Information about Purchasing

 

   On July 3rd (2008) we made changes to this page... we highly recommend that you read about these changes, they are a reflection of a changing economic environment, rising fuel costs, and the importance of keeping art in our lives.

For some art is a luxury purchase and for others it is an expression of who they are.  Tough economic times have caused many to curtail non-essential purchases in favor of meeting basic human needs. Some chose to decorate their homes with cheap imported art, which has resulted in more of our dollars going overseas instead of into our economy.  Just as with the stock market, this is the time to invest in quality American art at excellent prices.

   The economy combined with the impact of having to slow down has made certain changes necessary and wise.

   My belief has been that most art buyers want to see a sample of the artist's work before feeling comfortable with  a purchase via the webpage.  As fewer people come through the gallery doors it has become increasingly difficult to generate sufficient income to meet the indirect costs associated with maintaining a brick and mortar gallery... this is cause for change !  The low cost alternative to maintaining a facility is by expanding our virtual gallery on line.  In order to do this I must find ways to assure you that the art that you are considering is a quality work of art. To accomplish this we are willing to go well beyond normal expectations to provide the information and imaging you need to feel comfortable with your purchase.  If our on-line descriptions are not enough, feel free to challenge us to provide the information you need.

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Here is some information that I felt to be important for you - the potential buyer - to know about purchasing art, "rarities" and custom framing from the Steele Pointe Art Gallery, Art Brokerage and Custom Frame Studio...

bullet  This site is set up as a balanced commercial venture to benefit both the artists and the Steele Pointe Gallery.  Each artist - with whom we have an agreement for the purchase and/or sale of his or her art - has been provided with a small internal gallery on this site for the showing of a sampling of their artwork. Because many of the artists have larger collections of art than we can provide room for on this site, we have linked our site to theirs to facilitate a fuller viewing of their artwork. Those without links either do not have a web-presence or have websites located on their employer's servers (i.e. university servers) and cannot grant public access.
 
bullet  Each of our artists has agreed to allow the gallery to be the "flow through" for the purchase of their art by Gallery viewers. In exchange for the visibility and marketing the artist receives by the gallery representation the artist has agreed to provide the Gallery with a percentage of the sale price... The Steele Pointe Gallery has limited the maximum it will receive from a sale to 25%. As many of you may know, from your association with artists and galleries, most galleries charge the artist between 35% and 50%.  As the price of the artwork increases the Gallery percentage decreases, with a bottom line percentage of 5% on very expensive works.  As a potential buyer you benefit from this self-limitation, our percentages are not forcing artists to raise their asking prices to offset out-of-sight gallery percentages... our artists - rightfully - receive more for their creativity.
 
bullet  As a buyer, we (the gallery and the artists) ask you to always go through the Gallery to make your purchases... why?  Because the Gallery has a stake in your overall satisfaction... (1) we want to make sure you get the art or items that you are asking to purchase, (2) we want to make sure that the quality of the product and all descriptions associated with the item are accurate, as we (the gallery and artist) have presented them to you on the Gallery and artist's webs008)ites, (3) we want to insure that the items receives careful and appropriate handling, and, that the items arrives at your location in the same condition that they left ours, and, (4) we need to insure that the Gallery-Artist agreement is not jeopardized and that our gallery-artist relationship remains intact... a damaged relationship could result in the artist's work possibly being made unavailable to future viewers.
 
bullet  Purchasing an artist's work of art through the Gallery's website can mean additional savings for you... for instance artist, photographer Dave Levingston may have a $200 price tag on one of the limited edition prints you found on his website... the Gallery, through our relationship with Dave, can sell you the same print for $190.  What you don't know is that Dave has had to increase the price of his print to $200 because of a 45% gallery commission at a gallery displaying his artwork in another state.  If the print is sold through this Gallery, you will get a $10 reduction in the price of the print and Dave will receive nearly $40 more for his work than he would have received if he had sold the print through the "other" gallery.  In almost all cases, the bottom line cost of the item purchased through the Gallery will result in a savings to you... and greater peace of mind !
 
bullet  Why don't we have a "shopping cart" system on this site ?  Actually the answer is pretty simple... a work of art that you see "off site" will not load into a shopping cart system on this site, so instead of offering a elusive patchwork system, we thought it best if you and I talked directly about your items of interest.  Our "Contact Us" section has both our phone and email address.
 
bullet  We accept Visa... Mastercard... Discover... American Express... and, PayPal transfers.