Random Thoughts

High end luxury brands reported today business is still soft and they do not expect a turn around till 2011 / 2012. Also housing sales are still tough and there is a lot more foreclosures to hit the market so prices will be depressed for some time. So what does this mean for the art market. It means times are tough and if you are a buyer with cash now is the time to buy some art. The same is true of real estate. It also means though you must buy quality. Buying decorative pieces just to fill a space will only hurt you long term. Take the time and energy to purchase real quality art (either originals or limited edition prints). You might have these pieces for a long time so get what you enjoy. If you ever need any help on thinking through your art purchases just let us know. 

Making Change

Summary of key points from an article about making change in Time Magazine. 

Make it clear - better information can help us make better choices.

Make it easy - we'll do almost anything - even things that are good for us - to avoid extra paperwork.

Make it popular - we will save and recycle if others do it also.

Make it mandatory - only if necessary.

We tend to over value things we have and over eat food in larger containers. In general we we ignorant, shortsighted and biased toward the status quo. We procrastinate. Our impulsive ids overwhelm our logical super egos. We plan to lose weight, but ooh -  a cupcake. We truly want to make better decisions but we need help to get us there. The first key is knowledge. Better information - from public services announcements, appeals by respected figures, media outlets assist us in making better choices.  But information alone isn't enough. It's got to be easy. Even when utilities will pay for efficiency upgrades that will save us money for years, we're unlikely to make retrofits-unless the utilities take care of the schlep factors, like finding contractors and inspecting the work. Cheap is alluring; easy can irresistible. This is why default options pack such power. Change is not easy but its time to concentrate on real art and what it means to you. Think about the piece you want to purchase and ask yourself why? If its to make money put the painting back. If its because you like the piece, you want to support an artist, raise money for a charity, or other moral oriented reasons than buy it. 

Thoughts of the Day

The economy is still weak even though the stock market is showing signs of life. Unfortunately at the ground level people are still being fired and money is an issue for everyone. It appears big business has figured out how to rid itself of bad loans and move forward without incurring to much pain. I hate to admit it but you have to give them credit for figuring out how to get the government to pony up all the money for their mistakes. I bet they won't make the same mistake twice so obtaining a loan is going to a lot harder which unfortunately could hurt growth in the short term. The art auction market took a blood bath this past month in Montana. Pieces went for 40 - 60% below their low estimate. Very few if any went above the high estimate. A great time to buy a bad time to sell. The art market like real estate had probably gotten a little out of whack with reality so its probably good it drifted down ward a little. The weather is finally starting to turn in Sandpoint, Idaho and the grass is starting to show. Yea. I'm off to Lewiston, Idaho this weekend for the first pro-am of the season. The weather isn't supposed to be good but at least Lewiston has no snow and its a little warmer. If you have any interest in the Ace Powell attached to this story let us know.

WE ALL HAVE TO PITCH IN

"We all have to pitch in" - President Obama said this during his state of the union address on 2/23/2009. If we truly want to grow and enhance our cultural past, present and future in this country they we need to make sure the arts remain a part of our everyday life. Times are tough and everyone is watching their bank account but now is not the time to pull back. Now is the time to dream big. We have never truly embraced art in this country yet not only can it be an emotional boost to our well being it can have a huge economic impact. Now is the time. Find an artist or gallery and support them through these difficult times. You will be happy you did. The attached photo is Ross Hall who lived in Sandpoint, Idaho during the early 1900's. 

Random Thoughts / new artist

If you haven't already heard of artist Qiang Huang you need to view his works. I just bought a small piece from him and believe he will be a major influence on the art world for years to come. 

In other news the economy seems to be unsure of itself. The bailouts are not working and everyone is cutting back and hoarding cash. To some degree this is good because we have been over spent as a society for several years now and we need to save versus spend, spend, spend. I do believe however we should spend on those things that are of quality and have meaning to our lives. Years of greed by the financial industry, the housing industry and others has come back to haunt us and unfortunately will be with us for years to come. On the bright side there is always opportunity to make money in good and bad times. Plus if you are looking to purchase hard real assets now is the time assuming you can get them at a value that is more realistic. This is one reason people are looking for good quality art work. It may not appreciate quickly if at all but at least you obtain some joy from it versus worthless paper. 

Enough is Enough

I think its time we understand things suck but it will get better over time and we need to adjust our habits and lifestyles to a different set of rules. Traits like quality, workmanship, handcrafted, value, green, etc... will grow in importance as we move away from mass produced meaningless possessions. Its bad out there don't get me wrong. I'm working two jobs and avg. about 70 hours a week but even I see a bright future. Take a look around you. What matters? I think art has an important place in our future so look for those items that have meaning to you and those you love. 

Stocks and Art

As we all know the stock market is experiencing its worst decline in 50 years and unfortunately there is no end in site. GM and the car industry are in a downward spiral and some other major industries will follow soon. So what does this do for the art market? It is a huge boon to the middle - high end part of the industry because its the only place you may be able to make a return on your investment. Now is a great time to buy good assets and build your collection before the next upswing. Look for known artists with a track record or emerging artists you think have a chance of creating a name for themselves over the next few years. At the rate we are going the market is going to hit bottom real soon so now is the time to act. I think it will take about a year for us to work through all of our issues but once we do we will see steady small growth over the next few years as new inventions come online or new ideas on how to create wealth become reality.