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Doreyl's Koi Art Farm
Resource Guide
Find information from other Koi Art
professionals and collectors of Koi Art
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Art Collecting Secrets
Collecting art has rules just like any other game. If you follow these you
win and make a lot of money. An art appraiser is really just a game judge
that tallies up the points your art scored. He tells you if you won or lost
compared to what you paid. Unfortunately the rules are not published and
have to be learned from experience. The most experienced appraiser is the
better the judge of your art work. Here are a few of these "secret" art rules:
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- Horizontal landscapes are more valuable than vertical ones.
- Paintings of cows, sheep and pigs are difficult to sell. Roosters are better than
chickens.
- Paintings showing youth are better than ones portraying old age. Young women and children
are better than men.
- Anything about death including paintings of church cemeteries are nearly impossible to sell.
- Bright colored paintings are better than dark ones.
- Unsigned art is definitely a negative.
- A painting in the artist's typical style and subject is better than a one of their rare
experimental pieces.
- Posthumous cast sculpture and re-strikes prints never bring the same price as ones done
in the artist's lifetime.
- The most expensive landscapes usually have calm water in them.
- Certain game birds are more desirable than others. Grouse, pheasants and woodcock are
better than mallards and crows.
- Certain game animals are better than others. Elephants, lions, leopards are better than
antelopes, wild boar and wolves.
- Landscapes with horses and figures are better than just a sunny meadow. Mountains are
better than a factory or shipyard scene.
- Floral still lifes bring more money than fruit ones. Some flowers are more desirable.
Roses are best, chrysanthemum the least.
- Some breeds of dogs are more desirable. Spaniels, terriers and setters are best.
Dachshunds and collies the least. A painting of a mongrel dog is near impossible to sell.
Frequently Asked Questions by Novice Collectors
HOW DO I START AN ART COLLECTION?
There are only two rules to start an art collection: (a) Collect what you like (b) Whenever possible,
buy the original. Buy and collect only what you like and what interests you and is within your
economic means. Although only you know what you really like, a reputable art dealer can advise
you as to where, how and how much. If you like the work of a particular artist or a specific kind
of prints (like Japanese woodcuts) or drawings (such as figurative drawings), then focus your
collection in those areas. However, a lot of excessive attention is often placed on a "focused"
collection. A diverse collection may make less sense to some than a focused one, but it only has
to make sense to you!.
WHY NOT BUY ONLY FAMOUS ARTISTS?
Once again, you should buy what you like. If you like Picasso's "Blue Period" paintings, and have
the money to afford them when they come on the market, then by all means go for it! And (at least
in theory) you'll have a better overall investment potential if you do). But it's not very rewarding
buying art by famous artist at the expense of giving up the fun of "discovering" a new artist. Also,
history consistently proves that "fame" often wanes and causes prices to come crashing down or soar
up. One generation's "in" artist is usually not the next generation's idea of what's hot. Critics
and museums often have an agenda that they wish to push, and sometimes inflate an artist beyond
that artist's ability to survive the true test of time. Some power-house artists, like Picasso,
Rembrandt, Goya and others just go on and on, but others who once were very hot (like many of
the 60's and 70's artists) implode and are ignored a handful of years later. Who could have
predicted just five years ago that Norman Rockwell would be having a retrospective at the
Guggenheim? In 1989 an original oil by Scottish painter Jack Vetriano sold for about 300 British
pounds. Today, although he is despised by the art critics and the British arts establishment, he
is adored by the public and by some very important collectors, and his works, if you are lucky
enough to get on the waiting list for one, ranged in the tens of thousands of pounds. Where will
he be in 20 years? No one knows. Finally, beware of the word "famous" which in some cases means
"good advertising budget." There are quite a few artists (usually sold through fancy chain gallaries)
that have the financial backing to take full page ads in many impressive places. A lot of this art
is usually of very little value, and most of the time you usually end up with a very expensive,
signed reproduction in an even more expensive frame.
HOW DO I KNOW IT'S AUTHENTIC?
The easiest way is to become an expert in whatever you collect (art, first editions, Pokemon cards),
but in fine arts, generally it is best (and easier) to buy artwork from accredited, reputable dealers.
The Fraser Gallery guarantees the authenticity of all the art that we sell. We also issue a written
Certificate of Authenticity so that you have written evidence of our guarantee. In the unlikely
event that a mistake is ever made, we will refund your money and apologize if it can be proven
that the art is not what we claimed it was. All guarantees are based on our present knowledge and
scholarly opinion. Because we generally deal with living artists only, we can usually guarantee the
Provenances directly from the artist to the gallery. Bottom line: If you buy art, you should get
its authenticity guaranteed in writing.
