July 18th, 2008
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Web Based Bingo World
Cyberspace bingo is getting increasingly trendy in the English speaking world. Following up on the fresh smoking ban, a legion of old-fashioned bingo meeting places went bust – this has resulted in a legion of establishments submitting world wide web bingo as another possibility. Movie stars’ encouragement from the likes of S. and J. Osbourne have been of great assistance in touching up the popularity of virtual bingo – to the tune of almost 3-4 million punters at present having a recurrent game.
Currently, you’ll discover a number of world wide web bingo webpages, all advancing their visitors mega cool cash prizes and a limitless amount of other exclusive rewards, such as new cars, sports event tickets not to mention luxury holidays. Another attractive thing about world wide web bingo is that anyone can have a bash at it 247, provided you have access to an Internet hub. Games being triggered almost ever minute, you can opt to fit bingo gracefully with usual life. People are bound to have suppose that the social quality of bingo would likely suffer as caused by the decline of the old-fashioned bingo meeting places, but, instead, English speaking bingo fans have patently proven the critical voices wrong! Expanding numbers have started to register at the chatrooms offered by a passel of world wide web bingo establishments.
Here you can meet a good number of new friends, gain from select contests and become fully immersed in a group of bingo afficionados. Independently conducted research have also shown that you are more likely to rake up £1million when playing ‘net bingo as weighed against other forms of laying a bet such as the draws and sports betting. If you become a little bit tired of bingo, more than a few world wide web bingo webpages provide a great array of side games. These may be anything from slot games, right through to caption games and comic examinations. Faced with so many alternatives, it can be difficult to decide which bingo company will cater to your demands the best. It is worth the effort to perform some high level research and discover who is currently proposing to the most appealing promos. Uncountable world wide web bingo webpages will authorise you to go for a number of free world wide web bingo games or reciprocate players’ cash deposits 1:1 or better.
If any pals of yours have already selected a particular world wide web bingo web site, you may want to think about doing the same because the chatting and networking side will add to the recreation!
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July 14th, 2008
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DO
- Find the time to organise the party yourself. Get help from family or friends if you need it, because a child’s party is at least a two person job. Parents know that it takes time to organise a child’s party, which has lead to the trend for hired party organisers. But such events lack the personal touch and cost a fortune. A good kid’s party should not cost a lot: it’s your love and imagination that will win the day with your child, not your money.
- Let your child in on the planning. Learning to plan is all part of growing up, and who better than your child to tell you what children like.
- Think twice before running an activity party such as rock climbing at the local gym/sports facility. The cost can be very high per head, and you’ll often find kids who are not interested in the activity. Then what do you do with them for the next hour?
- Have a theme and stick to it from the invitations, to the children’s dress, the decorations, through the fun and games and into jelly and ice cream. You need to create a unified experience, whether it is super heroes, outer space, dinosaurs or cartoon characters. A themed party will definitely streamline your planning and it will give you ideas for activities, whereas running an unconnected series of games is to invite chaos. Being a parent is hard enough.
- Consider your child’s interests when picking your theme. Horses, rockets, cartoons, football… Let his or her interests be a guide.
- Spend time thinking about the birthday invitations. See the invitation as the first party activity and set up anticipation and excitement. Invitations with a gift are a good idea. A pirate party invite with an eye patch, or football party invite with a football chocolate. Balloons with hidden invites are always a winner.
- Dress for the part. Where is the magic when the pirate games master is dressed in jeans and a t-shirt? Or worse, in a shirt and tie?
- Set off with a bang. A good idea at the start, when everyone is gathered round, is to reinforce the theme with something visual, and incorporate a little gift. For example, pirates get a pirate medallion, cowboys get neck scarves. Then it’s into something energetic like a relay race, obstacle course, followed by something creative and calming, then something active, and so on. In this way, you can to moderate energy levels during the party.
- Let the children have a small snack early on to keep energy levels up.
- Keep your party short, but active. Two hours is fine. If you keep it short, the children’s experience will be richer and they will enjoy things so much more than if you drag things out. Your child has a reputation to keep after all, and having parents who throw a good party is important, stupid.
