Artists adapt to changing economy

By Becky Bosshart

Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008 | midnight

The outlook is bleak for artists in a market where people are worried about keeping their homes rather than how to decorate them.

Americans are in more debt than ever before, while living expenses are rising and home values are declining. Some artists have seen it coming, and they're discounting their work. Others are producing more lower-cost prints and lithographs, hoping to draw in sales.

"The day when people were coming to buy 10 paintings is over," said Mark Vranesh, a Las Vegas watercolor artist. "They'll buy one or two things they really like. People want to have nice things. But it's a competitive time for any luxury item."

His original paintings are priced up to $1,000. He didn't sell any of them at the Oct. 18-19 Lake Las Vegas art festival, but he did sell several prints priced less than $100.

Wendy Kyser, who organized this year's Boulder City Art in the Park, said people just were not spending big money at this year's event, even though it attracted 120,000 visitors and more than 400 artisans on Oct. 4-5.

"Even people who could spend huge money were not," she said.

Organizers increased the marketing for the Boulder City event, which brought in more people. But spending per person was down from 2007, "which would probably be reflective of things going on in the economy," said Craig Bailey, who oversees development for Boulder City Hospital, which benefits from the event.

Art festivals are known for showcasing lower-cost craft items, and buyers are more likely to bargain to get the price they want from artists. Although this is less likely to happen in elite galleries, some owners are opening their doors to it.

"If someone is serious we can have a discussion," said photographer Fred Sigman. "We can work with you."

Price haggling can put a fine artist in a tough spot. Sigman operates his Water Street Gallery in downtown Henderson on the principles of a contemporary fine art gallery. He wants to sell without undermining the value of his work and the work of the other artists he shows.

That may not be as much of a concern for businesses that sell art on the side.

"I wouldn't be surprised if they (artists) do more in terms of discounting," said Shereen Hale, owner of the Book Boutique in Henderson.

Her bookstore sells watercolors by Las Vegas artist Shirley Jeane. Hale has sold one original for $200 and several more moderately priced prints for $11-$35.

Gallery owners complain that valley residents have always been a tough sell.

Naomi Arin, owner of Dust, a downtown Henderson contemporary fine art gallery, said most valley residents don't buy high-end art — they buy decorative art. She has very few local customers — collectors who are buying pieces with multiple zeroes at the end from established or emerging artists. More than 90 percent of her cliental comes from outside Nevada. A weak dollar is a bonus for overseas buyers.

"There is plenty of money out there, it's just not here," Arin said, referring to the slumping national economy. "If I lower prices, not only would I undermine my fellow gallery owners but it would be bad for the entire art market."

Patrons call Arin looking for art that exemplifies American pop culture — Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. She expects more buyers to pursue art as an investment opportunity. With credit markets shriveling and volatile, stocks look sketchy compared to fine works, which have an instilled scarcity that rarely loses value, Arin said.

"Art is a good way of diversifying your assets," said Anthony Spiegel, a Las Vegas art collector who spoke at a recent panel discussion on contemporary art collecting at the Las Vegas Art Museum. "And art has held up."

Collectors like him stand across a chasm — as deep as Michael Heizer's trench near Overton, Nev. — from the average local art consumer.

Sally Kelsey, who browsed recently with a friend at the Lake Las Vegas art fest, knows she's not a connoisseur. Her Henderson home is decorated with about 10 desert motif paintings bought from an indoor swap meet.

Kelsey said the art she likes just strikes her. "And this strikes me," she said about a coffee table decorated with a ceramic tile mosaic gecko.

Artist Hal Carter marked the table down to $1,500, about 40 percent off his normal price.

"In this economy, most artists who are trying to survive are cutting their prices," he said.

Becky Bosshart can be reached at 990-7748 or [email protected].