Make Me An Offer I Can't Refuse!

"Rooster" 8 x 10 acrylic painting by
Mark Phillips

I had so many plans last week. I was going to spend some time in my studio and finish some work for the upcoming exhibition at the Caribbean Gallery of Art as well as put some finishing touches on some pieces for the Little Gem Show at the Barbados Arts Council Gallery.

I am only about half way there! Oh for the day when I can spend all day, every day in my studio!

I had a conversation with an accountant this week with regards to another of my business ventures and the conversation got around to my Art and the "unscientific" way that I arrived at my pricing.

Now, before I go on let me tell you what I think about accountants and running a small business. 

They shouldn't!

In the early nineties, I incorporated my first business, an alarm company, with a friend of mine from high school. I was the alarm technician, had trained with Ademco in New York and had completed a number of other technical courses across the USA. Tony was a Certified Public Accountant and the Financial Controller at a well recognised financial institution in Barbados. I was good at what I did and he was good with the numbers but it was not long before I realised that being good with numbers is absolutely useless if the only major numbers that you are generating is debt! I was aware that I knew next to nothing about running a business but I had wrongfully assumed that an accountant would!

Fast forward 15 years. I was approached by, you guessed it, an accountant and another entrepreneur to form yet another security company. To make a not so long story short, this company was incorporated in 2010 with what I thought should have been adequate funding, but within 2 years it was bankrupt. Again, despite my better judgement, I left financial decisions to the accountant. In 2012, I salvaged what customers remained, formed a new company, (alone), and for the last 6 years, the business is growing, has no debt and is making a profit.

In my opinion, if a business is not grossing over 7 figures a year it does not need the regular input of an accountant. A decent accounts clerk and reputable software will get the job done.

So you can see the reason that I was sceptical when an accountant sought to give me advice on running a small business.

However, there was some merit to what he said. He pointed out that my prices should reflect the time and the skill that was used in producing the piece. I had explained to him that this piece of Leacock's Variety in Speightown has taken over 60hrs work already and yet it was not completely finished. I also told him that I would sell it for around $900.00.

His argument was that I was charging $15.00 per hour for my work. About the same as an inexperienced tradesman on a construction site. The skills required to transform a flat 2-dimensional canvas into a scene that creates the illusion of solidity and depth to the extent that the viewer feels that they are standing in person across the street looking up the road must be worth more than $15.00 per hour.

I, of course, argued that there is no way that the market in Barbados would be able to support art prices that reflect the true value of an artist's skill. However, as I was saying it I realised that I was not truly believing what I was saying. I charge $80.00 an hour as a security technician and no one complains. As a locksmith, I once charged what equated to over $1000.00 an hour to open a safe with a damaged combination for a business and they thanked me for it. Why should the skill and experience of an artist be so devalued?

So, I am going to carry out a little experiment. The painting of the rooster above is a unique piece of original art. It is painted in acrylic paint on an 8 x 10 stretched canvas. The materials used cost about $20.00 and it took me about 12 hours to complete.

What do you think I should charge for it?

No, I think the better question is...

What would you offer me for it? And why do you think it is worth that amount?

The person, in my opinion, with the most compelling reason for the offered price, will be allowed to purchase the piece at that price. You may make your offer in the comments section below or on my facebook page. 

I really look forward to hearing your opinions.

As always, thank you for reading. I appreciate the comments and the kind words of encouragement. Until next time when I will share some more of my work and a little about what makes me tick, please leave a comment. And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. To make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.


Mark Phillips

Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:-www.phillipsbajanart.com

The Village Shop

The Village Shop, St. Peter. A 16 x 20 acrylic painting by
Mark Phillips

I was afforded the opportunity to visit this tiny section of Church Street, Speightstown a few weeks ago. I was delivering a prize to the winner of one of my Facebook promotions.

Thank you, Joan!

