An article from Jack White. This was posted on FineArtViews.

Perception
by Jack White

Dear Peggy,

This post is by Jack White, regular contributing writer for FineArtViews.  Jack has enjoyed a forty-one year career as a successful fulltime artist and author. He has written for Professional Artist Magazine for 14 years and has six art marketing books published. In 1976 Jack was named the Official Artist of Texas. He has mentored hundreds of artists around the world.  Jack authored six Art Marketing books. The first, “Mystery of Making It”, describes how he taught Mikki to paint and has sold over six million dollars worth of her art. You should submit an article and share your views as a guest author by clicking here. 

Suzie Cox sent me an email on perception a few months back and for some reason I put the story aside. Last night, I rediscovered this little gem. A thin young man wearing a baseball cap with an undiscerned logo, black sweater, grey slacks and ordinary shoes removed his fiddle from its case in a Washington D.C. Metro Station. I guess up in that part of the country, the instrument is called a violin. He began to flawlessly play six of Johann Sebastian Bach's most complicated pieces. He was silent as a mime and never spoke a word, happy to let his violin fill the air with the beautiful music. The young man played a solid 45 minutes without a break while an estimated 2,000 people rushed past.

After about three minutes, a middle-aged man noticed there was a musician playing. His fast pace slowed for a few steps and then he quickly shuffled on as if he were late for an important meeting.

About four minutes later someone dropped a dollar in the hat on the floor in front of the violinist. The woman never hesitated or looked into his face, her actions were robotic.

Eleven minutes into the impromptu concert, a young man leaned against the wall to listen. Looking at his watch, he turned and dashed away as if he had to catch a train.

Fourteen minutes passed before a three year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him with a jerk. The little child broke free, running to watch the young man playing the violin. His angry mother grabbed him with a firmer grip and pulled the youngster away.

After 45 minutes of nonstop playing, six people had stopped to listen for a couple of minutes, twenty people gave him money. The donations added up to almost $32. When he finished no one applauded, there was no recognition at all. One young girl watched as he put the violin back in the case, then ran to join her friends. To those passing by he was just another starving musician playing on the street for tips.

In truth, he was the world-renowned violinist Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians on earth. He played some of the most difficult pieces ever written on a violin worth 3.5 million dollars. The Washington Post organized this event as part of an experiment on perception, taste and people's priorities. Joshua had played the night before in Boston to a sold out, standing room only audience where ticket prices started at $100.

I raise ruffles when I make the point that art is not a necessity. Art is a luxury and only worth what someone perceives the piece to be. The value of art is all about perception. It's worth what people believe the true value is. Here is a case in point. A few years ago, we were in a small museum that was featuring the acquisition of a Monet to their collection, proudly announcing the new painting with a lot of fanfare. The piece had to be a study Monet tossed away when he first started to paint. The only way anyone would have known the work was done by him was to read the information next to the painting. Even though the art was very weak, it was perceived to be worth a place in a museum.

I received a sincere and interesting email awhile back. The artist, in his mid-thirties, is doing exceptional work. His paintings are well beyond his years and his top work is priced in the $10,000 range. He wondered if the only reason he was not getting $40,000 for the best paintings was because he was not asking the higher price. I might add he is in some very reputable art galleries. One gallery owner bluntly told him, "You have not earned those higher prices."

I beg to differ with the gallery owner. Earning has little to do with value. People don't look at our work and think, "That artist must have spent many years learning their skills; therefore, I feel this work is worth much more." The gallery owner should have said, "We have not done a good enough job marketing your work to the buying public so they will perceive your art has that kind of value." Unless the people selling our work believe we have a certain value, then raising the prices will not help. You can't force perception.




Texas Ranger Leander McNelly circa 1870 ~ Jack White

Joshua Bell is a great example. He has tremendous value in Carnegie Hall, none in the D.C. Metro Station. A lot of galleries have a ceiling they feel comfortable reaching. For some a $10,000 piece is as expensive as they are able to sell. They freeze when talking about larger sums. Some small galleries freeze at $1,000. Their jaws lock when they try to say $1,200, the words just won't come out. That's because the salesperson can't conceive of anyone but the mega rich spending that kind of money on "decoration."

Auction Houses seem to have a knack at setting the perception of worth. They will list a Thomas Moran and say the expected retail value is $750,000. This sets the perception this piece of art has a lot of worth. The same piece could be put on eBay and might bring $300 unless a serious art collector made the discovery. Actually, you need two to realize the perceived value, the bidding increases when a couple of people begin to fight for ownership.

I read about a young couple who inherited their great-grand parent's old antebellum home. The house was built in the 1870s. After a year or so, they decided to take the challenge to look into the attic. One day, they put on old clothes and climbed up to inspect the junk left long, long ago. As you can imagine the dust was five inches thick, cobwebs looked like a horror movie. In one small trunk, they found a rolled up painting. Knowing nothing about art, they brought the piece downstairs and leaned the roll against the side of the brick fireplace.

The following Sunday their minister stopped by after church. Wondering what kind of painting was rolled up he mentioned inquisitively, "It looks old..."

"We found the painting in the attic. It's of a young girl with folded hands."

