Just To Be Clear (part one) …
In this blog, I am writing to clear up a few misconceptions about the gallery and some of the things we offer. These are based on the numerous calls we receive each week from clients who are either new to the gallery or have been referred to us by well-meaning but probably misinformed people in our community.
First, I want to say that we offer a broad range of services here in the gallery. Beyond those that we offer, we have a great network of talented people and businesses that help us expand what we can provide for you. We also have two websites that cover a lot of the information and questions that you might have regarding artwork, framing and other art-related issues.
We love hearing from you and desire to be of help in your art and framing quest, but here are some questions and answers that might save you some time in your research.
- The most common call we get is regarding Art Appraisals. Somehow, we have been identified as the local source for art appraisals, so I want to clear up this misconception.
Question: Do you appraise artwork?
Answer: We are not licensed or qualified to be appraisers here in the gallery. We can help you determine if what you have is in fact, an original artwork and in many cases, we can help you track down the artist or possibly the gallery where it was sold (providing that they are still alive and well).
Follow-up Question: What can you help with?
Answer: We can provide estimates of value on most limited edition prints that are commonly listed among galleries and secondary market sources. Local artists and self-published editions are sometimes difficult to track down and may require the services of a professional appraiser.
Follow-up Question: How do I find about originals?
Answer: We don’t attempt to appraise original artwork as we are not trained in this field. The ONLY exception to this is if we can directly contact the artist for an evaluation. We do have an Art appraiser page on our Gallery website which provides links to professionals in this field. It includes a few local appraisers, links to national auction houses and an extensive printable pdf with appraisers and restoration experts.
Hint: Your best sources for information are always to try and research the artist or gallery online first to gather as much information before seeking an appraisal. That saves the appraiser time and saves you money as many appraisers charge based on their time spent.
- Webpage link: https://www.elsinoregallery.com/art-appraisal-page
The second most common misconception is that we buy and sell artwork from individuals and private collections.
Question: Do you buy Artwork?
Answer: The simple answer is NO. The gallery has never really purchased artwork from collectors or even artists, as it’s our policy to consign these items rather than buy art outright. We have made rare exceptions when we have needed artwork to fill up an exhibit or find artwork for other clients. Although the gallery had been known as a source from prints and posters for over 30 years, our focus now is on original art by Northwest artists who consign their work for sale in the gallery.
Follow-Up Question: Where can I sell my artwork?
Answer: We have provided a private consignment program through our gallery website for selling secondary market artwork, originals, and prints. For a small listing fee and a very minimal consignment fee, you can list your art on our site with no expiration on the listings. We’re happy to help you with evaluating your art or helping you to find an appraiser to get started.
Beyond our consignment, there are always the usual secondary sites like E-BAY, Craigslist, Etsy, and Pinterest just o name a few. These usually have some sort of fee and of course, you must arrange the customer interactions, packing and shipping of the artwork.
Follow-up Question: Do you ever sell private consignments in the gallery?
Answer: We don’t store or display private consignment artworks in the gallery simply because of the lack of wall-space and storage in the gallery. We reserve the prime space in the gallery for our Featured Artist Showcase artists.
Hint: You can save a lot of time and expense by pre-researching E-Bay and other auction sites for information about the art and artists you want to list. We are happy to help you evaluate the art of find an appraiser but the more information you have, the less expensive it will be to get this started.
- We get a lot of questions about restoring art and or frames and although we can generally help with some of these issues, we don’t consider ourselves to be in the restoration business.
Question: I have a piece of art that is damaged, can you restore it?
Answer: our staff has over 30 years of experience in framing and art curation, but we are not specifically trained in art restoration. We can provide basic, cursory cleaning on oils and acrylics if there is no cracking or other damage to the pigments or canvas. Works on paper and photography are usually more difficult and may require the help of one our professional associates.
- Photography: We usually recommend framing digital captures and restored prints rather than using the originals because the image will be re-created in a more stable condition. For Photo restoration, we have set up a webpage that features the services of Frank Barnett who can restore, digitally edit and even artistically enhance your photos. For basic cleanup, enlargements, and editing, we use a variety of local sources including Salem Blueprint, Photovision and others.
- Webpage link: https://www.elsinoregallery.com/photo-restoration-printing-services
- Salem Printing & Blueprint: http://salemblue.com/
- Original artwork: If your artwork needs more than a cursory cleaning or is damaged, we will refer you to one of our associate professionals who has been specifically trained and has the experience, technical expertise and materials to restore it correctly.
Hint: If you don’t want to take the artwork in yourself, you can always leave the art with us at the gallery if that’s more convenient and we will handle the rest. We can also help with disassembly and fitting of framed artwork at a nominal cost.
Question: I have an old frame that needs to be fixed, can you help me?
Answer: In most cases, YES. Most wood frames can be brought back to life unless they are missing segments or if the corners are so severely damaged that they cannot be re-joined properly (without cutting the legs down). We will be able to tell you whether your frame is salvageable when you bring it in along with a fairly accurate estimate for the project. There are some frame restoration services that we don’t offer here, they are:
- Rebuilding or restoring plastic or polystyrene frames.
- Replacing highly ornamented frame pieces or gesso appliques on frames.
- Re-gilding or re-leafing of antique frames.
- Rebuilding of Oval or rounds frames. We can, however, obtain convex glass for most sizes.
- Restoration or cleaning of fabric liners common in older oil paintings.
We have connections with professionals who can help with more complicated or intricate restorations.
Follow-up question: Is it more cost effective to restore an old frame or just get a new one?
Answer: Our cost usually starts at $50 for re-building and/or basic cleaning of a frame. Beyond that, we charge by the hour for any further restoration. If we need to outsource the frame restoration for gilding or gesso repair, that may indeed exceed the value of simply replacing the frame. We have a vast number of resources to help you fine appropriate replacement frames.
I hope that this clears up a few questions about our services at the gallery. As I mentioned, you’re always welcome to contact me directly about these questions. I will be publishing a series of these articles, so stay tuned to our website blog.
Brent Allen-
Owner/Manager -Elsinore Gallery
(503) 581-4642- Main Gallery
https://www.elsinoregallery.com
https://www.elsinoreframing.com