As soon as I got out of the car, I was struck by the beauty of this scene. I could not put my finger on why this composition seemed so perfect. Maybe it was the mid-morning sunlight on the buildings or the contrasting colours against the sky. I just knew that I wanted to paint this.

One of my weaknesses as a painter is that I find it difficult to compose paintings without detailed reference photos. I do not easily visualize the finished piece unless I had seen it or something very similar, in person. I admire the artist that can compose a painting completely from imagination. Fortunately for me, Barbados is filled with these perfect compositions just waiting for me to discover!

This scene brought back memories of my visits to the village shop as a child in St. Philip. My grandfather would place me in the bar of his very large Raliegh 3-speed bicycle and take me to Mrs Hunte's shop in Marley Vale. Apparently, this was a weekly ritual that was going on for many years. He would give her a list of all the grocery items he needed and she would transfer the items into an exercise book. She would then proceed to weigh the sugar, flour, potatoes, etc. on her old balance scale with the lead weights. Each item would be packed in brown paper bags and Pa Pa would pack them in his large leather bag that fitted perfectly over the front handlebars. Reusable shopping bags and environmentally friendly packaging is nothing new! 

I don't recall seeing any money passed. I assume that there was some kind of running account. Even after Pa Pa retired and we moved to Merricks, about a mile away from where we were living, Pa Pa still made his weekly bicycle trip to Mrs Hunte shop even though there were 2 similar shops closer. 

There was a community spirit that existed in these villages quite unlike what we see today in the heights and terraces on the island. In Momma's shop in Merricks, St. Philip, it was not unusual to hear neighbours leaving messages "by de shop", for other villagers, knowing with full confidence that the message will be passed on. Momma's shop was the hub of the village. It was located on the main road by the bus stops and everyone leaving and returning to the village shouted Momma. Most of the village children played some form of sports until dark on the pasture by Momma's shop. All of us usually made the shop our last stop before going home. This was to purchase an Orchard juice box or a Pine Ju-C to quench our thirst after hours of play. Sometimes 3 or 4 of us would share one drink.  It was not unusual for Momma or her daughter who worked in the shop to tell me, "Stop by your Gran Gran for your tea. Your mother working late tonight". Such was the community spirit. I was indeed raised by a village!

We children knew which shops had the best treats and we were thought nothing of walking long distances to get them. Soda Biscuits, 4 for a cent at Mr Critchlow's shop, 10 cent ice lollies or "suck-a- bubbies" from Mrs Batson down Sealy Hill and my favourite, DG Ole Jamaican Ginger Beer sold only at Ms Clarke shop in East Point. There is nothing like an ice-cold gingerbeer after you walked a mile to get it!

A few of you has commented on the fact that I am not posting as often as I used to. Let me assure you that it is not that I don't want to. I have just been very busy with non-art related work and I was using all of my spare time to actually finish some of the many pieces that I have in varying stages of completion. I have 3 pieces in my Flamboyant Collection that need only a couple of hours work each and the "Long Bay Blue" shown in my last post and this piece are all to be completed this week. This piece will need about 8 to 12 hours work to complete because of the many, many straight lines that require immense concentration. As soon as things settle down I will again start with the promotions and giveaways!

As always, thank you for reading. I appreciate the comments and the kind words of encouragement. Until next time when I will share some more of my work and a little about what makes me tick, please leave a comment. And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. To make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.


Mark Phillips

Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:-www.phillipsbajanart.com

Which piece really says, "This is Barbados".

"Long Bay Blue" A 16 x 20 Acrylic painting by Mark Phillips

I started this painting a few weeks ago but I was distracted by the "Street that never sleeps", and my finishing of "Tweedside Saturday Morning".

I am now going to finish this over the next few days.

Recently, while reviewing my work, I started to wonder, "What scenes are more distinctly representative of Barbados and the Barbados way of life? I don't mean what we try to represent to the tourist. There is sea and sun in many other countries but what makes Barbados unique?

