Gary Haven Smith

McGowan Fine Art announces the opening of “Focal Point” featuring recent paintings and sculptures by Gary Haven Smith. The show will run from April 13 to May 14, with an opening reception on April 16 from 5 to 7 PM. It is free and open to the public.

Gary Haven Smith has long been recognized as one of New Hampshire’s premier sculptors – completing such public works as The Source, a large sculpture at the Thorne-Sagendorf Gallery at Keene State College and the fountain in the entry of Concord Hospital. Many of his paintings and sculptures are in private and public collections throughout the state including the Currier Gallery of Art and the New Britain Museum of Art.

Color takes a back seat in Gary Haven Smith’s most recent paintings as an outcome of his landscape photographs. Leaves, trees and grasses are a jumping off point for the broad patterns etched into the surface of his paintings. He heightens the contrast by using silver leaf on the dark natural surface of slate. In “Soffice” the reference to a forest scene is still apparent on the surface of the slate. Vertical lines of tree trunks are broken up by the silver silhouettes of leaves. Rich red paint on a textured lead surface hint at the soil beneath- creating an overall play of pattern. The influence of photography has distorted the images in this case so that there are both seen and unseen images. “We don’t see things as clearly as we want to,” says Smith.

His large-scale granite sculptures continue in the same vein as his previous work, exploring curved lines and textured surfaces. Smith says “I see it as deconstructing the boulder.” This is a reference to his cutting into the oversized granite boulders and, in many cases, piecing them back together. In the bench he created for this show he has inserted a smooth, highly-colored piece of red granite into the rough undersurface of a boulder. The geometric perfection of this base fits in like a puzzle piece. The found shape of the sitting surface provides another counterpoint to the seemingly random exterior of the raw stone- the perfect marriage of beauty and function.

There will be a studio tour at Mr. Smith’s home on May 8 at 10:30 AM. People interested in attending should RSVP to the gallery at 603-225-2515. The group will meet at McGowan Fine Art at 10 AM to carpool to his studio.

Artist of the North Country Studio Workshops

McGowan Fine Art announces the opening of “Artists of the North Country Studio Workshops” featuring the works of 20 different artists. The show will run from March 9-April 9, with a reception on March 12 from 5 to 7 PM. This is free and open to the public and a portion of all sales will benefit North Country Studio Workshops.

North Country Studio Workshops is an educational organization that has served the creative community since 1990. The goal of the workshops is to provide an affordable, quality art education experience for established and emerging artists. Every two years participants gather at Bennington College in Vermont to learn from nationally acclaimed faculty and to network with their peers.
In this collaboration with McGowan Fine Art, participants from previous workshops were asked to submit work inspired by their classes at NCSW. The mediums employed range from bookmaking, metal, glass, & wood to solar printmaking. The styles are as varied as the mediums, reflecting the experiences of the students with their instructors. For two dimensional work the encaustics of Lissa Hunter range from representational to more abstracted natural forms. She uses the medium to its maximum effect in “Tumbling Stones.” The translucent layers of wax glow with light and giving the stones life-like colors. There are several other two dimensional artists joining Lissa in the show. Margaret Merritt combines solar plate etching with photography to illustrate the flora & fauna of her garden. Denise Linet uses printing techniques on fabric to create more expressive and colorful interpretations of flowers as in “A Riot of Roses.”

In the three dimensional realm are several ceramic artists. Joshua Primmer’s Eastern influenced Ikebana vases and teapots are very sculptural, while Devitt Liptak and Teresa Taylor use their forms as a surface to decorate with incised drawings or carved ribs. In the jewelry category will be the show stopping glass bead necklaces of Marcia Herson and the coolly, elegant constructions of Paulette Werger. Her “Moon and Branch” neckpiece combines sterling and pearls into a piece of wearable art. Exploring the tradition of book making is Adele Sanborn’s “Maggie’s Interlude”- more of a paper sculpture than book with a brightly painted heart inside of a paper home. Susan Lirakis’ pieces are a somewhat more traditional interpretation of a book while still including a twist- her “Fun Facts About Birds” book is in the shape of a bird! Polly Allen takes paper to a whole new level with brightly colored strips woven into a stunning basket shape.

