Cruise Internet to evaluate art's worth

One of the common questions I receive as a gallery owner is, 'How much is this painting

worth?'

Lots of people have bought paintings or received them from family members and feel that

they own something of great value and want to cash in. We hear stories of lost

paintings found in attics going to auctions and bringing in millions of dollars. It's a

nice dream but you have a better chance at winning the 649 than finding a lost Picasso.
So how do you find out what Great Aunt Matilda's painting is worth?

One of the ways to get an accurate value of a painting is to take it to an appraiser

like Lindland & Associates in Calgary where they will give you a professional appraisal

of the work for around $500. If you're unwilling to go through that hassle, the

Internet is your best resource.

The first thing I do is Google the name of the artist under 'images' and see what comes

up. If a number of the artist's paintings pop up on the screen right away, you're in

luck.
From there it's just a matter of following the links to the artist's art dealers and

finding a painting of similar quality that is for sale. Bingo! You have found the

painting's approximate market value.
Another way to asses the worth of a painting is to look up the artist on the web and

see if you can find out anything about the artist's history.

The worth of a painting doesn't always have to do with the artist's artistic merit,

more often than not it has to do with branding. That means, did the artist receive

professional training and where? Have they had any big shows like at the Vancouver Art

Gallery? Does Arnold Schwarzenegger own one of their pieces? Does the artist have any

art dealers? Or did the artist recently die in a plane crash? All of these things can

really push up the value of a painting.

If your search on the web turns up nothing then the dollar value of the paintings is

worth whatever it sells for. Generally, I discourage people from selling off their

family heirlooms, instead sharing the artwork with a close friend or another family

member is a much better way to go if you absolutely must let go of the piece. Often

museums will take and care for donations of artwork because their historical

importance.

I personally feel the value of a painting goes much further than it's monetary worth. I

have many paintings in my home that are not my own and I absolutely love them. My art

collection started when I was around 17 and I came home to visit my parents while they

were getting ready for one of their many garage sales. I rescued two oil paintings out

of the garbage done by my Great, Great Uncle Peter dated 1912. I still have the

paintings today, and while they're not really worth anything, to me they are priceless!
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Artist Karla Pearce returns to the Times with her column, the Creative Edge. The

Creative Edge will run on the second and fourth Monday of each month.

Ad club sale showcases 261 pieces

The Great Falls Ad Club will present 261 pieces of art, many by newcomers to the C.M.

Russell Auction, at the Heritage Inn on Friday and Saturday nights.

The star of the show is expected to be a small oil on board, "Passing an Obstruction at

Night Creek," by John Mix Stanley, 1814-1872.

A New Yorker orphaned at the age of 12, Stanley moved west in 1832 to become a painter

of signs and portraits, but Indians became his prime specialty. More than 200 of his

works were destroyed by the Smithsonian fire of 1865.

For the first time since 2007, the auction catalog has estimated price ranges for the

work. Stanley's 10-by-12 3/4 oil is listed between $225,000 and $275,000.

Other highlights of the Saturday night auction include "Chilton's Barn," a 36-by-45-

inch gouache by Gordon Snidow, which is valued between $135,000 and $150,000; "The Mad

Cow," an 18-by-22-inch oil by O.C. Seltzer, which is estimated between $40,000 and

$60,000; and "Ambush on the Bandit Trail," a 30-by-45 inch oil by Andy Thomas, which is

expected to bring between $37,000 and $43,000.

For the Ad Club's 42nd auction, Steve Seltzer, who lives in Great Falls, and Bob Morgan

of Clancy have two paintings up for sale over the two nights; they're the only artists

to have participated in the auction since its inception in 1969.

There also are several Ace Powell oils, including a 20-inch-by-30-inch painting titled,

"Prairie Powwow."

Sherry Salari Sander has a beautiful big bronze, "Horses of the Mountain," that's 38

inches long and 18 inches high and is expected to bring about $15,000. Gary Lynn

Roberts adds a 24-by-36 inch oil, "Pride," that's valued between $10,000 and $11,000.

There are two small Russell bronzes, but no other works by the auction's namesake.

