The art world’s in action, Art Market,Savvy dealers, Power players, player stealers.No more need to put out feelers

In the realm of established galleries and seasoned collectors, most of the major players already know each other and specific collectors' tastes, specifications, preferences, and budgets are pretty much a matter of record among those they do business with. When new arrivals come in, dealers examine them, make sure they're quality works, and then contact the most likely buyers. Selling art with a phone call makes far more sense than investing time, effort, money, and uncertainty to hang it, market it, and wait for likely buyers to walk through the gallery doors. Plus seasoned collectors are often willing to pay premiums for the right to quietly acquire the best art first. Contemporary art galleries build up new artists who only appear at auction later. So roaming the galleries is the way to pick up emerging talent. Getting to meet both established and young artists is one of the joys of collecting contemporary art, and that is done through galleries.Before buying think of where you will place the piece so that it has maximum effect. Art is made to be seen and not to end up in the garage. You can mix styles, eras and regions, but the pieces must speak to each other.

Don't confuse the size of an artist's listing in a dictionary or encyclopedia with the monetary value of his art. Long listings do not automatically mean big bucks, short ones don't always mean pocket change. Fair market values are based far more on supply and demand among dealers, collectors, and the state of the art market than they are on the amount of information that you find in biographical references. Buy what you like, not fashionable status symbols. You have to live with the works, their dividends should be the pleasure of looking at them.Do your homework by visiting galleries and studying auctions. Fairs are the way to compare a wealth of galleries under one roof. Auctions are transparent, providing collectors with benchmark prices that serve as a guide to how much collectors should be paying. Auction houses provide an enormous amount of price information on their websites.

There's an excitement in buying at auction, where enthusiasts compete against one another. But beware of auction fever when heated bidding can push prices to crazy levels. Set a maximum above which you will not go, and stick to it. This limit should take into account costs on top of the price at which a piece is hammered down. They include buyer's premium (commission paid to auction house) and, in many countries, a royalty for the artist's resale right. Always check the condition of your desired piece. The great majority of art is in the possession of its rightful owners, but under certain circumstances, if you get caught with stolen art, you are financially responsible for it's return and not the party who sold it to you. Laws and statutes vary from state to state and country to country. Know what the situation is where you live and do business. Also be aware that IFAR, the International Foundation for Art Research, maintains a stolen art database; you can always check with them if you have suspicions or just to be on the safe side.



The Ashok Art Gallery is internationally known for one of its most important holdings: more than 2000 major works by the world's most significant Artists.Over the past years, as Ashok Art Gallery has become a major centre for contemporary visual art, the Gallery has built a strong collection of contemporary work of different artists, we became a sponsor of the STANDUP-SPEAKOUT Artshow, Organized by Art Of Living Foundation and United Nations.Organized an International Contenmporary Art Exhibition including artists from USA, The Nederlands, Pakistan and India.We have also participated at Art Expo India 2008, 09 Mumbai and India Art Summit 2008 New Delhi.

Well behaved women, never make history....Sher Richardson

Sher Richardson(1956 – 2005) : Sher Richardson at a very early age found solitude in a box of Crayola Crayons and sheets of white paper. Born an only child in Dayton Ohio and raised in Columbus and Jackson Ohio she became a professional artist at an early age. Selling art to teachers who needed graphics, portrait work and creative ideas for class room projects and the like. Through middle school she maintained heavy schedule of art classes and drama. All the while looking for any excuse to paint and draw. As she moved into High School she found that her art was a way of self expression and a whole new world opened for her as she found others really valued her work. Participating in local, regional art shows, fairs and always winning first prize at many of the realms of art. From oil painting, acrylics, pencil, charcoal and pastels. She found great pleasure in her works but was amazed that others did too. Sher experimented with all to the point of perfection not only in technique but in a way of self expression to tell her story.

