The global economy is as dreary as a rainy day in a Gulf Island west coast winter. Disposable income for luxuries like original art is supposedly shrinking. Why then are these original Terrill Welch contemporary Canadian landscape oil paintings selling like ice-cream on sunny July afternoon? The oil paintings are possibly pricey by emerging artist standards. So it is not because they are cheap. The oil paintings are not realism, highly polished or framed. Nor are the paintings painted in the repetitive series that is sometimes common with contemporary art. So it is not because they will appeal to a conservative art buyer who is buying something similar to what other buyers have purchased. In fact, “contemporary” may even be a questionable designation, other than it relates to the present, as the paintings likely have more in common with late 1800 impressionism than most studio landscape and en plein air paintings of today. The subject of the paintings are mostly about the sea. So it is not like the paintings have a corner staked out for originality of subject matter. The oil paintings are currently not being shown in physical galleries or museums where they are exposed to traditional art collectors. So it is not because they are promoted to an already self-selected art market. However, this doesn’t preclude historic Canadian landscape art collectors of the like of Emily Carr, Lawren Harris and A. Y. Jackson from purchasing a “Terrill Welch original” to add to their collection, as is the case with the 36 x 36 inch oil on canvas SEA AND CLOUDS that was recently purchased by these enthusiastic collectors.
So what could be the perplexing desire then to bring one of these original Terrill Welch paintings home? What might it be?
Maybe you can help answer this question. Here is an example of four of the oil paintings that have sold in the last eight weeks.
NAVY CHANNEL 9 x 12 inch with roughly finished edges sold to a new collector
WINTER AFTERNOON WEST COAST FERRY HOME 12 x 16 inch unframed, sold to a new collector
ORCAS IN EVENING 12 x 12 inch gessobord mounted on wood cradle, sold to a new collector
WEST COAST BLUES study 12 x 16 inch unframed, sold to a long time collector who has several paintings spanning over 15 years.
So do you have any ideas what is the appeal of these paintings that has them so quickly finding new homes? I would love hear your thoughts either in the comments below or in a private email to tawelch@shaw.ca .
As you might guess, I shall be raising the prices for my paintings in the first week of April. This is not just because of the pace of sales but also because it is something I revisit annually.
To keep your spirit of purchasing an original oil painting possibilities up, here is today’s release of a new 9 x 12 inch study BETWEEN LAND AND SEA BEGGING THE SKY TO INTERVENE
(Detailed view and purchasing information available HERE)
Update: View a second post from three weeks later with more art work that has SOLD HERE.
If you are new to buying art, you may find my “Seven Tips for Buying Original Paintings” useful as well.
ONLINE GALLERIES include –
ArtWork Archive original paintings and acrylic sketches currently available.
Working in progress BLOG –
Creative Potager – first place new work is unveiled. Subscribe to stay current.
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If desired, original work can often be purchased directly from Terrill Welch. Please contact Terrill for personalized service.
© 2013 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.
Related articles
- Evening Thunderclouds over the Strait of Georgia – dramatic seascape sky painting (terrillwelchartist.com)
- Sliced with a Tear – a large autumn Canadian landscape painting (terrillwelchartist.com)
- Winter Afternoon West Coast Ferry Home oil painting (terrillwelchartist.com)
- West Coast Blues in photography and painting (creativepotager.wordpress.com)
Reblogged this on Creativepotager's Blog and commented:
Do you have any ideas what is the appeal of these Terrill Welch original landscape paintings that has them so quickly finding new homes? I would love to hear your thoughts.
That’s what I’ve been thinking.
First of all, your paintings are strong and distinctively contemporary: despite your visible connections to impressionism, you are quite visibly a painter of our age and time, and this have a very strong appeal to our contemporaries.
However, they are also very harmonious — in their simple compositions and, of course, in colour. And these harmonies tend to be peaceful, soothing, pleasing to the eye — no jarring, no painful discordance, no deliberate violations of natural harmonies. Which means that your paintings (many of them) are very “liveable with” (at least as far as I can judge from the photos) — and most modern collectors need paintings liveable with, because they don’t have special galleries or halls for art collections: their paintings will be present where their owners actually live, and so they want something to increase the harmony of their lives, not to add a discord. Just to give you an example, for my own bedroom, I’ve chosen two seascapes of mine which might be, colour- and subject-wise closest to what you do. That’s what I want to see when I open my eyes in the morning, even though they aren’t the strongest even within my own body of work. Offer me a Van Gogh or an old Rembrandt self-portrait to put there instead? Thank you, but no thank you — this would be quite a certain road to depression for me. I would be EXTREMELY grateful for an opportunity to see these paintings more frequently than I do now, but I cannot really live with them.