Tom Gilleon of Cascade is offering one of his iconoclastic tepees, a 30-by-30-inch oil

titled, "Mountain Crow Horses," and Larry Zabel has a 30-by-40-inch acrylic, "The

Buckskin."

There also is a pair of almost impressionistic oils by Tara Moore: "Roping Duo" and

"Hold Your Horses," as well as two colorful paintings by Carol Hagan titled "Don't Mess

with Momma" and "Brown Noser."

"We're very excited by the offerings of some artists who are new to our show," said the

Ad Club's art coordinator Duane Braaten.

Check out "The Fledgling," a 24-by-36 inch oil by Bryce Cameron Liston of Halladay,

Utah, that's valued between $7,500 and $8,500; "Sky High," a 36-by-30 oil by native

Calgarian Michelle Grant that's estimated between $6,600 and $7,000; and "Catching

Rain" by Tamara Rymer, a watercolor of two intricate vases that should run around

$2,000.

Added to the cost of each piece is a 10 percent buyers' premium, 13 percent if paid by

credit card.

The Ad Club is planning a new event on Thursday called the Magnificent Seven, in which

seven artists create a work over several hours.

The C.M. Russell Auction's Quick Draws and live auctions will be Friday and Saturday

evenings, as in the past. The Ad Club's art preview reception, held in recent years on

Thursday evening at the Russell Museum, will be moved to the Heritage Inn.

The estate of Flossie Stallworth will be sold by Stevens Auction Company Mar. 5 in Miss

The estate of the late Mrs. Flossie Stallworth, who accumulated many antique and beautiful items over the course of her 101 years, will be sold on-site Saturday, March 5, beginning at 10 a.m. (CST). The auction will be held at Mrs. Stallworth’s home, at 120 South Archusa Avenue in Quitman. That home, plus another one next door, will both be offered.

The auction will be conducted by Stevens Auction Company, based in Aberdeen, Miss. Mrs. Stallworth’s estate includes gorgeous antique furniture, fine china, sterling silver, hand-made rugs, fantastic vintage lamps, original oil paintings, hundreds of pieces of old Victorian glassware, and collectibles. Many items can be viewed online -- at www.stevensauction.com.

When Flossie Stallworth was born, William Howard Taft was the President and the average life expectancy of a woman was just over 50 years. Flossie beat that expectation by nearly double. She was a proud and determined woman, widely respected for her grace, consideration and love of life and family. She also loved antiques, buying only the very best.

When Mrs. Stallworth's mother and sister passed before her, their collections (also thoughtfully accumulated and meticulously maintained) became part of her collection. In true Flossie style, at the spry age of 99, she organized her antiques with great deliberation and set plans in motion for the sale of her fine collections following her passing. That time is now.

Period furniture will be served up in abundance. A pair of Belter chairs are certain to wow the crowd – one being an armchair in the Spring Meyer pattern, the other a beautiful example in the Rosalie pattern. Two etageres are also expected to juice the crowd, one a rosewood Victorian bonnet-top piece by Thomas Brooks, the other a walnut Victorian etagere.

Other outstanding furniture pieces include a dining table with four leaves and carved apron (attributed to R.J. Horner), a set of eight Chippendale dining chairs with ball-and-claw feet, an oak curved-glass china cabinet with a mirror at the top, a walnut Victorian bed with carved grapevine decoration, and a French vanity stool upholstered with 1890 needlepoint.

Anything made of silver has been especially desirable lately, as precious metals have soared in the face of a sagging dollar. Two lots expected to do well include a silver plate supper set (also known as buffeters), and a lovely Victorian silver plate stand with cut glass decanter. Also slated to cross the block is a Victorian “tilt-a-pour,” sometimes referred to as a samovar.

Decorative accessories will include a Bavarian eggnog set, a Majolica center bowl with blue flowers, a Meissen meat platter with the Meissen mark in oval with a star and indicating made in Germany (19 inches by 13 inches), and a brass piano lamp with parrots, signed Handel. Original art will feature a watercolor on paper by the Italian artist Mazzini Ciro in a gold frame.