I went to the exhibit āFiber Artsā at the OāHanlon Gallery at the OāHanlon Center For The Arts in Mill Valley recently and thought about the appraisals Iāve done of contemporary textile art. A glance at prices revealed some in low hundreds to little over mid thousands. A very important part of the appraisal value is a history of sales and exhibitions. The selection of fiber art in this group exhibit of 90 works was top quality, juried by Carole Beadle. I decided to look at what sales history I could find for some of the artists.
My husband and I own three Ruffles by Peggy Osterkamp. This artist is known internationally more as a teacher of weaving with her book Weaving for Beginners by Leaf Sticks Press than an exhibiting artist. She has published many books on weaving that are shipped all over the world. One of her two works at the OāHanlon Center, Rose Hips, sold for $200.00. On her blog, she mentions her Ruffles are for sale for a few hundred dollars depending on length. Our Ruffles vary between 4ā and 5ā. I paid $2,000.00 in 2023 to the artist for three, about $700 each. All three pieces had been exhibited twice before and offered for sale. Please research her name.
Another artist represented in Fiber Arts at the OāHanlon Gallery and also known internationally was Alex Friedman with her tapestry The World In Tatters. The work was Not for Sale but if you look online, one can find her work exhibited and juried internationally and the location of her studio in the ICB building in Sausalito, in Marin County. Most of her tapestry is done on commission with a website showing her work. Iām on her mailing list and have seen amazing speeded up video of her work in progress. Color is an important feature in her work, as well as texture. If appraising her work, an appraiser would need to go directly to the artist for sales history and value elements such as size or type of yarn. The comparable is part of her accounting.
Annelies Atchley was another artist in the exhibit with an impressive work, Basket Meditation, that has 23 separate small baskets inside a plexiglass shelfing unit. Each basket, about 3āH, has a round wood cut branch as solid bottom with the material crocheted or otherwise attached. All components have been found and integrated into a theme-maybe color of green, or pride in Switzerland, the country of her birth. She encouraged people to touch her baskets, squeeze, and adjust. This work was for sale at $5,000.00. The director of the gallery, Erma Murphy, mentioned many people had wanted to buy one basket, or maybe a couple. Would the artist agree? Not yet. When researching this artist, her life and biography were available, but not any sales. That is a problem for the appraiser, they need information to quote and compare. Not having a sales history searchable, is a disadvantage to the artist.