Every piece of art she did told something about her and her thoughts, look deeply into the eyes of many of her pieces and you will feel, you will touch, you will see. Sher quickly found in the shades of Gray and the contrast of Black and White true color. For in these shades the kaleidoscope of color is explosive off the page. As a gypsy artist, she would try anything that involved art. Wall murals, semi truck and trailer designs, t-shirt art, craft projects, designing cards, interior design, magazine advertising design, cartoons, commission work to even painting sulky horse buggy’s and helmets. Sher also went through the trials and tribulations of dealing with galleries to get her work exposed. While the galleries had quite a success she realized very few rewards from this endeavor. While taking time off from her art to raise a family of two children, one boy and one girl, in an undenying and most loving way and to support her husband’s career. She was never far from art. She learned the use of 35mm photography and even participating in "Artists in Schools" programs.In 1999 Sher made the decision to return back to her love of art and the need she had to express herself. This time it would be different, for the age of computers were here, the internet and other artists to communicate with, share ideas and grow. Explosions happened and I am sure were heard around the world. Sher started pounding out art for one reason… Her love of art to create, inspire and touch other artists.She began to write, paint, draw, read and study everything she could get her hands on. She worked 16 to 20 hours a day until she would crash and start again in 4 to 6 hours. She participated in art groups shared art and words of wisdom with thousands. She even started her own art group. Hand picking each artist from all realms of art. Sculptors, Painters, Poets, Pencil Artists, Photographers, Singers, Song Writers, Web Designers and creative minds. She had a plan. She wanted to build the first real gallery, of on-line artists, where all work could be seen without the collision of gallery business and art. A true artist gallery by artists for artists. Her opening was to be in late fall of 2005 and the Grand Opening in the spring of 2006. Sher Richardson died at the age of 49 in October of 2005, weeks before her opening.It is with dream and spirit I continue for that unfinished goal, for love conquerors all, between now and forever… Under tree… Jeff Richardson (husband of sher)

The Ashok Art Gallery is internationally known for one of its most important holdings: more than 2000 major works by the world's most significant Artists.Over the past years, as Ashok Art Gallery has become a major centre for contemporary visual art, the Gallery has built a strong collection of contemporary work of different artists, became a sponsor of the STANDUP-SPEAKOUT Art show, Organized by Art Of Living Foundation and United Nations.Organized an International Contenmporary Art Exhibition including artists from USA, The Nederlands, Pakistan and India.We have also participated at Art Expo India Mumbai and India Art Summit Delhi.

The young women painter has shown considerable aplomb and conception of significant form.Priyanka Gupta

An artist’s life and images are often responses to some pressing cultural and historical needs of the time one lives in and the artistic motivation drives the mind into a journey of discovery, exploration and learning. Priyanka Gupta comes from Kolkata, India, also called the ‘City of Joy’ for its people and the passion with which they lead their lives. This passion has undoubtedly found its way into her own conception and expression of the colors of life through the Art. Images unfold themselves in her works showing at Ashok Art Gallery clearly shows the assimilation of what environmental experiences have to offer in concentrated form. Whenever she confront a blank surface, she goes through all the terror and agony of stepping into an ‘unknown’. What become the directives to the birth of an image are Priyanka’s

thoughts and emotions, her readings and observations, her beliefs and values and the vast compilations of past experiences. Once she said,” When I do my abstracts, I am curious about the possibility of exploring myself.”

Some artists seem to have gained from lack of formal training in handling the brush. Priyanka Gupta happens to be one. She is an abstract artist and has done some real impressive work of that genre. Priyanka has a strong visual perception of the structural aspects of abstract imagery. She is mature enough to see her way through the interpenetrating tangle of shapes directly visible, and those imaginable but not present physically. There is some evidence that Priyanka sought first to explore the world of the visible and saw possibilities of subjecting images to aesthetic distortion. This was the first step in her journey towards virtual reality, composed of non-representational but visually/ cerebral persuasive bits and pieces of imagery. The young painter has shown considerable aplomb and conception of significant form. She has exhibited internationally number of times at different major cities with a great response and her works will be at special exhibit in coming India Art Summit 2008 by Ashok Art Gallery. - Samir Dasgupta

The Ashok Art Gallery is internationally known for one of its most important holdings: more than 2000 major works by the world's most significant Artists.Over the past years, as Ashok Art Gallery has become a major centre for contemporary visual art, the Gallery has built a strong collection of contemporary work of different artists. Last year we became a sponsor of the STANDUP-SPEAKOUT Artshow, Organized by Art Of Living Foundation and United Nations.Organized an International Contenmporary Art Exhibition including artists from USA, The Nederlands, Pakistan and India.We have also participated at Art Expo India 2008 Mumbai and India Art Summit 2008 New Delhi.