Starting from Scratch - Building The Successful Folk Art Collection

When I started this blog, I jumped in with posts based on themes that occurred to me at the time. It wasn't exactly a strategic approach!  Now, some 22 posts later, I was thinking that perhaps it might be a good idea to go back to the basics.
I thought to devote this post to a closer look at some of the considerations involved in actually starting and expanding a folk art collection. (I'm assuming of course if you're reading this blog that you actually want to start a collection.)
First of all let's quickly table a definition of folk art so that we are all reasonably clear about what it is we're discussing. Here's a definition from the Chicago Art Institute as contained in a most impressive book titled: For Kith and Kin, The Folk Art Collection of the Art Institute of Chicago (Published by The Institute and Yale University Press, 2012, Judith A. Barter and Monica Obniski).
"Usually  from the vernacular and rural traditions, folk art at its best implies work produced by those with a singular vision, often highly skilled craftsmen, perhaps unsophisticated by academic standards, but with a sense of composition, decoration and design that is superb."

Hooked Rug by Aurore Benoit c. 1965

Define Success
What is the definition of a successful folk art collection? Well, that depends on the objectives of the collector. If your objective is to search out and acquire a limited number of Canadian folk art items but of the highest quality, you might accomplish that objective with as little as half a dozen to ten pieces.  And, it might take you several years to find those items.
In my consulting business, especially with longer term projects, I make a habit of sitting down with a client to review our "success" every few months. I want to know that they feel that the work has been successful.  This keeps both of us on track and their is no misunderstanding, over time, about what constitutes progress and success.  As a collector, you should review your items and collection over time. Make sure that you are fulfilling the original objectives you set for yourself.
Making Choices
Folk art is created in a variety of mediums such as paintings, drawings, sculpture and textiles. Early on you might decide to focus on a particular medium like textiles or paintings.  Or, as most collectors do, you might decide to include all of those mediums in your search.  Collecting across the board, so to speak, expands the potential for possible discoveries but it also increases the frequency of the "finds" which can be difficult on your cheque book and on your available display space.
Setting parameters on your collection helps define and clarify your search.  With guidelines in place, you can confidently sift through and dismiss literally mountains of material because it all falls outside your area of collecting. And, believe me, there is an Everest like volume of material out there! There is something quite liberating about strolling through an antique store or a market and confidently rejecting everything therein. That's not to say, many of the objects are of inferior quality. They are. They simply don't meet your collecting criteria.
You may, as many collectors do, succumb to the temptation of adding more examples of a particular type of folk art to the collection, needle point samplers, for example.  As a result, you may arrive at a point where you have a "collection within the collection". There's nothing wrong with that as long as you realize the shift in direction. Or, you may decide that vintage samplers are going to be the heart and soul of your collection from there on in. That's fine too. Just make sure it's a conscious decision and not something that just happens.
Enduring long periods of time in between acquisitions is a difficult for a collector. Often that's the reason for an acquisition of a second or third or fourth item in a category. You can't find that carving from Quebec but you do find a terrific painting and you opt to buy that instead.

By John William Waterhouse c. 1900

I recall a story from a few years ago about a Canadian collector who focused on Pre-Raphaelite drawings.  (The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a group of British artists who objected to the art of their time,1848, and banded together in an effort to advance their type of painting which they felt was more sincere.) Not surprisingly, oil paintings from that same period were beyond this collectors' budget, hence the concentration on drawings which were somewhat less desirable and more affordable. He also knew, and this rule is so true, that a drawing by a great artist is most often still a great work.  It may lack colour, it may be small in size but it is still by the same hand, by the same artist. Some of his finds were truly spectacular. Over time, he put together one of the most impressive collections in the world and I am sure he thoroughly enjoyed doing so. The collection as a whole was unique. That's the beauty of "focused collecting". Because you are so targeted in your search, you can take it deeper and deeper and find objects, sometimes, that no one even knew existed; objects that had been forgotten, neglected, buried in the back of a store or a flea market. Now that's when collecting is at its spine-tingling best! When he was finished, this collector donated the bulk of his collection to the National Gallery of Canada who, I am sure, were more than happy to receive it. So, not only did he have the joy and the satisfaction of building his collection, now he knows that it will remain together in a safe place where the public, researchers and scholars can have access to it in perpetuity. And, his name will always be associated with it. That's a pretty nice way to wrap up a collecting career. I relate this story because it is a perfect example of a collector that was sharply focused and never wavered.* 