- Plan for quick changes in activity and focus. Kids will love it if there is always something new to do, so plan a selection of activities. Jumping from one to the next is the key to success. As a guide, plan for one activity for each 15 minutes of party time, and have two or three as backup.
- Keep the prizes and surprises coming, and give the children a goal in doing the activity. For example, ‘the first one to find five chocolate eggs gets…’
- Aim to have the children go wishing the party had never ended. The end is all about show biz and pizzaz. Have the pile of coats and goodie bags all ready before this final activity, then fill the final minutes with spectacle. You could release helium balloons, or run a silly race. Do anything that will send the kids off with smiles on their faces and leave one on yours.
- Stay relaxed and enjoy yourself. Yes, you have to make the whole thing run smoothly but make sure you enjoy yourself. You are running a birthday party not a trade conference.
DON’T
- Let your child pressure you into an overly complicated or expensive event at a local restaurant complex, with all manner of fee charging special entertainers. Your child is a consultant, you are the parent. Have the party at home, space allowing, where you can control it, and have maybe one entertainer if you think it necessary. Remember that you can create sufficient fun and excitement in your own back garden with careful planning and high energy on the day.
- Greet arriving guests at your child’s dinosaur themed party by charging out the front door dressed as Godzilla, roaring like a formula one car. If you do, things will most likely start with tears when some of the more nervous guests don’t see the funny side of this six foot terror coming down the garden path.
- Forget to write down your plan. Know where you’re going and what’s next. As any teacher will tell you (your author has ten years teaching experience) once a child loses confidence in the games master, non-cooperation and trouble are never far away.
- Forget to add a bit of make believe. If your theme is pirates and treasure, build up the story. ‘You are shipwrecked, but all is not lost because you have found a clue to the location of the magic coconut. Find the coconut, knock it off the perch and…’
- Forget to allow enough time for jelly and ice cream. Twenty minutes should be fine.
- Try to reinvent the wheel. The tried and tested party games like relays and treasure hunts are so popular because they work. You can always build in more novel ideas around them, but have the tried and tested activities central to your plan. They will save the day.
- Don’t listen to anyone who tells you nonsense rules about how many children should attend for a 5 year old, how many for a 6 year old. Ask your child who they want to invite and take it from there, keeping things manageable. Make sure that no one important is left out due to a recent children’s argument, and make sure you don’t have a room full of strangers.
- Forget to ask the invitees’ parents for an RSVP/reply by a certain date then follow up with a phone call.
- Panic. Expect the unexpected because it will happen, and you will just have to adapt. Such is the lot of the parent.
Okay, that is your lot. If I have missed anything out, let me know. Good luck with the party!
© Stephen Turner 2006.
Stephen Turner has set up an information and resource website called Birthday Invitation. On the site you’ll find loads of birthday invitation information and advice, articles, features, discussion and specially chosen links to other birthday invitation websites, so please take a look. Stephen would also welcome your feedback on the site: click on the contact link on the site. This article may be reproduced in its original form provided that the author’s copyright note and this ‘author resource box’ paragraph are displayed below the article.
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July 14th, 2008
Spam. Those annoying, time-consuming emails that clog your Inbox and ruin your day. You wonder: How did it ever get so bad? While it’s not possible to completely eliminate spam, there are quite a few things you CAN do about the problem to reduce your burden.
Spam is defined as an unsolicited email trying to get you to buy something. In addition, it’s email that tries to get you to give up something: your credit card number, social security number, login ID, etc., by pretending to be a legitimate email. Here are some tips for stopping the current spam you’re getting, and avoiding getting on new spam lists.
1. Maintain two email addresses: a Personal Email Address (that you give to family, friends and business associates), and a Safe Email Address (one you use whenever you’re ordering something online, signing up for an email newsletter, or creating a profile on a website).
For instance, I use a Hotmail account for my Safe Email Address. If a spammer were to get a hold of that address, fine. All the spam will go into my Hotmail account, which I only look at once a week. Hotmail has a great anti-spam filter built in, so it’s easy to see what’s spam and what’s not. This practice leaves my personal email account relatively spam-free (maybe I get two spam emails a day to my personal account). Some free email services include Hotmail, Yahoo and GMail (Google’s new email service).