Your subject matter, and your particular (blue-oriented) colour harmonies also add to this quality of “liveability”; there was actually some research showing that these have the broadest appeal to the viewers. But if a painter did this deliberately, to please the potential collectors, to increase the appeal, they would never arrive at anything remotely as authentic and straightforwardly powerful as yours.
So, in sum, you have, I believe, this happy coincidence of what’s authentic to you and what appeals to our contemporaries trying to harmonize their lives and places they live in. It might have something to do with the way you grew up, I think — a way of life most of us have never experienced, but which feels like a paradise lost to modern sensibilities.
Just my two cents…
Lena thank you for such a thorough bit of thinking on this subject! Whee! Quite something to stand back and try and look at this question from the outside in. You have definitely provided a good opportunity for this.
The “liveability” factor is one that resonates with comments I have heard from my collectors. There is something else too – many to most of my paintings are hung in the buyer’s bedroom! This fits with your musings about needing or wanting to “live with” the paintings.
About Blue, I had no idea that it was a colour with such broad appeal. It will be no surprise to you (Dear readers, I encourage you to drop by and have a look this particular favourite painting of mine by Lena Levin – Sonnet 21: A couplement of proud compare) in relation to blue) but I often work with four different blue pigments and they are used in very particular combinations to create the harmony and the appearance of depth in my landscapes paintings. Our west coast is filled with so many variations of blue, not to have an understand and appreciation of this aspect would be to miss what it means to live here. I suppose that is the authenticity of it all.
Thank you so much Lena for devoting a part of your day to a long response that is, as always, congruent with your usual knowledgeable and frank clarity. Most helpful indeed!
My two cents, within your paintings I always find a element of hope. Peace. Comfort. Natural beauty. All a story to tell.
Your two cents are always worth more than a dollar Leanne! Thank you! I like that – a story to tell. The elements of hope, peace and comfort may speak to why such a large number of my paintings that our purchased are then hung into the buyers bedroom. At first, I was surprised confused by this but now accept that it is the most intimate and private space in a persons life and an honour to have my work hanging on the walls in this particular room.
Terrill — When my eyes drink in one of your paintings, I appreciate the economy of detail that affords ME the opportunity — the privilege — of rounding the piece out in MY own heart and mind. Your work doesn’t set boundaries; doesn’t constrain. It beckons ME to be part of the experience; part of the outcome.
And you know me — I love freedom 🙂
Oh yes I do so know you and freedom Laurie as I kind of have a hankering for that myself 😉 I appreciate your beautiful and insightful addition to the replies I am receiving on various platforms to this question. So helpful! Thank you!
I like your expressive brush strokes and the way you capture light.
Thank you regnistegg999 for stopping in and taking the time to comment.
Congratulations! You’re on a roll!
I think it has to do with your authenticity, you live this place, and paint it with energy. And people want to share that. I think…
Thank you Annerose 🙂 You know, this aspect of living a place is one of the things I love about YOUR paintings! Since I do have some idea about where you live 😉 your expression and rendering of this land on your canvases resonates deeply with me. For others that are not yet familiar with Annerose’s paintings take a look at her new Feature Painting page and you will see what I mean.
Thanks for your so kind words, Terrill, and again thanks for directing people to my blog.
Happy artmaking!
I’m no expert in what sells or why, and I’m sometimes surprised that certain works of mine sell while some of my favorite pieces don’t — I think part of it is a matter of connecting a particular piece with just the right person. With your work and in particular, the ones in this post, I can see several explanations for why they sell.
1. The scenes are peaceful, and one could stare at them and remember being by the ocean, hear the waves, feel the moist cool air. You have captured the sea. They are good for the soul.
2. You are clearly a mature artist and a master of your craft. Your work is probably also a good investment, as it’s a pretty good bet that you will continue to paint these kind of scenes, and that your work will command higher and higher prices. One can count on you to keep doing what you’re doing, and keep getting better at it.
3. (my favorite reason) — Your paint handling is becoming extremely compelling to see. You are rocking the paint! If I could afford one like the one you posted today (and had wall space)…
So I love that these works both remind me of those delicious moments spent near the ocean and allow me to really revel in your masterly paint strokes. 🙂
Marilyn, I think your practical, emotional and visceral analysis in response to this question does a nice job of helping me articulate a future pitch for possible gallery representation. It feels like a big step and not one I will make lightly. The fit will need to right for me as well as the venue. But I am starting to think about the idea at least. You had me laughing by the time I was reading about rocking the paint! Such a pleasure to read about your engagement with the work 🙂 I have some idea about having no wall space available for purchasing paintings. I would need one of those separate halls that Lena was talking about. Thank heavens for the ability to visit favourite pieces online such as your beautiful and inspiring abstract paintings! Thank you so much Marilyn for being precise in your feedback and for writing so clearly from the perspective of an avid and possibly strategic art collector. I am truly amazed by the breadth and the depth of replies to the question!