Detail from folk art painting. c. 1960

Budget
Let's briefly touch on budget. Like most collectors, I never identified a budget or specific amounts to spend on antiques and folk art. When I bought an affordable item, I simply found the required amount in our account to make the purchase. An alternative would have been to set aside a specific amount of money from each salary cheque and tag it for antiques and folk art purchases. So, with that arrangement in place, I could have bought items on a monthly basis or held off for several months and made a larger purchase.  Taking the time to understand what it is you want in your collection and the criteria that defines quality in those items brings some discipline and important background research to your collecting. Putting some time between purchases heightens the enjoyment of the acquisition when it does occur. It's easy to talk about budgeting but very difficult for some of us to put it into action. For the majority of collectors, all thoughts about budget, restraint and fiscal prudence can go out the window when they find is a unique item that would be perfect for the collection.
Physical Space
Display space is not a factor when you begin to collect but it can become an issue fairly quickly. Most collectors I know fall into two groups. One group is careful about the way they display their collection, always making sure that they don't overdo it. Their antiques and folk art items are given pride of place and displayed in a well thought out manner. The other group is not overly concerned about the display only about discovery and acquisition. I know many collectors who when they ran out of room in their homes simply started filling barns and sheds on their properties. I know other collectors who rent storage space for their collections.  I've read about American collectors who rent industrial warehouses just to display their collections of modern art. You may have a very small space but that does not mean you can't collect. Recognize the limitation and adjust your search accordingly. Often the best examples of folk art, of any antique for that matter, are the smallest ones! A collection of miniature portraits, for example, takes up very little space on a wall or in a showcase but will give you years of enjoyment searching them out.

Painted relief carving on wood panel. 1995.

Conclusion
As I noted in the introduction, with this blog post I wanted to return to basics in an effort to record what I think are important factors about collecting. I hope these observations and opinions have been helpful.
Hope you find something great this weekend!
Shaun
*(Strictly speaking,Waterhouse was not a pre-Raphaelite artist, rather he painted in that style and did so many years afterwards. However, I thought the above drawing of a young woman was so exquisite, I wanted to use it herein.)

Laying the Foundation, Thoughts for the New Collector of Canadian Folk Art

I recently received an email from an individual who is a relatively new collector of folk art. In the email he mentioned a few of the artists already represented in his collection and asked for my recommendations on how he should proceed in terms of new acquisitions.  He asked about where to find folk art, suggestions on affordable options for buying folk art and raised the question of buying contemporary versus traditional folk art.  While I replied to the collector with a fairly brief email message, I thought it might be useful to expand on my thoughts in this blog post. So, let me take a run at answering these important questions in more detail.
I guess the over arching concern I have about contemporary folk artists is that some of them are almost too commercialized. There can be almost a "production line" feel to their creations. That's not to say, a new collector shouldn't collect them but I would exercise caution in terms of how many contemporary pieces I have in the collection. The price of folk art from artists who are commercially successful will be higher than the works of an unknown artist and therefore more expensive.

Skating on the Mill Pond, S. B. Armstrong 1944. Found in an Ottawa antique store.

