Outsider Art: Doug Odom, “Girl with Doll” is one of two Odom paintings offered at The 31 Gallery.

I have to admit, I couldn’t stay away from the Glenview art show yesterday. This urge to return to tell the two wonderful ladies at the show I had written about in the previous blog overtook me.  I’m very hopeful my readers will follow these artists, because I think their art will be searched out in the future by collectors and will survive the test of time. While I wasn’t looking for thanks, they thanked me so much, and I assured them this wasn’t going to be the last time they heard from me.

While my opinions from the previous day remain the same, there were a few of the artist who caught my eye again once I returned, but they were the same ones as before. And, while this is just one man’s opinion, this is all I can write about from the show. However, I did meet up with an old friend who was exhibiting, and I can once again say he was the hit of the show. I mentioned in yesterday’s blog I would write about this special artist today.

He is perhaps the best known outsider artist around. His paintings are unique, and I knew I wasn’t alone in my opinion when I stood in his booth, crowded with people commenting in awe and with excitement in their voices as they viewed his work for the first time. Once you see one of his paintings, you can’t help but comment on it. His name is Doug Odom, and one of the things I like best about his work is that it appeals to both children and adults.

Doug had became a friend of mine almost a year ago. In fact, he was a guest in my home and I got to spend some quality time with him. However, our friendship doesn’t reflect in my judgment of his talent, which is huge. I never tire of his good old boy demeanor as he tells his audience about life in lower Alabama. Whether you wear a suit or blue jeans, you’ll stop and listen to what Doug is saying. I overheard a conversation between Doug and a gentleman in his booth that made me, as well as everyone else roar with laughter. The man asked Doug if he had an e-mail address, and Doug replied, “Not in Alabama.”

“How about a phone number?”

“Not one you could reach me on,” Doug replied.

By this time, I could see from the gentleman’s face he was getting frustrated, but it was then Doug told him, “I can tell you where I live.”

“Are you sure,” the man asked tongue in cheek, and the crowed gave out a huge laugh.

If you know me, I’m sure you’ll know by know that one of my stories is coming about this point, so here goes: As I was making my way toward Doug’s booth, I noticed a man carrying a very large painting, but it was facing away from me. I walked around the man because I thought I recognized it. Sure enough, it was one of Doug’s works I’ll call “The Yellow School Bus.” You see, I had seen him working on this piece the day before. At that time, it was just this large yellow bus with children riding on it. While I hung around his booth, I noticed that as children approached this painting he would ask them if they’d like to ride on the bus. If their answer was yes, he’d ask where they wanted to sit. You might have guessed, but when they told Doug where they wanted to sit, he’d paint them into the piece right where they chose to sit and added their name to the piece.

So, when I arrived at Doug’s booth, I thought I’d have a little fun with him. He saw me and I started looking around at the paintings. “Where’s my painting,” I asked Doug?

“Which one,” he asked?

“The Yellow School Bus.”

He thought for a moment, then pointed up the aisle and said, “It went that away.”

I couldn’t help but tell him I’d seen the man carrying it, and Doug told me it was going into a museum. Keep a keen eye out for Doug’s work because people haven’t yet fully recognized how unique it is. Our gallery has two of his pieces available and you can view them here.

Put a Turbo Charge on your Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills. Join Daryle Lambert’s 31 Club.

Get FREE MENTORING. Learn the Fine Art and Antique Industry Insider Secrets that can help you make money trading in these treasures. Then Learn to Grow Your Money Exponentially Buying and Selling only Antiques, Fine Art, and Collectibles with Daryle’s Strategic Business Plan. Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers, making more money than they thought possible. Join Daryle Lambert’s 31 Club, today.

My 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your membership. Join Today!

Check out the new Paintings and new items in our Gallery and Marketplace here.

Wallace Weir Fahnestock (Vermont, 1877-1962) original oil on canvas of offered at 31 Gallery

Why has the price of good art continued to rise regardless of what the economy does? If you’re like me, you might have wondered why this is true. I have seen the figures, and it’s evident that good art has been the best investment over the years, surpassing most other types of financial investments. When I see paintings selling for 250 Million or more, I can’t help but believe this is true.

“Follow the growing trends,” was one of the first lessons I learned as a stockbroker, so in applying this to the Antique and Fine Art field, you’d have to say the trend is definitely up, and that’s where we should be dealing.

I have encouraged all our members to study and do research on art and artists that interest them. Personally, I have made more money with my art purchases than from any other items. This being so, I suggest you spend the time necessary to educate yourself in the field of art. This doesn’t mean for you to abandon all you other research, but to include it whether or not it’s your favorite area. I try to be familiar with a great number of artists, but I spend extra amounts of time studying groups of artists, such as Kentucky Artists or Artists of the West. Choose whatever interests you most.

So why is good art selling at the skyrocketing prices it does? I think I might have partly figured one reason after I attended a very large Art Show yesterday. As I walked through booth after booth, I realized all the works seemed the same to me. There were lots of large canvases and bright colors, but one just faded into the next. Then I had a strange thought: These must be props for department store windows. Sounds crazy, I know. I guess what I was really thinking was that these pieces were so very commercial and lacking in artistic mastery. Nothing made me say, Wow! The pieces selling at this large art show had selling prices from $500-$3,000 and I truly believe if someone tried to re-sell one of these a year from now, they’d be lucky to sell it for $150.

Then a thought hit me. Where are we going to get great works of art in the future? The lack of contemporary works to appreciate in the future or the lack of works that will be sought after by future collectors was evident to me. It will have to be from the secondary markets. This only reinforced my belief in the trend showing the prices of good art, purchased in the secondary markets, escalating with no end in sight.

This is also why we should pursue good artwork to sell. I hope you won’t think this is just an old man’s opinion. Good art will last over time, but bad art will always be bad art. What does an up trend in the art market mean for 31 Club Members? Your time spent becoming knowledgeable in the art area will be time well spent and profitable. Having said that, below you’ll find some general rules and guidelines for buying and selling fine art.

5 General Rules to Buying and Selling Paintings and Fine Art

1. Oil Paintings, as a rule, bring the most money.

2. Size matters. Larger paintings usually bring the most money, but not always.

3. Watercolor Paintings and Drawings follow oil paintings for value in that order. Prints are usually last in value.

4. The Artist’s record of sales prices is very important, and his mark (the highest price paid for one of his pieces) will usually be very important in the future prices for his work.

5. Buy the best art you can afford.

Remember, these are general rules, and with any rule, there are always exceptions. Keep this in mind as a guideline and always do your research.

The secondary market for high quality artworks is where you and I can affect our future plans in the art and antique business most. When we buy the best art we can afford, we will always have customers. It may take a little more time to present a piece to the point where a customer will see it, but when he does, he will pay the asking price. This is the function of the 31 Club Gallery and Marketplace. Over the last couple of weeks, we sold a $5,000 painting and a vase for $3,750. Now is the time to start having the marketplace represent your quality pieces, because buyers are searching our site for good works of art and other high quality antiques & collectibles.

Put a Turbo Charge on your Antique & Collectible Treasure Hunting Skills. Join Daryle Lambert’s 31 Club.

Get FREE MENTORING. Learn the Fine Art and Antique Industry Insider Secrets that can help you make money trading in these treasures. Then Learn to Grow Your Money Exponentially Buying and Selling only Antiques, Fine Art, and Collectibles with Daryle’s Strategic Business Plan. Our Members are Newbies to Seasoned Dealers, making more money than they thought possible. Join Daryle Lambert’s 31 Club, today.

My 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your membership. Join Today!

Check out the new Paintings and new items in our Gallery and Marketplace here.