prior text messages.

STEP 3 -

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

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER I ACCEPT YOUR OFFER…

The first thing that will happen soon after I notify you that your offer has been accepted is that you will receive a personal phone call from me to thank you for becoming a collector of my 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 will occur.  I will also gladly answer any further questions that you may have, and you will give me 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 me 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 I 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 me to frontally sign and title the painting, and also 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 my practice to repaint over any paint tape leaks with Titanium White.  If desired, I respond to requests for photography showing the margin and/or the reverse as quickly as I am able through sending text photos-- as long as you have provided me your cell number.  

The back of the painting will have, in my 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. my signature and locus sigilli mark.  If the painting is clearly directional, I may have signed and titled it in pencil on the unpainted front border also. I rarely sign art in paint upon the painting itself, as I  considering that it would artistically detract from the art. Also, if the painting is potentially multi-directional I normally only sign the front at the request of the collector, as unsigned, you the collector have the option to 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' my 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.  I do recommend you use the highest quality non-reflective 'museum' glass, as I believe the difference it makes makes it worth the investment. 

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

Yes, a certificate of authenticity signed by me 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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