Is it our street scenes? Our Churches and other historic buildings? Or is it indeed our coastline and beaches?

As fate would have it, while I was pondering this, I received an email from a young lady who had some questions about collecting art. She was in her 20s and wanted some advice about deciding what art to invest in. I must admit that initially, she had me stumped. What did I know about art collecting? Fortunately, she peeked my interest enough for me to do some research.

For many people in their twenties, art collecting can seem like a far-off pipe dream, the preserve of the older and wealthy. I understand that the average income for university graduates is Barbados is just under $50,000.

Fortunately, the art market in Barbados isn’t about $450 million Leonardo da Vinci paintings. There are many local artists that produce excellent work and offer them for sale at reasonable prices. I offer layaway options for persons desirous of purchasing my art and I am sure that many local artists would consider similar arrangements. 

The next barrier to starting your art collection is the need to discover your likes and dislikes, and know where to find and buy the art you enjoy. Local Art Galleries are excellent places to see works up close. Young collectors can support artists who are also just starting out themselves. Buying the work of an emerging (or even unknown) artist isn’t about bringing home an expensive trophy for your wall. It is about fostering the career of a young artist you respect and enjoy.  A collection doesn’t need to start with a Fielding Babb. So next time you see a work that you like and it fits your budget, “go for it.” Owning a unique creation from the hand of an artist is something you’ll enjoy for a lifetime.

Barbadians like to say that Barbados is a small place. If you see an artist's work that interests you, contact them directly. Ask to see some more of their work. More often than not you will find a piece that you like that the artist could offer you some financing on.

As I was trying to determine what type of art this young lady liked, I was also gaining some clarity about what my style was. I never thought of myself having a style. I just painted whatever caught my eye in Barbados. Then I remembered when I asked Facebook readers to help me name one of my pieces. Almost half used the words, "peace" or "tranquil" in their suggestions. While this may not be a style, per se, I realised that quiet tranquillity was the underlying theme in most of my paintings! 

I have not decided how I feel about this. This type of painting sells well but does it truly represent Barbados?

I have attached  6 images of my work. Please tell me, in your opinion,  which one would you like to own as the most representative of a painting depicting an authentic Barbadian scene. You can comment on Facebook.

1

2

3

4

5

6

As always, thank you for reading. I appreciate the comments and the kind words of encouragement. Until next time when I will share some more of my work and a little about what makes me tick, please leave a comment.  And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. To make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.


Mark Phillips

Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:-www.phillipsbajanart.com

The Street that Never Sleeps.

"The street that never sleeps" A 16 x 20 acrylic painting by
Mark Phillips

The Street that Never Sleeps

It has been 7 days since my last post.

Where has the time gone? 

I have been extremely busy and this painting is partially the reason why. I am preparing some pieces for an exhibition to be held at a local gallery later this year and this will most likely be one of the pieces. The theme of the exhibit is "Barbados", and I wanted to do something other than my usual sea and sun pieces.

In my opinion, you can't get more Barbados than this. I no longer frequent Baxter's Road like I did in the old days but it is still one of my favourite places for authentic Bajan food. I have been buying fish from Ann for over 20 years. Perfectly seasoned, and fried to order in a cast iron skillet over a traditional coalpot. 

Many years ago Dereck, an acquaintance of mine, was visiting from the U.S.A.  I took him done to Baxter's Road on a Friday night for some fish. He was protesting that he did not eat fish because it was bland and tasteless. Only after much coaxing and the promise to buy him all the beer he could drink if he didn't like it, did he consent to try it. We waited as Ann chose 2 lovely dolphin steaks and proceeded to work her magic with the coalpot. In less than 10 minutes, the fish was ready. Lightly dotted with ketchup, more liberally covered with Bajan pepper sauce and served with fried breadfruit and coleslaw. Needless to say, he loved it. He even bought another one to take home so that he could show his wife how fish should taste! Every time he returned to Barbados he always wanted to go and get some of that "Night Fish".