This is a show that promises an excellent variety of works for all levels of art lovers.

artwork in order of appearance: Susan Lirakis, Denise Linet, Jessica Seaton, Paulette Werger, Lissa Hunter. To see more by these artists and others go to mcgowanfineart.com.

Having Your Artwork Appraised

People frequently call me to ask if I will appraise their artwork- it is the start of a long and involved conversation which starts with "I don't do appraisals." That being said I try to help people who call with this question.

The first thing I try to ascertain is if the art is an original or a reproduction. Being a reproduction does not necessarily mean that something is valueless. When possible I like to see the artwork to determine this.

1. If it is done by a famous artist is it in the correct medium (oil, etching, watercolor)? I have seen a number of Van Goghs in the gallery but they turn out to be reproductions- determined by the fact that they are printed instead of painted.
   
2. Is it a true artprint process (intaglio, lithograph, monoprint) rather than a reproduction method? By looking at a print through a magnifying glass you can determine if it is a reproduction if the ink is applied in dots- a machine process. You should also see the embossed edge of the plate at the outer perimeter of a real print.
3. Do the brush strokes match what is painted? Famous art is being reproduced on canvas and "enhanced" with brushstrokes.
   
4. If the piece has age to it, flip it over and look at the back. The wooden stretcher bars of a painting will show oxidation (turned dark brown) to indicate age. All of the components should look about the same age.
   
5. Is there a signature? Most artwork has little value without a signature. Check the back too! If it is quite dirty or the varnish has discolored the signature could be hidden.
   

The second thing I try to ascertain is if you want the appraisal so that artwork can be insured, valued for an estate or if you are simply curious about its worth. For legal or insurance purposes you will need an appraisal done by an appraiser. The value will need to backed up with auction records of comparable works by the same artist. Appraisers are liable for their appraisals so they research thoroughly. They have also gone through years of training or apprenticeship. For this reason they need to charge for their services. In return you will receive the information backing up their estimation of worth on the art. The appraisal will need to be written on their letterhead. They should also be willing to share their credentials. If you are merely curious, you probably don't want to pay for an appraisal and should skip to the paragraph on "looking on the internet." If you have a contemporary piece the gallery where it was purchased should be willing to provide updated valuations on request.

Value is determined by what an artist's work fetches on the secondary market- this means there must be records of the work being sold at auction. Your painting by great grandpa may have great sentimental value and could potentially fetch a decent price on the open market, but it may have no appraisal value because the artist has never sold at public auction. People often ask what a piece is worth before opting for conservation work. They feel that if the painting is only worth $200 but the conservation work will cost $300 that they shouldn't move forward. My feeling is if you like the artwork and hope to pass it on to future generations then conservation is worth while. If you compare the costs of conservation to the cost of a new piece of art it REALLY makes sense.

So how do you determine if the artist has any art world recognition? The first place to look for information on an artist is the internet. A good site is artnet.com. You can at least find out if there are any auction records for your artist. You will need to pay a fee if you want to look at the records, but you may buy a limited number of inquires for about $20. Be careful- it is addicting! Another great resource is Ebay. This will at least give you a sense of what the going prices are if there are any listings. Compare works of the same medium, similar subject matter and similar condition to get the most accurate estimate of value. If the artist has a more local or regional fame, the state or town Historical Society is another great resource.

If you do need an appraiser I am happy to recommend some names of people that I have worked with. Be clear on what you are receiving from them- is it a replacement value or fair market value? Replacement values are much higher. They reflect the cost of going out and purchasing another piece of art similar to the one you currently have. A fair market value reflects what you might receive if you took your art to a dealer to be sold. I recommend that a copy of this appraisal be kept on the back of the artwork so that it is never separated from it.