2. Use your Safe Email Address to send emails to companies who might be harvesting email addresses from incoming emails. For example, say you want to write to a company to ask them about their products. Some companies will harvest your email address from the email you send to them, and put you on their mailing list. By using your Safe Email Address, you can avoid seeing messages from these companies come to your personal email address.
3. Stop giving your email address to everyone who wants it. Does your local bank really need your email address? Does your grocery store need it? Just because someone asks for it doesn’t mean you have to give it to them. If it’s a non-local company, or you are signing up for a mailing list, then they probably do need it. But it’s okay to leave the email address blank when filling out forms. Always ask yourself, Do I want to be contacted by this company via email? (Speaking of mailing lists, make sure the companies you subscribe to have a public, posted Privacy Statement on their website.)
4. Do not put your Personal Email Address on your website. Instead, use a form so that your email address is hidden. However, some spammers use special software that looks at the HTML code hidden in the form to steal your email address, so using a form by itself isn’t always the safest route. Better yet, use a free Form Processor so that your email address is never even in the HTML coding on your pages.
The service I use is Bravenet’s Form processor (www.bravenet.com). You can see ours in action here: http://www.passionforbusiness.com/send-email.htm
5. Never buy anything that’s sent through a spam email. First, it just encourages them to continue to spam. Second, it tells them that your email address is accurate, and they can then sell that address to someone else.
6. Never reply to spam and ask to be unsubscribed. They’ll just ignore it anyway, and it tells them that your email address is accurate, which just keeps you on the list. Note: many legitimate emails newsletters and mailing lists use automated unsubscribe links at the bottom of their emails, and you CAN use these to get off of mailing lists.
7. Use anti-spam software, like Norton Internet Security, on your own PC to filter spam as it comes into your email system. You still receive the spam, but it gets filtered to a Junk Mail or Bulk Mail folder, and segregates the spam from the legitimate email. Most anti-spam filters need to be trained, however, so you’ll have to occasionally tell the filter that something is NOT spam that it inadvertently put into the Junk Mail folder. Many of these anti-spam filters work on the principle of White Lists (legitimate email addresses that you DO want to receive email from) and Black Lists (spammer email addresses that you do NOT want to receive email from). Learn how to train your anti-spam software and it will work wonders for you.
8. Check to see if your ISP or hosting company has anti- spam technology in place, to catch spam before it even hits your Inbox. Be careful, though, because sometimes these filters are over-zealous and you have to train it to accept emails from mailing lists that you have subscribed to.
9. Do not use a catch-all email address. A catch-all email address is set up if you have your own website, and it is intended to catch all of the incoming emails sent to your domain even if there is no legitimate mailbox by that name. For example, your email address might be mary@mydomain.com. If that mailbox is set up as a catch all, and someone sends an email to marie@mydomain.com (with a spelling mistake in the email name), it will be forwarded to mary@mydomain.com. However, spammers know about catch-all email addresses, and will take your domain name mydomain.com and add common prefixes to it, like info@ or admin@. If you have a catch- all, then those spamming emails will come to you, even if you don’t have a legitimate mailbox of info@mydomain.com or admin@mydomain.com set up with your hosting company. See how easy it is for spammers to get to you?
10. Finally, if spam is really bad, create a new personal email address for yourself, tell everyone about the new address (give them several reminders that you are changing email addresses), then delete the old personal email address. This may seem a little drastic, but if you receive 200 spam emails a day, it might be time to time this final step to eradicate it.
You are not powerless against spam. But you do have to take action to fight back. Don’t let them bully you into accepting hundreds of unwanted emails a day! Take action now to reclaim your Inbox!
About The Author
Karyn Greenstreet is a Self Employment expert and small business coach. She shares tips, techniques and strategies with self-employed people to boost clarity and focus, create sustainable motivation, and increase sales and profits. Visit her website at www.PassionForBusiness.com
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July 13th, 2008
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The RAZR2 V9 is somewhat uninspiring compared to other products built by Motorola. Compared to some other mobile phones for the price the RAZR2 V9 is quite functional, if a little basic. Like other similar models from Motorola the design is quite cutting edge and would be appealing to a broad range of users.
