Door to door student oil paintings?

[photon]

Anyone ever have this? Some lady supposedly selling paintings for U of C art students was at the door.. they were pretty nice oil paintings, reproductions of famous paintings. She said they were done by students.

She was selling them for $150 and my wife ended up getting 3 for $400 because she liked them.. I was still skeptical.

She had no phone #, no cell #, no U of C student card.. she had a foreign student card. I told her I thought that no one could do much at UofC without a student card (buy books, supplies or anything), and she said she was brand now or it was a brand new class and they didn't have that yet.

I ended up returning them to her when she went a few doors down when I found this:

http://www.doupine.com/Oil-paintings/shipping.html

So what do you think.. legit? Or just some lady selling $3 chinese paintings at a huge markup?

[Barnes]

No art class would ever teach students to re-produce work. Scam.

[RougeUnderoos]

I'm surprised she gave you your money back.

I've known a few art students in my day and none of them would have ever done this kind of thing for money. You'd make a lot more working at McDonald's than you would handpainting replicas of famous paintings.

[ratech]

I bought 3 for 400. They are amazing. The girl said she and her friends were going to SAIT and needed some extra cash to pay off their last semester. She was totally hot too. Go figure! Anyway, really nice paintings, look great in a nice frame and I don't care that I got ripped. She is just selling what someone is willing to pay. If you think this is a rip, look around and see how much you have given to everything you own.

[Reggie Dunlop]

It's folks like these that give poor starving artists with tormented souls and chemical dependencies a bad name.

[photon]

Originally Posted by ratech

I bought 3 for 400. They are amazing. The girl said she and her friends were going to SAIT and needed some extra cash to pay off their last semester. She was totally hot too. Go figure! Anyway, really nice paintings, look great in a nice frame and I don't care that I got ripped. She is just selling what someone is willing to pay. If you think this is a rip, look around and see how much you have given to everything you own.

I guess, I just hate paying $130 for something that they paid $3 for. I think I'm going to order those ones on that site and see if they're the same.

[Mccree]

I had a guy come to our house, saying he was Isreal, was a student and was trying to promote an gallery.

The painting looked good but he caught us a dinner time with 2 screaming kids so I had to say no.

[icarus]

In which areas of town have these so-called artists been canvassing (pun intended)?

[Bobblehead]

It is a scam that pops up every so often. Here is an article from a few years ago. link

AS many as 15 Israelis in Calgary are being linked to a door-to-door art scam that has for years puzzled authorities on both sides of U.S.-Canada border and raised the spectre of international espionage.

Edit: By the way, you need a license to sell door-to-door in Alberta (there are a number of exemptions - art isn't one of them)

Salespersons must carry identification that includes their business licence number. Before you allow a door-to-door seller into your home or office, ask to see their identification.

[Reggie Dunlop]

I was going to say Gypsies, but underworldy Israelis works too.

[Bobblehead]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

I was going to say Gypsies, but underworldy Israelis works too.

Yeah, that seems a bit far fetched, but I do recall issues with door-to-door art sales in the past. If there hadn't been a couple sites referring to the Calgary Herald story specifically, I wouldn't have linked it.

[photon]

Originally Posted by icarus

In which areas of town have these so-called artists been canvassing (pun intended)?

BOO!

They've been out in Chestermere.

[OilKiller]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

I was going to say Gypsies, but underworldy Israelis works too.

[RedHot25]

Why not just call the U of C art department and ask?

IF its them/they are connected somehow, they will let you know.

If not, and its a scam (which it sounds like it may be), I'm sure that they would appreciate knowing....

[octothorp]

It's just like the episode of WKRP where Herb buys a painting at an auction for $150, thinking it might be worth more. But when upon finding out that it was probably worthless, sold it for almost nothing to Bailey, because she liked it. And then herb found out that it was donated by this very wealthy woman, so he bought it back from Bailey for like $250. And then he finds out that it was painted by the woman's son, who's in prison and does a painting every day. So he sold it back to Bailey, who still wanted it because she really liked it. Ah, that Herb, and his constant greed and misfortune.