WHAT IS A PROVENANCE?
A provenance is the life history of the piece of artwork, and normally starts with the artist
selling it, or giving it as a gift, or passing through a dealer, etc. Most of our pieces have a
Provenance that comes directly from the artist to the gallery, since we are often their first
entry point. When we re-sell a piece of artwork, the provenance often includes the record of
that piece, exhibitions, reviews it has had, etc.
HOW ARE PRICES DECIDED?
Pricing artwork is a difficult science at best. Many factors influence the price of a piece of art,
but the key factor is of course demand. The more collectors want work by an artist, the more they
are willing to pay. Supply is also a strong factor. Usually emerging artists' prices are a fraction
of what established well-known artists can obtain. Auction prices can vary wildly from gallery
prices, depending on the bidding. Historically, oils have been more expensive than watercolors
and watercolors more than drawings, and so on. However, a Picasso drawing will still beat a major
work by an emerging or even an established run-of-the-mill artist anytime. However, other than
contemporary published editions of reproductions (usually called "prints" unfortunately) and
limited edition photography, there is no "list price" for true prints and certainly none for
paintings, drawings, and sculpture. We usually set a price on the basis of what think is fair
market value, plus a selling record, accounting for size and me dia, and then discuss
it with the artist.
CAN PRICES BE NEGOTIATED?
Beware of "art galleries" that have sales. You can try to negotiate prices, as some dealers are
open to it and some aren't. The Fraser Gallery will try to accommodate your requests and we will
always leave the final decision to the artist or the collector selling his work. We will also
advice them on what decision to make. If you really want the item in question, but not at the
offered price, be honest and say so. Be weary of price reductions of more than 10% as huge discounts
hurt the artist's sales record and most reputable dealers will not do them. It is also perfectly
reasonable to ask for a small discount if you are buying several pieces of art at once. Bottom line:
We will accommodate any reasonable offer, but it will always be up to the artist.
IS ART A GOOD FINANCIAL INVESTMENT?
If you are looking to buy art as a financial investment, then you should try buying stocks instead.
Most reputable dealers in fine art are at least aware of the "potential" investment factor of a
work of art, but there's no secret formula or "insider knowledge" as to what future prices for a
piece of art will be. It all depends on many factors, most of which are quite unpredictable as
artists' popularity and demand rise and fall and sometimes rise again. Reputable dealers can and
will often give you their informed opinion, but that is all it is: an opinion! There are of course,
works of art that are always "on the rise," such as works by the masters or very well-established
(often dead) artists, but when buying work by contemporary, living artists, the key rule should
still be to buy what you like, and avoid anyone that suggests that you should buy it as an
"investment." We do represent artists whose work we think will rise substantially in price
in the future, and have a certain "track" record to suggest that. Nonetheless, it is an opinion
and an educated guess at best.
ARE THERE ANY ART BARGAINS?
An art bargain happens in one of two ways: (a) The seller and the buyer have widely diverging
ideas on the price of the art or (b) You buy a decent, original piece of art from an emerging
artist at a substantially lower price that the art could "command" in a better sellers' market.
The true bargains are also when an art connoisseurs, who knows his art well (and prices) and who
can recognize originals from fakes, etc. "runs" into a work of art being offered by someone less
knowleable than him/her, on that particular piece. This would usually happen at auctions, or in
galleries where art is re-sold, rather than in galleries where the work of living artists is sold.
For example, some English prints sell for lower prices in the US than they do for in Britain.
WHAT IS A PRINT?
Print is the most abused term used in the world of art. A true print is something that the artist
has created by hand, such as an etching, or a woodcut or a linicut. The point is that the creation
process involves the artist in control of what gets created. Everything else is a reproduction.
An Iris print, gyclee print, etc. are just digital reproductions of an artist's original work.
There's nothing wrong with reproductions, if that is what you want to buy, as long as you know
the true difference between reproductions and prints. If you don't know, then ask! This is a
vital question to ask about modern, twentieth-century prints, especially since the introduction
of digital technology into the game. Generally speaking, it is better if a print is signed and
numbered; although some artists go "beyond" the numbers by having artist proofs, special lettered
editions, etc. With rare exceptions, artists only began to keep track of the number of
impressions printed from their original plates in the 19th century. Before that, the edition
was limited by its popularity and how many could be hammered out of the plate! Goya's plates
were still being used in the 20th century to print and to sell his "Caprichos" etchings.
