Louise Tester Gallery

We continue to stay out of the market...

2010-03-07T17:00:00.000-08:00

We have decided to stay out of the market for another season. This the latest from Miami.

RT | THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT

Traveling takes toll on artists

Art Festival circuit artists say business can boom -- if you can face the road.

BY HOWARD COHEN

hcohen@MiamiHerald.com

No one said touring is easy -- least of all the artists who find themselves on the South Florida winter festival circuit as the economy slowly warms its way out of its big chill.

``It's been tough out there,'' said sculptor and circuit veteran Fredrick Prescott of Santa Fe, N.M. who hits all the Florida festivals, including this weekend's Las Olas Art Fair.

``A lot of artists get tired of gambling and when you go to these shows, it's a big gamble. Someone could be right next to you in a booth and you have a great show and they sell nothing. That's just the way it goes.''

It's no small bet. An 80-square-foot booth ranges from about $395 at the Las Olas fair to $750 at the recent Coconut Grove Arts Festival. Add in hotel, transportation and other costs, and participating in a show can cost as much as $3,000 per day.

``Every person you see out there that does art shows has to be it all: creator, manufacturer, bookkeeper, accountant,'' said Duncan McClellan, 54, a glass artist from Tampa. ``Except our store we bring to the public.''

And a stormy weekend can wreck sales. ``If it rains, the show is toast. Everybody loses,'' said Prescott, 60. ``There's no insurance. There are no refunds.''

Thankfully, the skies are expected to be clear for this weekend's festival -- good news for artists like Ed King, a Miami-based ``neo-pop'' painter, who expects his Las Olas sales to equal his strong showing last month at the President's Day weekend Coconut Grove Arts Festival.

King, 35, in his third year on the circuit, sold 20 of the 60 paintings he brought to Coconut Grove. The 20-by-20-inch acrylics embody Chinese and Hindu symbols representing love, life and light. Price: $1,500.

``I literally sold enough pieces where I had all these blank spaces in my booth and had to have my assistant run back to the car where I had a reserve pile,'' King said.

Prescott fared less well at the Grove festival, selling only three of the 25 works he trucked with him from Santa Fe on a circuit that will include stops in Fort Lauderdale, Sarasota, Stuart, Bonita Springs and Winter Park. The animated steel elephant and giraffe sculptures -- priced at $5,000-$70,000 each and weighing up to 3,000 pounds -- aren't for every house or every wallet.

But the investment is still worthwhile, Prescott said.

``We don't do the business right at the show. . . For me, it's like advertising. If I'm in a gallery for a year, let's say not even 10,000 see the work. But at the Grove show maybe 150,000 people see the work in a weekend. A lot of those people are CEOs and captains of industry who can afford these sculptures.''

Still, you can't always count on future sales, said King, who will show later in the month at Key Biscayne and then in Baton Rouge, La., and Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Ultimately, said McClellan, ``Artists are like fisherman, always tomorrow you are going to catch the big one. We have hope.''

At Mano's tent

2009-03-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

Checking out the images at Mano's tent at the Art on the Mile show in Coral Gables. Cuban artists have remained strong sellers even in tough economic times.

We visit Art on the Mile

2009-03-13T06:11:00.000-07:00

We visited Art on the Mile. Saw lots of our friends in the show and enjoying the show. Weather was perfect, slight breeze. Our artist friends, who are the eternal optimists, report that night time sales were pretty good. The show stayed open till eleven each night over the weekend of March 7th and 8th. Some of the well know local artists like Mano and Humberto Benetiz report that their sales of originals were holding up but reproductions were off about 30-40%.

Gunna sit this one out!

2009-01-11T08:58:00.000-08:00

After careful thought and lots of discussion with Artists, Gallery owners, and frankly a couple of economists it is, we feel, a wise decision not to participate in this years South Florida outdoor show schedule. We have decided at this time to concentrate on placing Louise's prints and giclees in galleries. Of course they are available by contacting us through the website at www.louisetester.com go to the contact que. Hopefully the economy will improve, and folks will have more disposable income to invest in something nice for their walls.

Art Basel as a sign of the times?

2008-12-09T04:42:00.000-08:00

This from the Miami Herald pretty well reflects the state of the art business these days. It is what local Miami artists and gallery owners are telling us.

Basel sees a bright side
Art Basel painted a less-gloomy picture of itself than the economy might suggest, saying sales were down but not as much as some predicted.
BY DOUGLAS HANKS
dhanks@MiamiHerald.com
Art Basel Miami Beach gave itself a clean bill of health Monday, reporting modest declines in attendance and respectable sales in the face of a global financial crisis.
''We were happy to see the art market still has a demand for great work,'' said Marc Spiegler, co-director of the Swiss-based show held each December at the Miami Beach Convention Center. ``A lot of people sold far more than they expected.''
He said the show estimates attendance will barely top 40,000 this year, a 6 percent decline from last year's estimate of 43,000. Basel organizers have cited that 40,000 figure since the show opened to the public Thursday, and Spiegler said it's based on ticket sales, complimentary passes, media attendance and other factors.
Basel does not track sales, but many dealers at the country's largest contemporary arts show reported selling less than in previous years. But many also said they thought the Miami Beach show would go worse than it did, given widespread economic problems.
''Everyone was expecting a bloodbath,'' said Adam Sheffer, a partner at New York's Cheim & Read gallery, which saw sales drop about 60 percent at Basel but still covered the gallery's expenses for the show. ``They thought no one would show up, and nothing would sell. Luckily that wasn't the case.''

World View!

2008-12-07T05:55:00.000-08:00

A new feature for the website is a small map which shows locations of visitors to the Louise Tester site. Check out the visits from India and the U.K., not to mention the New York area and the U.S. west coast. Not suprising there would be interest in Yuma, Arizona where Louise did most of her work. Also note that we have a new contact procedure. Please take advantage of it for purchase of art and just talking with us!

Four Giclee Prints to Frame Art

2008-12-06T18:35:00.000-08:00

Four Giclee prints sent to Frame Art for exhibition and Sale. Prints include "Mexican Chair" which has been a suprising seller. Frame Art is located just west of the Brickell area of Miami where there has been major condo development. The condos are beginning to fill with renters and owners, many from South America.

Louise Tester Art

2008-12-06T15:37:00.000-08:00

Go to www.louisetester.com