Getting on to the display the mobile handset is fitted with a 2.2 inch screen, which, if you look at what else you can get for this price is a pretty average size display. The display type on this phone is a TFT, 256K colors. This mobile phone is bluetooth enabled so it is compatible with a range of accessories. Polyphonic, MP3 ring-tones are enabled on the Motorola RAZR2 V9 along with a vibrating alert. A Li-Ion 950 mAh, battery is supplied with the Motorola RAZR2 V9. Regarding battery cell duration the Motorola RAZR2 V9 has 260 hours standby time and 1:30 talk time. The Motorola RAZR2 V9 weighs in at 125 g We found the RAZR2 V9 small and comfortable to carry. The Motorola RAZR2 V9 supports 2G GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 and 3G HSDPA 850 / 1900 – US version. A 2 MP, 1600×1200 pixels, video(QCIF) camera is integrated into the RAZR2 V9 camera. A WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML (Opera 8), browser allows this mobile handset to be used for mobile Internet access. Additional features of the Motorola RAZR2 V9 include, Built-in handsfree, Organizer, Java MIDP 2.0, Voice memo, Video calling and download, Calculator and MP3/AAC/AAC+ player.
Regardless of being a pretty new model, the Motorola RAZR2 V9 faces a lot of competition from similar or better products on the market. This means it is pretty easy to find a fantastic deal on this handset. Due to the rise of the Internet it has never been simpler or as cost competitive to purchase a mobile. Buying online can save you a lot of money, it is even possible to get 12 months half price line rental on the Motorola RAZR2 V9 , which, if you are clever will not cost a cent.
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July 13th, 2008
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Trains are something that people think as very uncomplicated and very fast to use, there’s no fuss checking in, waiting to pick up your luggage and going through scary security checkpoints when you are trying to get to Madrid. It is simply magnificent. So you just go into the train station, look for your rail platform and then you are travelling.
Trains are also somewhat green friendly sorts of general public transport. This is because public transport can often take big amounts of customers at any one time. By transporting so many clients compared to the identical number of cars and motorbikes it would take to drive them all, the pollution is notably smaller as a whole. Trains are excellent compared to automobiles.
It is regularly going to be necessary to get from this country to the next by whatever means are probable and if this requires picking public transport for the reason that it has a decreased C02 output than a fuel guzzling plane, then this is a tremendous decision to have, some may say its a considerable choice. So it is attainable to go on a journey by rail and continue to be be eco friendly. These days it is conceivable to go by train to the majority of places in Europe including The Netherlands.
So if you yourself wish to keep your greenhouse emissions to a minimum, there’s no contest, going by train is super compared to by car. Going by rail is a relatively eco-friendly type of travel, and it is very easy to stay safe on public transport if people use common sense. The next time you desire to travel, see if you yourself can use a train or another sort of transportation to reduce and cut down on greenhouse gases. A little investigating has identified that jetting between Manchester, Paris and Brussels generates over eleven times more fuel than transporting by the Euro star, assuredly this is reason enough to travel by public transportation, when you can.
Using the public transport for sightseeing trips is an incredible way to reduce your carbon emissions, and clients may desire to bring that same forward thinking towards your work journey to work. Although travelling by rail has become more popular in the last 4 years, there is however an enormous % of passengers that take their car to the office. Discover why holidays by public transport are so good for the environment, European Rail Travel.
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July 8th, 2008
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Proper washing of double dildos is essential to avoid nasty transmission or infection. of sexual diseases. Whilst some sexual infections die once the body fluid the sexual disease lives in evaporates. other STIs such as Hep B and scabies should survive for days or months outside of the crotch area. If people desire to stop pregnancy, it is additionally prominent to take off any sperm that can often be on the sensual aid before playing near or in the love tunnel. It?s principal to store the sensual aid instructions for disinfecting the double dildo and to follow them properly. If you yourself feel that washing the sexual toy reasonably would be too much hard work or time consuming for you, consider obtaining a different vibrator. The data provided just below presents a very general overview for washing particular kinds of vibrators and is not meant to replace the marital aid manufacturer?s instructions. You can always get a bargain with Cheap Dildos.