Because the plate deteriorates the more it is used. there are usually noticeable differences
between the first and last impressions. A smart buyer should always ask: "How many did the
artist print?" and "How many of them are still available?", as usually prints that are all
sold (called "out of print") tend to go up in price if the demand for them rises.
HOW ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY?
Collecting photographs as a fine art genre is a 20th century phenomenom. Photography is perhaps
one of the most affordable and rewarding paths for beginner collectors. At the Fraser Gallery,
we only sell the work of photographers who take, develop and print their own work. We also require
them to use archival methods for processing, washing and presenting the work (via pH-balanced,
acid free, conservation archival materials). All of the photographs that we sell are signed by the
photographers, and we generally also require that they be from a unique, numbered, limited edition.
full article here
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Little Bit of Koi History ***
There is a lot of information available on koi
farming history and they don’t all agree on when koi were
first farmed. One of the reasons is because there is a problem with translations.
The word koi in Japanese means carp and there are many varieties of carp.
Nishikigoi means brocaded
carp and those are the beautiful fish we enjoy today. Magoi is the Japanese word for the common
black carp (Cyprinus carpio) and this is the fish that all Nishikigoi descended from. Goi also
means carp in Japanese but it is only used correctly when tagged onto the end of a word such as
Nishikigoi, Kigoi, Midorigoi, etc. Most everyone involved in this hobby refer to the Nishikigoi
as just Koi. So, when you find information relating to Koi in Japan dating back to 200 BC that is
when the invading Chinese brought the common black carp to Japan. The statement “Contrary to common
belief
Koi farming did not originate in Japan” is true if you are referring to the common carp but
not true when referring to Nishikigoi.
Rice farmers of Yamakoshigo, a village in the Niigata prefecture on the northwestern coast of
mainland Japan, started farming carp in the
ponds used to irrigate their rice paddies to use as a
protein supplement to their rice diet.
Even though there are some very old paintings showing carp with color mutations such as red fins
it wasn’t until the beginning of the 19th century that rice
farmers in the Niigata prefecture began
to collect and farm carp with color mutations of red, white and yellow.
The Japanese use the reign of their emperors when referring to historical events. This is also true
of the development of Nishikigoi.
Bunka and Bunsei Era (1804-1829): During this era the first koi with red were farmed in Japan. At
first, their red markings appeared on their cheeks. White koi were also farmed and crossed with the
koi that had red cheeks. The end result was white
koi with red abdomens.
Tenpo Era (1830-1843): Farming efforts continued to strive for change that would make the koi more
appealing to the eye. White Koi with red located on the forehead was referred to as Zukinkaburi. Red
covering the entire head was called Menkaburi, red on the lips only was Kuchibeni (lipstick).
Meija Era (1868-1912): This is the era when the Kohaku were developed thru extensive farming. This
is also the era when carp from Germany were first introduced to Japan and bred with the Nishikigoi.
This is where the Doitsu
(German) varieties come from. There are two types of German carp. One type has no scales and is called
the leather carp and the other has large scales along each side of the dorsal fin and along the
lateral line only (mirror carp).
Taisho Era (1912-1926): This is when the Taisho Sanke was perfected. It is a white koi with a red and
black pattern. Sanke means tri-colored. Sanke may have appeared at the end of the Meija Era. Shiro
Utsuri (black with white markings) was introduced at the end of this era. In 1914 some of the most
beautiful varieties were shown at an exposition in Tokyo where some of these colored carp were
presented to Crown Prince Hirohito. This is where it really got started.
Showa Era (1927-1989): Showa Sanshoku (sanshoku also means tri-colored). This is the last of the
varieties referred to as Gosanke (the big three) which includes the Kohaku, Sanke, and Showa. These
are the three varieties of koi most prized by the Japanese and advanced koi hobbyist all over the
world with the Kohaku being #1. These varieties are the ones that win most of the top prizes in
koi shows.
This period has seen the most advancements in the koi hobby with many new varieties being introduced
and improvements in the first varieties. This is also the era when koi were first introduced to the
United States and Europe. As with anything else koi related you can find information stating
different dates when koi farming first arrived in the US. During my extensive research of koi, I've read
that Nishikigoi first became popular in the United States when introduced to California during the
mid 1960s.
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