Stock homes featuring unusual architecture with customized art: when it comes to unique homes, particularly those with lots of windows and few walls for art, think outside of the box to keep potential collectors coming back

Art Business News, April, 2003 by Lisa Crawford Watson

When collectors purchase new art, oftentimes, the design of their homes and their design tastes are equally important considerations. Many, particularly those who have homes with many windows and few walls, ascribe to the philosophy of "People who live in glass houses shouldn't buy art."

Nonsense, said gallery experts. If you, as a gallery owner and art expert, know all of the potential options available, you can attract a new breed of collector and help them place art they never thought they would be able to purchase. For example, if a buyer says a painting is too large for a living room that already has a wall of windows and a beautiful natural view, you could urge them to place the painting in the entryway instead, putting it in the immediate view of all who enter the house. Or, you could sell them an easel and display the painting like a sculpture. You could also commission the artist to paint a similar piece, only smaller, for your buyers.

Indeed, creative sales and display options are necessary, particularly in this era of unique architectural styles.

Custom Compositions

Tracey and Brian Avery had not spent a lot of time or money on art. But, when the San Francisco area couple purchased a spectacular second home overlooking the coastal dunes of Pebble Beach, they began to think about investing in art.

Perhaps they were inspired by the splendor of the central coast, with its craggy shores and blue ocean they could navigate from their living room. Maybe they felt the influence of the neighboring enclave of art known as Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif.. Certainly they were intrigued by the paintings they encountered at Jones & Terwilliger Gallery in Carmel.

"Although we had never collected much art," said Tracey Avery, "we came into it when we met the folks at Jones & Terwilliger, who were very helpful in getting us started. They had a good eye for our constraints in size, color and lighting. They understood what we were looking for."

The Averys discovered what they were looking for in the oils of Richard Rackus, an octogenarian renowned for his work in the style of early California Impressionism a la Percy Gray and Edgar Payne. What they did not find was a painting that would suit their space or a subject that reflected their new surroundings.

"The Averys fell in love with everything we had by Rackus," said Patricia Terwilliger, "but each painting was much too small or too large or of something other than what they envisioned. Where they live, in Spanish Bay, the views are magnificent. So we walked the area and did a photo shoot, then I drove the pictures to Richard and sat down to discuss them with him. We also brought him archival images of the area since the Averys wanted an early depiction."

Rackus, who had been to the area, understood. He sent the gallery six sketches of various compositions, from which the Averys selected their favorite and from which he did the final painting. They got exactly what they wanted in a custom size to fit their wall.

"This is a perfect example of why, as a gallery, it's important for us to go into the clients' home to see and understand the challenges presented by their architecture," said Terwilliger. "We are able to help determine what they need and then keep our eyes open for opportunities that will be perfect for them."

Terwilliger pointed out that many potential collectors get overwhelmed when they visit many galleries. "They see all kinds of things they love and try to decide, apart from their home, if the treasure will work," she said. "Size becomes secondary to appeal in the moment. The client is falling in love with the piece, the client is trying to fill a space they've decided is a gigantic vertical dimension, not realizing that a horizontal or square might actually be more appropriate in the space. They need to buy what they love, but we try to give them additional ideas and show them how to see things."

Sometimes, it's as simple as sizing down the frame. If it's the painting they love, they can always remove the matting and frame, and redo it to suit their space. Sometimes you just have to think outside (or in some cases, inside) the box.

Jill Muller's client was actually boxed in. Faced with a 24- by 40-inch alcove with a 4-inch shelf, the space was not deep enough for a sculpture and too small for any painting the client had admired.

"In looking for a painting," said Muller who, with husband Mark, owns Kennebeck Editions, a Louisville, Colo.-based publishing house, "I found wonderful pieces that would fit the width but not the height of the space. I knew the client loved florals, so I asked one of our artists, Laurie Adams, who has done florals, to paint a climbing rose on an 8- by 30-inch canvas we could frame to 18 by 40 inches."

Adams painted a climbing rose in a soft palette and sent a copy of the painting via e-mail to the client. She loved the image but said she would be head-over-heels "if only the roses could be red." The artist obliged with a second painting, and the client was thrilled.