For basic dildo care, remove any batteries. Use a damp, soapy rag to disinfect your dongs, preferably with anti-infection cleaner. Please never dunk electrical components in water. Keep sensual aids stored in a bag or draw to keep it dry and in a cool, dry place. Vibrators can be superb toys to play with so please make sure gents are safe and clean with your sessions with sex toy cleansers.
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July 7th, 2008
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Many believe that Hilary Clinton is for illegal immigration and believe that the Republicans will use the illegal immigration issue to split her base of supporters. IE if you are for illegal immigration then vote for Hilary Clinton and if you are against illegal immigration vote Republican.
My thoughts are that Hilary is a Centrists, don’t kid yourself, she is not for “Illegal Immigration” she is for “legal immigration.” She is staying away from Fringe and anything that would upset voters. She has an excellent chance to win the election if she runs for President, because she seems to get it, that is to say all sides of the issue. She is a very smart cookie. It would take someone one hell of a Republican Ticket to beat her, but so far we see no one like that who appears to be going for the Republican Ticket for the next Presidential Election. Those who attempt to do a media hit to Demonize Hillary, will be sorry. You cannot attack a woman like the current attack ads without pissing off all women. She has done well or has perceived to have done well in NY as a Senator and she is well liked by 46% of Americans or more.
Plus the Clinton’s have the blessing of the World Community Leaders and background elite. You might be very surprised how deep and how may countries that depth runs too. Underestimation of either Clinton is dumb move and I understand from friends that their daughter is also a smart one too, as her chapter maybe written in the future annals of history, as well. No one should be underestimating Hilary Clinton right now, to do so is not a smart move. Think on it.
“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
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July 6th, 2008
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It is a transfer of an interest in land, from the owner to the mortgage lender, on the condition that this interest will be returned to the owner of the real estate when the terms of the mortgage have been satisfied or performed.
Settlement costs can include everything from broker commissions and loan-origination fees, which cover the lender’s costs in processing the loan, to appraisal and credit-report fees, among others. Many of these fees are fixed but some can be negotiated.
While a mortgage in itself is not a debt, it is evidence of a debt of 8 percent. And of course, each loan and each borrower are different. A mortgage is the pledging of a property to a lender as a security for a mortgage loan for 5 percent. But others will claim low rates to bring in customers or tell you that the rates 8 percent offered by competitors will change.
Go for new real estate with geld lenen met negatieve bkr registratie, 284318 euro .
Both banks and brokers have their strengths and weaknesses. See which lenders are charging fees 4 percent and for how much. See mortgage loan for residential mortgage lending, and commercial mortgage for lending against commercial property. Some will quote you precise, competitive rates 4 percent. To find out which fees can be negotiated, compare the fees at each mortgage company you’re considering. Arranging a mortgage is seen as the standard method by which individuals and businesses can purchase residential and commercial real estate without the need to pay the full value immediately. So how do you find a lender or broker you can trust? Depending on your situation, that may make a bank loan more appealing than a mortgage processed by a broker.
Different lenders charge different fees. In other words, the mortgage is a security for the loan that the lender makes to the borrower. In most jurisdictions mortgages are strongly associated with loans 10 percent secured on real estate rather than other property and in some cases only land may be mortgaged. Although most mortgage experts say that rates 10 percent are pretty much the same wherever you go, give or take this tiny 10 percentage. Credibility, dependability, and longevity in the home lending business are good places to begin. Brokers work with many mortgage bankers and, as a result, can sometimes find slightly more competitive rates 11 percent perhaps lower but dealing directly with a mortgage banker can move a loan along more quickly. Start with credibility. It’s not easy to know if the prices quoted by lenders are reliable. Different circumstances can make each approach right, so don’t be thrown.
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July 6th, 2008
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Ka Band VSAT* satellite internet technology has enormous possibilities for telecommuters, rural locations and eventually for Motor Home users around the U.S. – if it works! Ka Band satellite internet is an all new approach to sending and receiving internet traffic from space (satellites used for internet are at least 23,000 miles from Earth). *Very small aperture terminal.
The key improvements in Ka band technology from the “blanket” approach used up to now are:
1. Ka Band employs “spot beams” rather than broadcasting over an entire Continent….a far more efficient use of the available bandwidth resulting in lower monthly service cost to end users (as low as $49 per mo.).