My point is that the only meaningful value of a painting or any piece of art is that value that it has to you. If you buy a piece of art because you think you're helping out some poor student, you're buying it for the wrong reason, and of course it's easy for you to feel scammed because your connection isn't to the artwork itself. People overpay for artwork all the time. Sometimes, people overpay by millions. And people buy Robert Batemen works all the time under the impression that they're limited edition lithograph prints, not understanding that they are infact far inferior print qualities of unlimited number: the little edition numbers on the prints are essentially meaningless. Should this change anyone's appreciation of the artwork? Not if they bought it because they love the painting. If they bought it because they want a limited edition Robert Bateman or because they think it will go up in value, then they got fleeced.

Buying artwork from art students is a great idea. You can find some very polished stuff by fourth-year students, in a range of styles from very modern and abstract to traditional landscapes and such. And there's a reasonable chance of the work going up in value, not that this should be a big deal for the average buyer.

[Mccree]

Originally Posted by icarus

In which areas of town have these so-called artists been canvassing (pun intended)?

I am in Country Hills

[photon]

Originally Posted by octothorp

My point is that the only meaningful value of a painting or any piece of art is that value that it has to you. If you buy a piece of art because you think you're helping out some poor student, you're buying it for the wrong reason, and of course it's easy for you to feel scammed because your connection isn't to the artwork itself.

Well obviously if you buy art you don't like just to support students.. but in this case it isn't "art", it's reproductions of art. The feeling scammed part isn't from buying art to help someone, or overpaying for art, it's someone buying them from China for $3 and sells them for $150, when claiming that it's to support poor students.

People overpay for artwork all the time. Sometimes, people overpay by millions. And people buy Robert Batemen works all the time under the impression that they're limited edition lithograph prints, not understanding that they are infact far inferior print qualities of unlimited number: the little edition numbers on the prints are essentially meaningless. Should this change anyone's appreciation of the artwork? Not if they bought it because they love the painting. If they bought it because they want a limited edition Robert Bateman or because they think it will go up in value, then they got fleeced.

Very true, art is only worth what the buyer and seller agree it's worth. But like I said this is a different situation because of the deception that is (likely) going on.

Buying artwork from art students is a great idea. You can find some very polished stuff by fourth-year students, in a range of styles from very modern and abstract to traditional landscapes and such. And there's a reasonable chance of the work going up in value, not that this should be a big deal for the average buyer.

I agree as well, but that has nothing to do with this situation.

[octothorp]

Originally Posted by photon

Well obviously if you buy art you don't like just to support students.. but in this case it isn't "art", it's reproductions of art. The feeling scammed part isn't from buying art to help someone, or overpaying for art, it's someone buying them from China for $3 and sells them for $150, when claiming that it's to support poor students.



Very true, art is only worth what the buyer and seller agree it's worth. But like I said this is a different situation because of the deception that is (likely) going on.



I agree as well, but that has nothing to do with this situation.

Yeah, don't get me wrong here, I think it was a scam and you totally did the right thing in cancelling the transaction. I was just kinda giving a general rant on my feelings of the whole industry, being a part owner of a small illustration gallery. From a production end, this is entirely different from the actual work of artists. But at the consumer end, a person can relate to a fradulent work in the same way they would relate to an authentic piece, as long as they don't know the truth. The little bit of information you found out on the internet would have completely changed your relationship with the piece of artwork in a negative way, had you decided to keep it.

[photon]

Definately would have reduced my enjoyment. Whereas I'll probably go ahead and buy a few of the works straight from the source in China for $5, and enjoy them immensley.

Mind you I'll probably tell everyone that it's an authentic Monet..

[octothorp]

An interesting note on art in China; one of the main forms of traditional artwork there is calligraphic painting. There's great emphasis amongst serious artists about looking at the work of early artists and trying to replicate it, down to the brush stroke. Making a copy isn't seen as a secondary form, it's a serious creative pursuit in itself. I'm guessing that the same sort of mentality would permeate the groups that create these works... I highly doubt that they see it as a questionable act, copying another's painting.