I've been sitting here beating myself up for feeling so sad. I really didn’t have anyone to talk to about this thing that happened to me today. I am feeling so alone. And all I can do is cry. Then it occurred to me that there are people out there that might understand. Artists like myself that put their hearts and souls into their art and not until they know it’s the best they can do can they put their names on them. These are our babies, our creations. Like children some are better than others, but they are family.
So when I agreed to let Jezebel’s Gallery show these paintings, I hesitated. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to leave them there, but this gallery came with a good reputation and the location wasn’t in the art district of Santa Fe, NM, but it was considered to be the second art district in the area. Madrid, NM. It felt like the first time I sent my kids off to camp. Happy but already missing them.
I know I’m an emotional person. Some say too emotional. But I’m connected to my paintings. Ask Denise because she couldn’t understand why I cried when I left them. She was so excited that I had been accepted into this gallery and said that artists waited years for just the chance to show in this gallery. I should be on top of the world. But I loved those 6 paintings that I dropped off. I had them framed before I gave them to Jezebel’s Gallery. They looked their best.
Two years later, seriously no communication with the gallery. Times are tough, but they weren’t when I left the paintings. But they didn’t sell. I got an email saying how much Jezebel really loved my paintings, but because they hadn’t sold to please come and pick them up.
Okay. That was fine. I didn’t know why she couldn’t pick up the phone like a real human being and call me, but I called her to tell her I understood and needed to make arrangements for shipping. When I did call, she wouldn’t come to the phone. I had to relay my message between her sales girl and her, knowing that she was standing right there because I’d say something and less than ½ a second she’d be back with Jezebel's answer. It was just strange. There was no reason for bad feelings. No angry phone calls or emails. I understood that it was time to move on. I wasn’t at all angry. The only time I actually heard from her was when she asked if she could lower my price and I agreed. But for some reason she wasn’t comfortable talking with me.
I needed to know the cost of shipping the paintings because I live in Phoenix, AZ and I wasn’t up for the drive to New Mexico. This was September 20, 2009. Her sales girl said that Jezebel would get back to me. So I waited two weeks and emailed asking if they had gotten the amount of shipping yet. I got an email back that they would figure that right up and get right back to me. So I waited another two weeks. I emailed again, but this time I said to just go ahead and mail them C.O.D. which is what they had wanted to do. All I wanted to know was how much it was going to cost. You know, so I could find some money to pay it. No reply. So I waited another two weeks and wrote my last email. It's now November 2nd. I asked Jezebel what she needed from me in order for her to ship my paintings. I was still very polite, not angry. Just business.
Jezebel took offense for some reason and the next thing I know I get a call from Miguel from Jezebel’s saying that he needed my credit card number and $150.00 to ship the paintings. So finally it’s going to be over. No more cat and mouse game from these people. I was happy. He said they would be here on Thursday.
It didn’t occur to me that I should have asked for a receipt for my $150.00 or a copy of the shipping invoice. It was my fault that I didn’t insist that I know how much insurance they put on the shipment to cover for damages. I stupidly assumed that they would know to do this. None of this occurred to me because Jezebel is a glass artist. She ships glass all the time. She knows that you need packing material in a box with GLASS.
I got my paintings today. They had wrapped the paintings with paper, stacked them on top of each other. All of them different sizes, threw in some more loose paper and shipped them. Every piece of glass is shattered. The matting is sliced. I’m not ready yet to try and tape the glass together enough so that I can take out the paintings because they could easily be damaged, too. Oh, and one of the paintings wasn’t even in the box. I don’t know where that painting is.
So I called. Of course, I couldn’t talk to Miguel who wrapped the paintings. He wasn’t available. I had stopped asking for Jezebel a long time ago. The sales girl asked me to take pictures and she would get back with me. Of course she didn’t.
But the question I have to ask is why? Why couldn’t they have done a better job and gotten my paintings back to me in the condition I left them in with this awful gallery. Why? What would the benefits to them have been to be so vindictive? What do you think my chances are of Jezebel’s Gallery reimbursing me for damages? I know, you’ll get back to me.