2. Ka Band doesn’t require a very large dish (the dish is about the size of a trash can lid) to produce high speed internet in either direction (downloads & uploads are very fast), resulting in a lower equipment cost to consumers.
3. Ka Band uses technology that drastically lowers latency (the “lag” created by data traveling all the way to space and back).
When available, Ka band will enable remote teleworkers and consumer users to surf, work and email successfully at speeds approaching DSL & Cable for roughly $450-$650 for equipment and $49.00 to $95.00 per month for service. Users can expect download speeds at roughly 1500 kbps (kilobits per second) and upload speeds from 128-256 kbps, more than enough to handle most any work or leisure scenario. The cost is higher than DSL and Cable but when you can’t get anything but dial-up, the cost might well be worth it for the 20,000,000 or so folks out there with nothing but a phone (if that!). Another benefit of this technology is users will now be able to take advantage of Voice over IP (using the internet to make regular phone calls). Current satellite technology (Direcway and Starband) has too much inherent latency to allow successful VOIP, unless you are willing to say “over” like a walkie-talkie connection, after each sentence! I currently make unlimited calls Nationwide for a flat cost of $25.00 per month and nobody can tell the difference in voice quality. I can call Europe for about $.03 per minute or less! The savings are big, but for some rural homeowners it might be the only telephone service they are able to get.
The service will initially be offered by Wild Blue Communications, a Denver based company, owned by several major Media outfits. Two other companies, SES Americom and Echostar have indicated they will join in the fray by next year. They are planning to start offering service sometime in the 2nd Quarter of 2005…….but I don’t expect it to be universally available until late in 2005. I will have monthly updates on the progress they are making at: www.vsatus.com . If you have been waiting for super fast internet service, your ship might have finally come in!
About the Author:
Randy Scott has been involved in the bidirectional satellite internet industry from it’s beginning as a Sr. Sales Engineer, consultant and business owner. Randy is the founder of VSAT U.S., a consulting and sales agent, representing the most prestigious satellite internet providers in the U.S. For more information about Ka Band technology or current VSAT satellite internet offerings, visit http://www.vsatus.com or email info@vsatus.com .
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July 3rd, 2008
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PART 3 – THE ART OF ASSESSING TRUE VALUE
To buy art intelligently, the more you know, the better. You can become a wise
collector with patience and discipline.
Know Your Subject
To determine if a particular piece of art is worth acquiring, ask:
- Who is the artist?
- How important is the artwork?
- What is the artwork’s history and documentation?
- Is the asking price fair?
Learn as much as you can about the artist and the distinctive aspects of his or her
work. Ask why some pieces are more highly-valued than other pieces. Don’t just
grab at ‘bargains’. Generally, the more renowned the artist is, the pricier the work.
1) WHO IS THE ARTIST?
Consider :
- The artist’s date of birth and demise (if applicable)
- The artist’s training credentials
- The artist’s place of work and residence
- Positions, roles or titles held by the artist
- Places and countries where the artist’s work has been exhibited
- Organizations which the artist is associated with
- Collections which have the artist’s work
- Honors bestowed upon the artist
- Publications and other media which refer to the artist
- Factors which distinguish the artist from other artists (for example, being a
master in a certain technique)
How long has the artist been exhibiting and selling art? Any
accomplishments? Who owns the artist’s work? The artist has more stature if his or
her work is in the permanent collections of major institutions like museums.
When buying from an online dealer, look out for details about the artist, such as in
an “About the Artist” page like the one at Cherish Collectibles:
http://www.cherishcollectibles.com/site/1256072/page/459196
2) HOW IMPORTANT IS THE ARTWORK?
Next, evaluate the artwork’s importance.
Get Familiar
Study the artist’s work. Look at the different periods in the artist’s career. Each
piece of art should be assessed in its context. View as many samples of the artist’s
work as possible. Talk to people who are knowledgeable about the artist’s work. Ask
the dealer to educate you about the distinctive features of the artist’s work.
Art Reproductions And Originals
Art reproductions come in many forms today, and some are excellent copies of the
originals. Visit http://www.cherishcollectibles.com/site/1256072/page/606878
for exquisite reproduction Edna Hibel art, with a twist.
