Painting Marathon-Auction: What to Expect

November 8-9^th

Now is the time and this is the event for those of you who have yet to quench your desire to own a quality painting collection and are salivating for perhaps the best chance you have left in Seattle this year to start one. The auction provides an ideal opportunity and you will be able to choose between established reputable artists as well as promising newcomers. An added benefit is that proceeds benefit CoCA and its work on behalf of contemporary art.

What makes this unique event especially marvelous for the beginning collector is that you have the opportunity to talk to the artists from Thursday, the first day, from 9am to 9am Friday morning at the Shileshole Bay Beach Club. (See previous post for announcement.) You can not only watch them create the paintings but can also ask them questions and this process is free and open to the public.

Friday at 6pm is when the auction begins. There will first be two silent auctions and then two live ones. A catalogue will be produced which will list the background of the artists and a description of the paintings for you. General Admission tickets are $20.00, but please see the previous post below for more complete information.

So, what now? How do you decide which pieces to collect and what to bid?

Let’s dispel a couple of myths first about collecting art. Myth #1 is that all art is expensive. Not true at all. Pieces are bid on by the public so many are often auctioned at bargain prices. Consider how much you will be able to brag about how you were the first to discover an emerging talent! Is the next Rembrandt in the room? Remember also that these are genuine original pieces painted right before your very eyes and under the supervision of CoCA, so you not only know they are authentic but also newly created. You won’t need to know the history of the piece or find out who owned it before you bid. Myth #2 is that you need an art degree to appreciate a fine painting. Actually, you don’t. The truth is that you just need to know what you like and bid on that. No one is going to ask if you are “qualified” to buy.

Do take stock of yourself first: what is the reason you are buying? Is it to please others or yourself? If you like what you bid on, whatever you pay for it makes it worth it to you then, doesn't it? Set your own limit. You make the decision, not anybody else. As long as the painting says something to you, you are on solid ground.

Art is personal. It is an individual statement and that is all that matters.

Want to know more about other important aspects of art collecting? Good, as we will run a series of blog posts giving further tips about buying a painting at auction. See you next time.