So when I agreed to let Jezebel’s Gallery show these paintings, I hesitated. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to leave them there, but this gallery came with a good reputation and the location wasn’t in the art district of Santa Fe, NM, but it was considered to be the second art district in the area. Madrid, NM. It felt like the first time I sent my kids off to camp. Happy but already missing them.
I know I’m an emotional person. Some say too emotional. But I’m connected to my paintings. Ask Denise because she couldn’t understand why I cried when I left them. She was so excited that I had been accepted into this gallery and said that artists waited years for just the chance to show in this gallery. I should be on top of the world. But I loved those 6 paintings that I dropped off. I had them framed before I gave them to Jezebel’s Gallery. They looked their best.
Two years later, seriously no communication with the gallery. Times are tough, but they weren’t when I left the paintings. But they didn’t sell. I got an email saying how much Jezebel really loved my paintings, but because they hadn’t sold to please come and pick them up.
Okay. That was fine. I didn’t know why she couldn’t pick up the phone like a real human being and call me, but I called her to tell her I understood and needed to make arrangements for shipping. When I did call, she wouldn’t come to the phone. I had to relay my message between her sales girl and her, knowing that she was standing right there because I’d say something and less than ½ a second she’d be back with Jezebel's answer. It was just strange. There was no reason for bad feelings. No angry phone calls or emails. I understood that it was time to move on. I wasn’t at all angry. The only time I actually heard from her was when she asked if she could lower my price and I agreed. But for some reason she wasn’t comfortable talking with me.
I needed to know the cost of shipping the paintings because I live in Phoenix, AZ and I wasn’t up for the drive to New Mexico. This was September 20, 2009. Her sales girl said that Jezebel would get back to me. So I waited two weeks and emailed asking if they had gotten the amount of shipping yet. I got an email back that they would figure that right up and get right back to me. So I waited another two weeks. I emailed again, but this time I said to just go ahead and mail them C.O.D. which is what they had wanted to do. All I wanted to know was how much it was going to cost. You know, so I could find some money to pay it. No reply. So I waited another two weeks and wrote my last email. It's now November 2nd. I asked Jezebel what she needed from me in order for her to ship my paintings. I was still very polite, not angry. Just business.
Jezebel took offense for some reason and the next thing I know I get a call from Miguel from Jezebel’s saying that he needed my credit card number and $150.00 to ship the paintings. So finally it’s going to be over. No more cat and mouse game from these people. I was happy. He said they would be here on Thursday.
It didn’t occur to me that I should have asked for a receipt for my $150.00 or a copy of the shipping invoice. It was my fault that I didn’t insist that I know how much insurance they put on the shipment to cover for damages. I stupidly assumed that they would know to do this. None of this occurred to me because Jezebel is a glass artist. She ships glass all the time. She knows that you need packing material in a box with GLASS.
I got my paintings today. They had wrapped the paintings with paper, stacked them on top of each other. All of them different sizes, threw in some more loose paper and shipped them. Every piece of glass is shattered. The matting is sliced. I’m not ready yet to try and tape the glass together enough so that I can take out the paintings because they could easily be damaged, too. Oh, and one of the paintings wasn’t even in the box. I don’t know where that painting is.
So I called. Of course, I couldn’t talk to Miguel who wrapped the paintings. He wasn’t available. I had stopped asking for Jezebel a long time ago. The sales girl asked me to take pictures and she would get back with me. Of course she didn’t.
But the question I have to ask is why? Why couldn’t they have done a better job and gotten my paintings back to me in the condition I left them in with this awful gallery. Why? What would the benefits to them have been to be so vindictive? What do you think my chances are of Jezebel’s Gallery reimbursing me for damages? I know, you’ll get back to me.
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1 comment:
I have heard of this happening and hopefully you can get your artwork out without damaging it.
Brush them off your back and get back after you get back that missing painting.
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