6/2/2006 : Notes From The Studio [ Andrew Lakey.com ]

NOTES FROM THE STUDIO

June 2, 2006

Dear Collector:

It has been more than six years since I was painting on a full-time basis and I miss it more than anything in the world.

I haven’t been able to return to the studio at nearly the level that I once enjoyed and my doctors tell me that I probably will never reach those levels of painting productivity again. In 1999, I became very ill from the cumulative effects of paint and related toxins and developed “sick building syndrome” which has precipitated severe allergies, numerous surgeries and a regimen that requires I take injections of the drug Xolair® - a drug therapy that has stabilized my condition. For these

life- saving measures, I am truly grateful.

Today, when I do go to the studio to paint it is a rather laborious process because I must wear protective clothing and use a special breathing apparatus. Recently, in fact, the Intel Corporation was kind enough to provide me with “clean room” gear known as “bunny suits” that enable me to paint without further compromising my health.

In spite of having to stay away from the studio, something almost magical has occurred that has opened incredible new avenues for me in creating art again. I have rigorously honed my drawing skills (drawing was actually my first love when I began making art so many years ago) and I am reaching new levels of competency and output that has catapulted me back into the fine art scene with a vengeance.

I recently broke a contract with one of the top art agencies in the world. This agency represents only A-list artists including the number one selling artist in the world. We were initially very excited to work with this agency because of comprehensive plans to re-launch my career on a global scale. The plans included strategic components such as the opening of an exclusive Andrew Lakey gallery in Hawaii, an ambitious international tour and an aggressive worldwide gallery program.

Unfortunately, due to my tenuous health, I had to unwind my professional relationship with this agency group because of my inability to keep up with the heavy travel and appearance schedules for the many gallery shows like the 90’s. The final straw was my inability to attend Art Expo in New York last February. This was a major show that my art agency wanted me to actively participate in and my doctors told me flat out, I could not attend.

Being a fighter and a survivor, I never got down on myself. My business partner and agent Doug Brown, who understands the seriousness of my condition, my drive to create and my prolific bent for creating art, has developed a business model that is about to turn the fine art world upside down and the traditional gallery model inside out. Some may think that ebay™ seems like a strange place to buy and sell fine art, but it is fast becoming a business center for the art world. Nearly every famous fine artist is found there.

One of my potential dealers back East argued that this new business model would not work – that galleries should remain the repository and controlling outlet for the stewardship of the artist and his or her portfolio. Buyers and collectors of fine art would be resistant to an Internet-based, market-driven system. After all, many collectors and auction houses prefer “dead artists” and scarcity of “product”. The idea that fine art could be available to everyone and at a price set by the public market is the same general concept that Google™ employed when it floated the idea to Wall Street bankers of letting “Main Street” bid for IPO shares to determine its launch valuation. Though Google™ was initially punished by the banking powers, the five-year old Internet-based company rebounded with spectacular success shortly thereafter.