I remember when Baxter's Road was the place to eat no matter what time it was. Many a trip to the After Dark Nightclub in Christ Church ended with a trip to Baxter's Road at about 4 a.m. In the early 1980's, (before there was an Oistins Fish Fry), many a 4 a.m Sunday morning found me in "Colins Restaurant" eating a 1/4 chicken with rice and a portion of macoroni pie, or in "Pink Star" eating a fried chicken leg and chips.

You gentlemen out there will relate to this next story. The year 1990, my girlfriend was pregnant with my first daughter. She decided that she really, really wanted a "One Fifty". This was a small lightly sweetened loaf cut in half and stuffed full of cooked liver. This gem was sold only at Pink Star in Baxter's road for the princely sum of $1.50, hence the name. Now, I grew up hearing that when a pregnant woman is craving anything to eat they must have it or the child will be affected in some way. So, being the good partner and father to be, I drove the 10 miles or so from St. Philip where we were living to Baxter's Road. I got there, made a few circles to find a park just in front of the restaurant so that I could leave her safe in the car. I went inside. The place was packed. It took me about an hour. When I returned to the car, she gave me that look that I had learned to mean, "Mark, don't get mad." I turned to her and asked her, "What?" She gave me her cutest smile and said, "I don't want it anymore".

The powers that be need to take a serious look at returning Baxter Road to its former glory. No one that had experienced a Baxter's Road Mall of the early eighties would ever forget the experience.  It was designed around the street fairs that were popular in many districts at the time and was easily the most popular fete of the Crop Over season. It was held every weekend during Crop Over, with the last one on the night of Kadooment. Stacks of speakers 12 feet high blaring out the latest reggae and calypso songs lined both sides of the road from Tudor Street to the Texaco Station that stood at the stop lights opposite the church in the painting. It took over 3 hours to manoeuvre from beginning to end through the tens of thousands of people the packed into the road.

The last one I remembered was 1983. I had just finished school and was enjoying my last bit of freedom before entering the Barbados Defence Force.  Gabby's "Boots" and Grynner's (Mr. T) would forever be engraved onto my brain. 35 years later I can still sing every word to both songs! This was the only time of the year that the first bus at 6 a.m from the Fairchild Street bus stand, (not bus terminal, that came later) to Bayfield and I assume many other places, were packed to capacity. I am proud to say that I have seen many a sunrise over Baxter's Road.

I wish I could share all the memories of the night in Baxter's Road after Kadooment Day 1983.  I was tempted to tell you the story about how I ditched my girlfriend at the stadium that Kadooment morning in order to spend the day with another girl only to caught by my girlfriend in the arms of the said girl leaning up by Johno's Shop in Baxter's Road that night. However, as both ladies in question probably read this blog, I will not share the details of the resulting altercation. What I will share is one fact that I learnt from that incident that had stood me in good stead over the years...
An angry woman is surprisingly strong! Enough said.

I just realized that I could probably continue this reminiscing for a while. However, I am not sure of the statue of limitations relating to some of the incidents that I can share that occurred on Baxter's Road back in the day.  After over 30 years I will not impugn the integrity of some persons that are considered Barbados's most upstanding citizens today!

"Nostalgia is a file that removes the rough edges from the good old days."  Doug Larson

Soon, I will share with you the other pieces that I am working on for the Exhibition. I may even ask you to help me choose the final 3 pieces when I had identified the most likely 6.

As always, thank you for reading. I appreciate the comments and the kind words of encouragement. Until next time when I will share some more of my work and a little about what makes me tick, please leave a comment.  And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. To make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.

Mark Phillips

Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:-www.phillipsbajanart.com

Facebook Auction on August 10, 2018!

In continuing our efforts to offer you original works of art at the best possible price, we will be running an online silent auction on Facebook.

The items available are located in the “Online Silent Auction” Photo Album. Bids can be made in the comment section of each picture. Minimum bids for all items is $80.00 and subsequent bids increment a minimum of $10.00.

