Turnbull Studios and Sculpture Garden

It’s that time of year again…Halloween, Thanksgiving, then the big one..Christmas.  I am always looking for something new and interesting to do or create, just to keep the juices flowing. 

Recently I have been playing around with my kiln and doing some experiments.  I have a fabulous artist, Marylynn Holland that makes these beautiful dishes with melted glass in them, not to mention her monks and other ceramics.  She has been a mentor to me in this new world of wet clay.  I have been wanting to make some ornaments and thought the melted glass thing looks so sparkly and Christmasy that I decided to put myself to the test.

I crushed up wine bottles and found some other recycled glass and just started putting it in little forms I made and voila!  Ornaments!  Now there has been quite a lot of trial and error, but patience my friends.  I do this in between the intense work of portrait work I do.  Sometimes I just need a break from all that detail.    Here are a few samples of what I am creating. ….

Two kinds of glaze and melted glass made this Hibiscus.

Humhumu...what?? Blue vodka bottle and green wine bottle melting. Cool way to recycle, but wear your safety glasses.

Meet Osden.  This gorgeous little guy is my latest portrait.  He is almost finished.    Once he is complete I will pack him up ( he is made out of oil based clay) and send him to the foundry to be cast in bronze.  A process that takes up to 3 months after I send it.   This is a wonderful way to capture the likeness of your child or grandchildren and have it passed down through the family.  Go to turnbullstudios.org and see Christine’s work. 

Chicago is a city not to be missed!!  We stayed at the Hancock and Mr. Turner set us up with his personal driver.  The installation was went perfectly and was done the minute we got off the plane!!  After an 8 hour plane ride  we were actually more awake than we thought we would be.  The crates were huge and taking up a large part of the living room, so we needed to get them out of the way.  Fred had a few helpers on hand (thank goodness) because unloading large sculptures is not my fortay..Steve’s, but not mine.    The  3 piece wall hanging made out of red cedar looked stunning.  Fred was very pleased.  Afterward we went to a wonderful Italian restaurant in the neighborhood and celebrated with a delicious rare red. 

Mr. Fred Turner is one of the most gracious hosts I have ever experienced.  Not only was it a business trip, but filled with fun and relaxation.  We went to the best Jazz clubs, best dining, and not to mention a Cubs game where we sat behind the dug-out on a fantastic sunny day!!  It doesn’t get any better than that.

The Museum of Modern Art was incredible. The show was a “Color is Relative” theme.  The Art Institute was so amazing we went twice in one day!!  Once before the Cubs game and then after the game.  Art and sports…needless to say our brains and bodies were overwhelmed and tipsy turvy after that.   The art, WOW, I could sleep there.  The Contemporary Circa was breathtaking.  Never have I experienced and seen art like that.   I wish I could visit when no one else is around just to take in each piece.  Standing in front of the Gaugins and Van Goughs brought tears to my eyes.  No one paints like that anymore.  The textures, the colors, the strokes and movements…amazing.  Who paints a sky in several shades of green with short single strokes?  Van Gough.

I have to say that the only artist that I compared the work to was our artist Lisa Kaspryski.  She is an emerging artist and her work echoes that of the Masters.  Her textures and colors are as breathtaking as those in the Art Institute.  Another is Ken Kennell’s Pointillism.  His work has more color and energy that Saurat.  Though of course Saurat was a man standing alone in his art.  I am honored to have Ken’s work in our Gallery at Turnbull Studios.

Understanding the value of Art.

There are two ways in which art is sold in a gallery.  Art is purchased by the gallery and given a retail markup price and art consigned by the artist where the sale is split between gallery and artist.  If you are a savvy art buyer, you should ask if the piece you art interested in is consigned or purchased. 

Usually if the art is consigned, there is no extra gallery mark-up to permit price negotiations.  If, however, the gallery owns  the artwork and needs to turn over inventory, there is sometimes an opportunity to bargain for a better price.  However, a painting or a sculpture is not the same as a used car or toaster.  So this must be dealt with gently.  Most artwork is priced at the market value, so it is not often that work is “over-priced”.

So..How do you establish the value?

