NAME YOUR PRICE {happens every Wednesday}

Today I'm mixing it up a bit! I'm offering 4 different fashion drawings from a 2016 series called Just Blousing and you can Name Your Price on one or more.

They are 8x10" mixed media, and if you're in Knoxville, I'll also throw in the white matte and frame.

It's easy to win!

1. Visit withbearhands.com/NYP 

2. Read all the details.

3. Fill out and submit the form by Sunday, June 4 at midnight EST.

4. Best offer will claim some original art!

If you follow me on social media, I hope you've noticed I've been posting artwork each week that anyone may name their price in order to claim it. It is aptly called "Name Your Price." 

BACKGROUND

A few years ago, I put on a show at Old City Java called Art For the People where I asked people to send me offers for the work. There were two large reasons why I wanted to do this: 

1. One of the greatest challenges of my career is selling artwork in Knoxville. Even with our huge art crawl called First Friday that happens every month, it's a tough town for any artist, especially contemporary and young artists.

But nothing inspires me more than a challenge. It's made me stretch myself and become more creative. "Art for the People" was an innovative way to sell work and learn a little more about what art interests people in Knoxville.

2. While sales are important for me to sustain what I do, Art For the People wasn't only about that. It was also about engagement with people and making artwork accessible to anyone. I wanted to let people make offers so that they could own an original piece of artwork. I also, in general, wanted to hear more from people, and I did!

STUDIO PURGE

I have so much artwork that's accumulated over the 10+ years since college and I'm ready to let it go. I've thrown out a lot of it, but Name Your Price is a way to find homes for some of it that I'm not going to show in exhibitions but someone may still want. 

It's also become very important to me to not look at older work anymore. I'm ready to move forward and make changes in what I'm making...

TRANSITION IN MY CAREER

I've hit a transition period with my work where things are moving a direction I really like. I'm experimenting more, but this means I'm not necessarily making work to to show in a gallery or include in an exhibition, which means I can't easily sustain this time of exploration. This work I'm doing is good and important and so Name Your Price allows me to recoup some expenses so that I can keep moving forward. 

SUPPORT MY WORK

In essence, this is a great way to support my artistic endeavors while I'm in, what feels a little like limbo. It's a really good limbo, but this work just feels like something I can't easily put a price on, so I'm asking you to. 

HOW IT WORKS

It's a work in progress, but NYP happens every Wednesday. I post a photo of the artwork available on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter with a link to my website giving more details about the piece. There's a form there to fill out with your name, email, and the price you'd like to offer. The highest offer will claim the piece.

I'm working out all the details, but each time there is a deadline to make your offer. It might be the same day or you may have a few days.

An hour or so before NYP closes, I send an email to anyone who has made an offer to let them know what the highest offer price is. This gives them a chance to counter offer if they want.

IMPORTANT DETAILS

1. You can offer any amount. My hope is that this will be a number that is a good compromise between what you can afford and what still places a good value on my work. My main purpose is to move this work, so you could also just walk away with a steal! Why not try it?
2. I add on shipping cost so you can make an offer from anywhere in the continental US. 
3. All the work so far has been original, but in the future I will offer some limited edition and fine art prints.
4. I think everyone should own original artwork and while I know the value (time and cost) of making artwork, I am happy to make some work accessible for anyone and everyone that wants it.
5. I want to turn Viewers and Fans of my artwork into Customers, and hopefully Collectors. I hope this will help to get your foot in the door. 
6. I want to make buying original artwork easy, affordable, and/or accessible. I know it's not always that way.
7. I want NYP to be mutually beneficial. I can make some dollars to support what I do and move some work that is filling my studio and you can adorn your walls with something you love and will enjoy forever.

Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions. I'd love to hear your thoughts! You can comment or email me at beth@bethmeadows.com.