The minister who dabbled in art asked, "May I have a look?" After seeing the dusty painting he suggested the piece might be something of value. The Auction House curator's eyes brightened up when the art was unrolled. He said, "I think you have a John Everett Millais portrait. This is a painting of his lover Effie Gray. She was married to Millais' mentor, the art critic John Ruskin. We've known about the affair and your painting proves the theory. You've solved the romance triangle." A 160 year old scandal was unrolled, shedding light on John Millais' secret love affair with his mentor's wife.

The Portrait of Effie Gray would sell for maybe $100 on eBay or $100,000 at an Auction House that recognized Millais' voice. It's common knowledge that art sold by Christie's or Sotheby's has much greater perceived value than the same stuff sitting in our living rooms. When selling our work out of a tent, the perception of value decreases. A fine gallery selling only originals tends to give a greater perception of worth than a mom and pop frame shop. I didn't make up the rules but if you take time to think about it, you will see I speak the truth.

Your next question is how do we increase the perception of the worth of our art?

I worked on branding the name Senkarik from day one with Mikki. I wanted people to buy a Senkarik, not Mikki Senkarik. When we mention Monet, Sargent, Van Gogh, Picasso, Royo and even Kinkade you think of original art with value. We tend to associate success with those having a single name or mononym. For instance, most of you reading this probably don't care for American football, but you have most likely heard the name Tebow. For those who have been living in a blackout shelter, he is the Denver Bronco's sensational young quarterback and dedicated Christian.

With Mikki, we are not just selling paintings, instead we are marketing Senkariks. I have found a Senkarik original has more perceived worth than a Mikki Senkarik. Our goal is to make Senkarik's work generational; collector pieces to be passed down from one generation to another. We plant this seed the moment the client purchases the work. We simply say, "Your future generations will be able to enjoy this piece as you are now."

I invented the framing system we call Senkarik Signature Frames. In the beginning, the frames were a tough sell to the galleries, but when the gallery staff began seeing peoples' positive reaction, we went full steam ahead. The great part is we don't have to worry about dings and nicks on wooden frames. The Senkarik frames also accentuate the double primary palette. A dark frame would cannibalize into the high key colors Senkarik uses.

It's important to use uniform framing for your work. Two successful Santa Fe artists, Barry McCuen and Lynne Windsor, have used the same moulding on their paintings for the past twenty years. You can spot their frames the moment you step into a gallery. Their frames have a single voice. I see lots of artists whose frames obviously came from Michael's closeout bin. Their shows are hung in a montage of different style and color frames. Your framing can be simple and inexpensive as long as you are uniform in the overall presentation. Frame the work so it looks as if one artist was responsible for the entire grouping. I'm not being snobby. Believe me, I've been at the bottom where I had to use whatever frame I could find. I made what I could afford work. As I earned more, my framing improved. Make it one of your goals to have nice frames for your art. Think of the frame as the hairstyle for a dressed up lady. It's a spit polish on your boots. I don't think I need to mention to not continue carrying dinged up frames from one show to another. There is some kind of laser vision clients have that draws their eyes to that one scuffed corner of the frame. Instead of selling your art, you end up defending your ding.

I've mentioned this before but how you dress is a big part of the first impression of perceived value. I find it's important for female artists to dress professionally. Don't dress like you are a 1960s hippy. If you are attractive or have a great figure, you cannot pay a lot of attention to a male client if he is married. Likewise if you are a handsome man, concentrate on speaking with the husband and bring the wife slowly into the conversation without seeming to flirt. The last thing you want is a jealous wife or husband. If either of them sees you as a threat, kiss the sale goodbye. Female artists tend to want to dress "arty" which can sometimes be over the top. Over the years, we have purchased Mikki several silk suits for her events. The first night of the event, she dresses in a lot of color but not gaudy. The main night she is decked out in a nice businesswoman outfit, silk slacks with matching jacket. Our goal is to have the collectors believe she is important and successful. Maybe wear a small string of pearls or, in Santa Fe, a simple turquoise necklace. Just dress in good taste. Men please don't wear tennis shoes with paint dropped all over the tops or a sloppy tee shirt. They know you are an artist, don't advertise you are a sloppy one.

Show confidence in your work. If you are proud of your art, people will feel your assurance. Remember you don't have to explain how you invented the wheel, just tell them what you felt when you were making the art. Buying art is an emotional experience; therefore allow the client to feel yours. When they begin to focus on one piece then you can jump in, "That's the little barn near Dripping Springs. I love that place so much. It's like going back in time." Then ask, "What drew you to this piece?" Shut up and wait for them to respond. From then on make the client the most important person in the room. They will perceive you are engaging and smart. After all, you talked about their favorite subject, them. Their perception of your value will increase.

This topic is bigger than I have room for. I will say it again, what your art is worth walks hand in hand with the client's perception of the painting's value. G. Harvey can get a million dollars out of his larger paintings because the art buying public perceives they are purchasing value. Mrs. Betty Unknown may find selling a $500 painting difficult, people don't perceive she has a future. You have the power to change how people perceive the worth of your work; it's up to you to prove them wrong. You can improve on your subject selection and increase the skill in executing your final work. Don't take where you are now as being your ceiling. Refuse to remain on the lowest rung. Climb higher, get better, learn more and build confidence in what you make. The only limits are the ones you self impose. Learn to love yourself so others will perceive you are worth it!