Another variation of art reproductions can be found at:
http://www.cherishcollectibles.com/site/1256072/page/485701
Modern digital printing technology makes it possible to produce canvas prints which
are almost indistinguishable from the original, such as these giclees at:
http://www.cherishcollectibles.com/site/1256072/page/485683
Buying art reproductions is fine as long as you know what you are getting. Originals,
of course, always have better value.
Major And Minor Works
Not all originals are worth collecting. Learn to identify whether a work is major
or minor, as major art pieces are worth more. Find out how significant that piece is
compared to other specimens of the artist’s art. Is it a good example of the type of
work that the artist is renowned for? Most novice art collectors prefer to focus on
typical pieces. Collecting atypical pieces requires a strong sense of adventure.
Early And Late Works
Most people tend to go for early works. However, late works can also be
highly-collectible. It all depends on who the artist is. Some artists actually become
more accomplished and creative as they advance in age, experimenting with
different techniques and styles and producing art which is more complex than
anything done earlier.
Best Phases
Good periods are when the artist is considered to have produced superior work.
Collectors generally home in on the best examples of the artist’s art from the ‘best’
phases.
Unique Or Cookie-Cutter Art?
Shrewd art connoisseurs favor artists who have demonstrated genuine creativity and
originality, and who are always experimenting and evolving. Collections featuring
such pieces are certainly more desirable than collections of cookie-cutter art.
Condition Of The Artwork
It’s natural for old art pieces to have some flaws, such as slight soiling. Major flaws
– like fading, discoloration, large tears, unusual trimming – are the ones to watch
out for. Such flaws can significantly diminish the dollar value of an artwork.
Buy From Reliable Sources
If you’re making your purchase through an online dealer, make sure that the dealer
has a secure online payment system, offers proper packing, courier and insurance
services, and has a fair return policy. If you buy from unauthorized dealers, auctions
(including those on the internet), private individuals and flea markets, you’re on
your own.
3) WHAT IS THE ARTWORK’S HISTORY AND DOCUMENTATION?
Provenance
This refers to the background and pedigreed of an artwork. Art with an illustrious
provenance is more desirable than art with a non-descript background.
Ask questions like:
- What kind of caliber does the artwork have?
- Is it associated with any significant event or party?
- Was it commissioned to mark an important occasion?
- What is the caliber of the commissioning party?
- Where has the art been exhibited?
- What kind of media exposure has it received?
- Has it received any honors or awards?
- Who has possessed it before?
- Are there any interesting stories behind it?
- Has anything been published about it?
- Has it been reproduced (with permission) in anything noteworthy or
prestigious?
Documentation
Gather any documentation about the piece, such as certificates of authenticity,
receipts, copies of publications where the art was mentioned, or signed
photographs of the artist. Separate fact from fiction. If you hear any anecdotes
about the work, write them down and try to get them verified.
Documentation can influence marketability and value. People are more attracted to
art that they can understand.
Documents Can Also Have Value
Good documentation helps to increase the value of the art, but well-kept
documents can also have value in due time. Signed photographs of the artist or
gallery brochures, receipts of the sale, reviews, certificates of authenticity – all these
can have some historical and commercial value some day. Think of the Titanic.
4) IS THE ASKING PRICE FAIR?
Compared to a lesser piece of art, the artwork may seem expensive, so make
sure that you compare prices only with similar pieces, whether by the same artist or
by artists of similar caliber who create similar work. Prices may fluctuate over time,
so satisfy yourself that the price is fair at that particular point in time.
Smart art collecting requires quite a bit of sleuthing. If you have a genuine interest
in art, you will find this stimulating and fascinating, adding to the pleasure of art
collecting.
Copyright © 2006 Carol Chua – Carol Chua is an ex-corporate warrior turned
entrepreneur, writer and co-owner of Cherish Collectibles, an online gallery
of art, collectibles and gifts by multiple award-winning American artist Edna Hibel.
Visit Cherish Collectibles.com to see this renowned artist’s beautiful artwork. Carol
also co-owns an online jewelry store with a nature theme, featuring creations by
award-winning artist JonY, at http://www.silver-butterfly-jewelry.com
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