A few other questions come to my mind. If one defines a folk artist as "untrained" should there come a point in their career where they don't fit that definition any longer but are seen more as conventional artists?  Does their commercial success and repetition of popular works make them less of a folk artist? Maud Lewis and Joe Sleep, to name two folk artists, frequently created the same subject in their paintings. In fact, they used stencils to speed up the process. It certainly didn't hurt their popularity in doing so.
While in the main still affordable, many contemporary folk artists command prices of $500 and up for some of their works. In my budget, that's still a significant "spend" requiring fairly careful thought before pulling the trigger.
Contemporary folk carvings are fine but I would go slow because they are for the most part quite plentiful in supply and your collection can grow too quickly. It's fine to have one or possibly two carvings by the same contemporary carver but I would also look for traditional folk art pieces. Items with some age that are harder to find and of limited supply. In some cases they'll be unique items by unknown artists which is exciting. Not to be mercenary, but the latter works will have more value now and in the future. It's nice when you decide to remove an item from your collection and in the process make a profit on the transaction. 
Personally, I like to find artists that haven't been discovered beyond their immediate family and friends. And, surprisingly, there are many folk artists out there who fit that category.  I would estimate that I have discovered at least ten to fifteen folk artists over the years that were unknown in folk art circles.  Assuming you can buy their work from them, and I have discovered that isn't always the case, their work will be very reasonably priced. More importantly, by purchasing their work, you are giving them a vote of confidence and acknowledgement that their work is important to you personally.

The Blueberry Picker, Gerald Chamberlin c. 1965. Picked in west Quebec.

Define collecting boundaries. By that I mean, establish a personal set of standards for the kinds of folk art you're going to buy and collect. For example, I stop short of work that is too crude or rough in its execution. There is a point for me where naivety becomes just too primitive. I stay away from folk paintings unless they include people and or animals.
Set your sights on owning a painting by a folk artist that is higher up the food chain from where you're currently buying. For example, paintings by the great Nova Scotia folk artist Joe Norris  currently change hands in the $3,000 to $8,000 range.  They are not inexpensive but still within reach of most collectors.  

Cove Scene by Joe Norris, 1981. The owner was given my business card by his mother.

Begin by doing your due diligence. Research the artist, view his or her works as often as possible, become familiar with the market prices. What is the difference in the work between the lower end and the higher end of the price range?  Not to be crass, but you can compare prices on the basis of dollars per square inch of canvass. If a painting has a decorated frame, what impact does that have on price versus one without a decorated frame?
You can and will find folk art just about anywhere so make sure you widen your search.  Most antique dealers handle traditional folk art so that gives you another reason to attend shows and visit their shops.

Don't hesitate to let people know you are searching for folk art. Have a business card made up that says "folk art collector" on it with your phone number and email address.  One of the most amazing folk art purchases I made came directly from someone simply picking up my business card. Run a classified ad in your local newspaper. Traditional forms of communications and marketing still work well despite the apparent dominance of the Internet. Of course, always check the local auctions for folk art that slips into a general sale.

Small hooked rug in frame c. 1960. One of two found in the trash.

Last year I bought three wonderful, small hooked rugs in a local auction. They were inexpensive because they're simply aren't a lot of folk art collectors out there. And those that were there apparently didn't know what these rugs were or weren't prepared to part with the $200 that bought all of them.  Frequently a dealer who picks up a piece of folk art, even though they don't specialize in the category, will bring it along to a show in which they are participating. It usually follows that they will price it below market value.  A friend of mine bought a terrific piece of folk art at a "nostalgia" show a few weeks ago. A dealer in Coca Cola items had it in his booth!  Many dealers of other merchandise also don't know how to price a piece of folk art. I bought at super folk art painting at a flea market a few weeks back for $40. It's worth many times that amount.

Make a point of searching for folk art paintings.  Quite simply, you have more "wall" area than "floor" or "shelf" space and because art is displayed on a vertical plane it has a strong visual impact.  Above all, be patient. With preparation, you will find great pieces of folk art at affordable prices.  Continue to train your eye and educate yourself about Canadian folk art. You want to reach a point where you can assess the merits of a work based on your knowledge and experience.  Yes, it's fine to obtain a second opinion but sooner rather than later you want to operate on your own; confident in your abilities to assess the pieces you discover.  So, don't rush it. Presumably you have years to build your collection.  Purchasing a piece of folk art for your collection should be an exciting and rewarding experience. And it will be.