Bidding starts at 9.00 pm, 10 August and closes at 9.00 pm on 11 August 2018.

Please feel free to share this news with your friends!


To see the items, please Click Here.

Please see the Online Silent Auction Rules below for further details.



ONLINE SILENT AUCTION RULES

1. Bidding will be open from 9 p.m. August  10th, 2018 and close at 9pm August 11th, 2018.

2. By bidding in the Online Silent Auction, each bidder agrees to these auction rules.

3. Phillips Art reserves the right to add or withdraw items, without notice, to or from the Online Silent Auction.

4. To make a bid for an Online Silent Auction item, simply type your name and the amount you wish to bid in the comment section of the item picture on Facebook. The opening bid on each item must be at least the minimum bid of $80.00. Each subsequent bid must follow the minimum increment of $10.00. Any bids not adhering to this format will be declared invalid and voided.

5. In order to maintain confidentiality, bidders will need to email their contact information; including a phone number to mark@phillipsbajanart.com

6. There is no “upper limit” for your bids!

7. You may bid on any item in any Silent Auction section until the item is closed. All items will close at 9pm of the listed date. The official time will be based on the business computer in the Phillips Art studio.

8. Once the auction is declared closed, the last bid entered on the comment section that adheres to the designated increment shall constitute the winning bid and will so be marked. In the event of a dispute, the Online Silent Auction Chair (Mark Phillips) will act as the final authority.

11. Winning Bids will be posted on Facebook within 30 mins of the closed.

12. The winning bidder will be contacted to arrange payment (cash or cheque). Once payment has been processed, arrangements for pick-up/delivery of the item will be determined.

13. Payment for items purchased must be made in full. We accept cash, or personal cheques made payable to “Mark Phillips”. Invoices will be available upon request.

14. Any item left unclaimed will be offered to the next highest bidder and sold.

Christmas is coming up fast.

Give a gift of original Bajan Art!

Happy Bidding!!!

Country Church

"Country Church" An 11 x 14 Original Acrylic Painting by
Mark Phillips

This is where I am with this piece so far. Sorry about the quality of the photo. It was taken with a really cheap cell phone.

This is St. Martin's Anglican Church in the parish of St. Philip. Unfortunately, this church has been in the news lately.

The very day after I started this painting, I heard the news that Police was investigating what they suspected was a case of arson at St Martin’s Church. 

Apparently, someone set fire to the altar, two kneeling stools and a prayer book, leaving them extensively burnt. 

Burnt Prayer Book

St. Martin's Church was built in 1859 and sits on the site of the previous chapel school for the area. The chapel school was actually built in 1837.  The damaged altar, made from mahogany and interlaced with metal, was part of the church from the very beginning. I will not try to rationalize where a person's mind needs to be at to commit an act of sacrilege but this type of incident is happening way too often in a society that once boasted of being a Christian nation. 

Burnt Stool

Anyone that knows me, will attest that I am not a member of any church. Yet I can appreciate the value that churches provide in maintaining an orderly society. When I was still in High School, a church leader, in fact, a former Bishop of Barbados, told me, "Churches were there to control the ignorant". At the time, I was slightly offended by the condescending nature of this man of the cloth but as I have gotten older, I think that I understand what a 16-year-old me could not. As the influence of the Church wanes in Barbados, ignorance is running rampant in this country. 

Burnt Alter

Many years ago, I worked as a building contractor and I subcontracted a lot of carpentry work to an elderly Guyanese gentleman named Mr Carter. Being a more than decent woodworker myself, many times we would end up, just the two of us,  working on some particularly tricky or difficult job that we could not get finished to the perfection that we both sought. We would be 1/4 of an inch off-specification or a 90-degree angle would read 91and we would spend hours trying to correct a flaw that only the two of us would ever know was there. Eventually, Carter would turn to me and say, "Boss, let we done with this. It ain't no Church." That was our signal to call it quits. In his mind, the only structure that needed to be perfect was a Church! Where has that mentality gone? How did we get to a point where we live in a society where churches need alarm systems, burglar bars and security cameras?

