Laguna Beach Art Gallery

Laguna Beach has a reputation for it's art galleries and fine dining. 

There are endless art galleries all along Coast Hwy in the Laguna Beach area.

Coast Hwy looks very similar today as it did many year ago, now there are even more art galleries, some are corp owned while others are family owned or individually owned galleries.

Sponsored by www.artworkpodcast.com

What is my art worth?

You found a painting in the attic and don't know where it came from or what it's worth.

The kinds of calls I get range from "I found something in my Grandma's basement" 

to, "I bought this 30 years ago and I don't know what I did the with paperwork for it"

Art comes in many forms and limited edition art or open edition decorative is

something that has been popular for many generations.

In some cases a person finds what they think is a painting but it turns out

to be a print that has been textured with varnish so it will appear to have

brush strokes. In other cases an etching might be photographed and then

printed as a lithograph or an engraving might be scanned and printed

as a giclee... It can be confusing.

There are a number of categories, here are a few:

1. Original Paintings 

2. Original drawings

3. Etchings

4. Engravings

5. Original Lithographs

6. Offset Lithogrpahs

7. Monoprints

8. Serigraphs

9. Posters

And there are more.

If you need help authenticating or appraising a work of art, it can be a 

Dali, Picasso, Chagall, Miro, Warhol or any artist and I can do the

research and help you. In some cases I can help you for free, in

other cases where I spend alot of time, I charge affordable fees.

Before you spend money on art, you should allow me to check the work

and the source and make sure you are making a good decision.

I also help art collectors find and verify works that want to add to their

collection and if you are new to art collecting and don't know where to

start, I have been helping clients with art related matters for over 25 years now.

Email me

or call: 310-461-9480

Internet Art Sales increase, new trend to buy art online

LONDON - The value of the online fine art market is expected to more than double to $3.76 billion in the next five years as it increasingly attracts younger and first-time buyers, British insurer Hiscox said on Monday.

Online art sites do not threaten galleries and auction houses in the same way Internet availability has undermined the traditional movie, book and music businesses, Hiscox said.

But the willingness of younger buyers to make their first purchases over the Internet along with the rapid growth of online sites pointed to the future of the sector, it said in a statement.

"Young collectors are looking for art work which is easy to buy and available at a wide range of prices," Robert Read, Hiscox's head of fine art, was quoted as saying.

"Online art platforms cater for all tastes and budgets, but are particularly effective for those just starting to collect—opening up the art market in a way that is hard to replicate in the real world."

London-listed Hiscox, which underwrites cover for oil rigs, kidnappings, fine art and vintage cars, estimated the value of global online art sales at $1.57 billion in 2013.

In its second annual report on the online art market, in conjunction with market research company ArtTactic, Hiscox projects this figure will grow to $3.76 billion in 2018.

The report's findings are based on a survey of 506 international art buyers on ArtTactic's client mailing list, Twitter and Facebook, Hiscox said.

"Based on these figures, online art buying accounts for 2.4 percent of the estimated value of the global art market, which in 2013 was $65 billion," Hiscox said.

Internet retail giant Amazon had launched its Art portal in the past year and online auction house eBay was reportedly planning a rival platform, it said.

"Significant increased investment into platforms like Paddle8, Artsy and Artspace indicates continued confidence from investors and belief in the long-term potential of these businesses," Hiscox said.

Complementary buying opportunities

Online-only sales would not replace galleries, auctions and other traditional sales channels, it said, but provide an alternative buying opportunity and additional revenue stream.

"The findings indicate that online art e-commerce will not exist as a separate entity—it will augment and co-exist with what is happening in the real, physical art world," Hiscox said.

The report did find, however, that future generations of collectors were likely to make their first art purchases online, with almost 25 percent of 20- to 30-year-olds surveyed for the report saying they first bought art online without seeing the physical piece.

Although 39 percent of respondents said buying art online was less intimidating than at a gallery or auction, having a bricks-and-mortar presence instilled confidence, with 90 percent of online buyers purchasing from a physical space before turning to websites.

Limited edition prints were a popular entry point for online buyers, the report said, with 55 percent of those surveyed having bought a print online in the last 12 months.

The report found that 44 percent of buyers said they had spent more than £10,000 ($16,800) purchasing art and collectibles online so far, with 21 percent of this group saying they had spent in excess of 50,000 pounds.

Nevertheless, seeing the physical object remained important, with 82 percent of those surveyed saying the most difficult aspect of buying art online was not being able to inspect it. — Reuters

UK Creative Industries Out Perform Financial Services

UK Creative Industries Out Perform Financial Services

This week official statistics were published by the DCMS revealing that the UK’s creative industries are now worth £71.4 billion per year to the UK economy. This was a growth of almost 10% in 2012, outperforming all other sectors of UK industry and positioning 1% ahead of the UK service industry as a whole.

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