There are select galleries that represent and carry my work.
- Martin & MacArthur Galleries- Hawaiian Islands (808) 845-6688
- Wexler Gallery in Philadelphia, PA (215) 923-7030
I have a few pieces in my shop that are for sale, and clients can contact me to schedule a visit, view or commission work. I have common pricing if clients order finished work directly from me or through a gallery. Generally, a custom made piece of furniture takes between two months and two years to complete, and I produce between 2 to 5 pieces per year. Custom commissions have gone to private clients, decorators, exhibited in select galleries/museums, public art, in the USA and abroad.
Structuring and ordering a custom piece of art or furniture:
- What is the piece, what will it be used for, how big is it?
- What does the client like as far as styles or periods? (Italian Renaissance, Art nouveau, Deco, Regency, Green and Green, Contemporary, Oriental… )
- Do clients respond to any particular piece in my portfolio?
- What is the feeling that they want to convey? Light and airy, solid, natural, serious, engaging, involved, complex, interesting, rotund, massive, lively, dynamic…
- Select imagery that the client might be attracted to: such as specific flowers, vines, geometric patterns, natural free-flowing designs, colorful modern, ribbons structured or unstructured…
- The lighting of the area, direct exposure to sunlight, the overall color of the piece? (light or dark woods)
- Room dimensions, pictures of the proposed location…
- Budget and Timeline.
Estimating Project costs:
The client should be aware that the final cost of a project will depend on the scope and complexity of the job. For example, the Jewelry box(#10) $2200, Ribbon High Cabinet (#14) $11,700, Blackberry Table with Chairs(#27) $98,000, Library Table (#3) $72,000, Rose Dresser(#53) $34,600. Projects with solid gold metal trim, bone, metal, Pietra dure, precious stone or gem inlay, large or intricate marquetry patterns and custom made mechanical devices can contribute to the final cost.
Once I have all the information and visuals, I will loft a sketch of two or three ideas, and send them to the client. Normally this initial design fee is $350 to $1000, depending upon the research required, scale and complexity. Larger fixture collaborative work or designing custom interiors will be billed at time and material. Once the client reviews the sketches, client contacts my studio with their acceptance, revisions, questions, and feedback, and an approximation of cost can be estimated. More conceptual ideas with sketches and a follow upscale drawing may generate additional design fees.
If the client accepts the drawing with only minor design revisions to be made, a contract is drawn up with the estimated delivery time and sent to the client. A deposit, which is broken into 1/3 of the full cost if over $10,000.- and 1/2 if the full cost is under $10,000.
The Build:
I normally create full-scale mechanical drawings by hand or in cad, a full size rendering of the marquetry inlay is drawn and we make a live, finished sample of the proposed woods and stone to be used. At this point, an exact material and labor project cost can be estimated and how long it will take to build and deliver it. The final price of a project is normally be the same whether it comes through a gallery, decorator or directly from me, and will not include taxes, shipping or installation. The second payment is requested when project is approximately 1/2 complete and the final payment needs to be received before the piece is shipped. Price of crating/shipping is quoted out to the client at cost.
Shipping prices:
The cost of shipping can fluctuate from one week to the next. (Gas prices, available space in truck…) I always have the shipping company include their internal cost of insurance against damage or loss, since they seem to take better care of the item this way (the cost is usually less than 1% of the total value). The piece is inspected by the shippers prior to packaging, and it is the client’s responsibility to inspect, note any damage upon delivery and notify the shipper (in writing) of such damage. Also, I always like the client to call me after the piece is delivered to give me any comments, feedback and so on. A gallery would normally coordinate delivery time between shipper and client and would do a follow-up call once the piece has been received, and handle any problems that may occur.
I find through my experience that this method of creating custom commissions has worked well in the 35 years I have been building art and furniture and gives security to everyone involved. Let me know if this is something you wish to pursue, and let us see what we can create!