To the technocrat, St. Martin's church is not considered a beautiful church. Many architectural "experts" consider the proportions of this church to be way off what is considered normal. Apparently, the roof is too steeply pitched and the bell tower is disproportionate to the structure. Even the windows in the structure seem to lack any uniformity in shape and size while the buttresses appear to be too small to accomplish the job for which they were built. However, despite the many architectural flaws, it is still one of my favourite Churches. I look at this building and it stands out as an important fixture of the landscape that has dominated its surroundings for almost 160 years. In my humble opinion, its imperfections make it special.

Many, many years ago, when I was still at school I think, I did a watercolour painting of this church. I have no idea where it is today. Most likely, my mother or one of my former girlfriends give it to someone as a gift. A few of my early works found homes that way! This is the only church that I have ever painted twice so I am going to wait until I am in the perfect frame of mind to finish it. This may be one of the works that I will keep in my personal collection, to be sold only after my death. We will see.

"I enjoy art, architecture, museums, churches and temples; anything that gives me insight into the history and soul of the place I'm in. I can also be a beach bum - I like to laze in the shade of a palm tree with a good book or float in a warm sea at sundown. " - Cherie Lunghi

As always, thank you for reading. I appreciate the comments and the kind words of encouragement. Until next time when I will share some more of my work and a little about what makes me tick, please leave a comment with what you think the title of the painting should be.  And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. To make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.

Mark Phillips

Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:-www.phillipsbajanart.com

Help! This painting needs a name.

???,  An11 x14 Original painting by Mark Phillips

I Need Your Help.

As most of you know, I am caught up in the beauty of Barbados in the summer. With the Flamboyant trees in full bloom in every parish, I am driving out about $50.00 in gas every day taking pictures all over the island. I have dozens to date! 

This is the latest. Those of you that frequent St. Philip will recognise this scene. One of the hardest things that I find to do these days is to come up with catchy titles for my work. I sat staring at this piece pondering what I was going to name it and then it hit me. Thousands of you read this blog and my posts on Facebook. Why not ask you to help. So, I am asking. Please leave a comment here or on Facebook and let me know what you think I should name this piece. The first piece in this collection is called "Flamboyant Avenue", and I am now putting the finishing touches on both of these. 

"Flamboyant Avenue", An 11 x 14 original painting by
Mark Phillips

I have also started work on another beautiful church with a Flamboyant tree in the yard! I will be sharing that with you soon. 

I will like to thank those of you who have contacted me about using my Easy Payment Plan.

It was a pleasure bringing the pieces for you to see first hand. Meeting all of you was the highlight of my week. 

I am constantly being told that my paintings look better than the photos I post of them. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, most of these photos are taken in my studio where the light is intentionally poor and secondly, the photos are taken with my cell phone set to the lowest resolution. This, along with the fact that I very seldom post pictures of the completely finished product, is to discourage unscrupulous persons from illegally using the images of my work for commercial purposes. I have no problem giving away my work but I try my best to stop people from stealing it.

You may be noticing that I am keeping these post shorter than usual these days. That is because I am neck deep in work. I have a few commission pieces working on and I am determined not to let them slow down my other scheduled work. I have been asked about giving classes, about what materials I use, among other things. I promise that I will address these questions and more in future posts. So until then, I will leave you with these words of wisdom from two great men.

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." Albert Einstein

"If you truly love Nature, you will find beauty everywhere." 

Vincent Van Gogh

As always, thank you for reading. I appreciate the comments and the kind words of encouragement. Until next time when I will share some more of my work and a little about what makes me tick, please leave a comment with what you think the title of the painting should be.  And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. To make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.

Mark Phillips

Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:-www.phillipsbajanart.com