Let's Get This Party Started...again

My beautiful daughter Jovie

I owe everyone an apology.  A lot has happened in the last couple months, and I haven't been available to share it with everyone in a timely fashion.  My goal is to bring you current events in the Western Art world as it happens, from where it happens, when it happens.  I also want to contribute in growing your knowledge of buying and selling original art, and expand your horizons to Western, Wildlife, and Sporting artists that are worth checking out and potentially adding to your collection.  I was told once by an executive for Ricoh, that it's not the big that eat the small, it's the fast that eat the slow.  I want to help my readers become faster in the Western Art world so you can take advantage of great buys while building a lasting art collection.  Of course, we all want to have a good time while we do it, so if you run into me perusing through a gallery, loitering at an art auction or supporting a Museum show, let's grab a drink and share our trials and tribulations in buying and selling art.  Now, I have a good reason for my absence.  Her name is Jovie Virgine Florencia Le.  She's my 2 year old daughter who I recently brought home from the Democratic Republic of Congo.  Now, that was an adventure!  Unfortunately, it was a longer adventure than my wife and I expected, but all that matters is she's home safe and sound and we're now a family of 4!

Thomas Moran's "Indian Summer, Green River, WY"

Let's get up to date with all the action in the Western Art world.  I'm an optimist, but I really think we're seeing a recovery in the Western art market.  I'm not saying prices are skyrocketing, but the sales at the recent Scottsdale Art Auction is reason to believe that things are looking up.  Scottsdale Art Auction comprised of partners: Brad Richardson of Legacy Gallery, Michael Frost of J.N. Bartfield, and Jack Morris of Morris & Whiteside Galleries set a company record for sales when their final number came in over $15,000,000.  Although, they had more lots than they've ever had, they still had a strong sell-through rate.  The highlight of the sale was Thomas Moran's "Indian Summer, Green River, Wyoming" which sold for $4,159,000.  G. Harvey continues his impressive sales when "Mountain Mist" sold for $103,500 well above the $75,000 high estimate.  His recent one-man shows have also sold out, and G. Harvey continues to cement his legacy not only as one of the more popular Texas artists, but as one of the top contemporary Western artists of his time.  Another sector of the market worth pointing out is the living or recently deceased artists that painted cowboy life in the 1970s and '80s.  Artists like Howard Terpning, Tom Lovell, Frank McCarthy, Melvin Warren, Bill Owen, James Bama, Kenneth Riley, and John Clymer represent this sector of the market.

There definitely are some great buys to be had out there right now.  The key is finding them, and once you find them, knowing it's a great buy and pulling the trigger.  Don't ever hesitate to contact me if you're in one of those situations and want to confirm your feelings.  And if you love the painting, just buy it!  Stay tuned as there are some great shows coming up in June.  The Prix de West is in a few weeks, so I'll touch on that event, and the Coeur d'Alene Galleries is presenting the inaugural "Wonders of Wildlife" Show featuring 8 of the country's premier talents in Wildlife art.  I'll also be discussing this summer's Coeur d'Alene Art Auction.  Talk to you soon!