1.  REPUTATION;

The reputation of the artist is considered to be the most important of all.  The value of art comes down to who did it, what is it made of

There are two ways in which art is sold.  Art is purchased by the gallery, then marked accordingly, or it is consigned by the artist where the gallery and artist split the sale.  As a savvy buyer, you should ask whether the art is owned by the gallery, or on consignment.

Usually, if the artwork has been consigned there is no extra gallery mark-up for price negotiation.  If the gallery owns the work, sometimes they may want to turn over inventory and one  can negotiate a better price.  Galleries normally do not overprice art, it is offered at the market value.  It is not the same as buying a used car or a toaster.

HOW IS THE VALUE ESTABLISHED?

What most collectors want to know is whether or not the prices are fairly appraised market values.

Most importantly is:

1.  Reputation of the artist.  The value of art often comes down to who did it, what material was used, and when it was done.  A Rembrant done in 1642 is worth LOTS more than the watercolor done by Aunt Emily yesterday.

2.  Quality of the artwork.  The quality of a particular work in relation to the output of the artist is important.  On a scale of 1 to 10, where does THIS work stand?  Is it from an important period?  Does it show increased technical or compositional excellence?  Always ask to see a biological write up on the artist, it provides information as to where the artist is at in his/her career.

3.  Rarity.  If most of the better work is in museums, private, or public collections, then the work will fetch a higher price.  Is the artist working a medium that takes a pro-longed time to create?  Like stone or metal sculpting.  Is the artist still living so more work will be created, or deceased so that no further work will be created for the marketplace.

4.  Fashion.  Naturally, what is in demand  is worth more.  However, market hype does not constitute a reliable measure of value.

In summation, an oil painting that is of museum quality is obviously worth more than a mass produced poster print.  And most often, the more well-known the artist, the more the art is worth.  Do remember that famous artists can create bad work.  Please don’t purchase just for a “signature”. 

Whatever your strategy, most art professionals agree that you should only purchase what YOU like.  If the value goes up, well then, you’ve made an intellegent investment. 

THANKS IRS for the “LOOPHOLE”

Our US government has established a tax “loophole” that actually encourages donations of art to museums and non-profits.  The only requirement is that you hold onto the artwork for a year and a day, and that it be donated to a qualified entity.  This little gem of an investment vehicle is based upon a widely used tax law that permits an art “collector” to purchase art at a very low price, hold the art for the appropriate length of time, then donate it at the higher retail “fair market” value.  You can pick up a piece of art from a newly emerging artist, hold it for five or six years, then when that artist’s retail prices have appreciated to much higher levels you can donate the artwork for the currently appraised value to a qualiflying non-profit…walking away with more in tax savings that you could possibly derive with an outright sale of the artwork!

There is so much more to talk about concerning art…but in the end..art concerns beauty, passion, drama, memories, and other intangibles.  You buy art because of how it makes you feel, what it means to you on a personal level.  The appreciation of art should always be a very personal and emotional experience. 

WE at Turnbull Studios and Sculpture Garden would be happy to discuss more of this with you….go to turnbullstudios.org

I would like to thank Patrick at Hana Coast Gallery in elightening me with this subject.

created by Christine Turnbull from turnbullstudios.org

How can one be an expert on sculpture?  Being a sculptor for 9 years and in a family of sculptors I have had my share of knowledge.  Art is for the heart.  It is what appeals to you, what evokes an emotion, a memory, or an idea.  I do know that a good sculpture never has a right angle in it….where your eye just stops.  It should never stop while looking at the work.  The sculpture should not have any endings, just a place where you settle and gaze onto the next attraction, like a trail.  A never ending trail like the mobius curve. 

The mobius curve is what defines an excellent sculpture, says Master Sculptor Bruce Turnbull from Turnbull Studios and Sculpture Garden.  Go to turnbullstudios.org to find out more about his work and family.

Sculpture is 3 dimensional, it is tactal, is a chance to have an experience.  Walk around a sculpture and it should tell a story.  Sculpture is conversational.  One of the best items one should have in their home if they like to entertain is sculpture, and other art.  It tells a great deal about a person, it is glimpse into someones private thoughts with out them totally revealing themselves.   Sculpture can be an emotional experience.  I challenge everyone to ask someone why they bought their art.  I truly hope it was from the heart or I think all artists would be disappointed.

Follow this with your eyes...

 Remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.