Well put Michael. I think collector's sometimes look for excuses for these
artist's that do not deliver.
On Monday, May 31, 2021, 09:23:40 AM EDT, Michael Finn
<michael.f.finn@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
If someone takes money, they need to deliver on or very close to the date. The
end.
On Mon, May 31, 2021 at 9:21 AM jeffrey Harnett <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Commissions are an important part of the hobby. Many are fine illustrations of
an artist's talents. The problem is when an artist takes your money and Does
Not do the "Right Thing" they are Totally at fault. If they are having problems
(as we all do) then do not take money up front and screw the collector.Plain
and simple many of us give them too much empathy because we are fan boys and
hold them in high regard.You would not accept that behavior from your plumber
or electrician,etc..
On Monday, May 31, 2021, 07:59:09 AM EDT, Mark Nevins
<dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Malcolm,
Really good points and really nicely expressed.
I only collect published art and have no interest in commissions, and I am
routinely surprised when I realize what a large part of the collecting habits
of many comic fans commissions are, and how much money is spent on them.
My tendency is to get angry at the artists when I hear the tales of
non-delivery, but you put everything into perspective quite clearly and add a
useful dollop of empathy.
People who have multiple outstanding paid for commissions and continue to
engage in more remind me a little bit of that famous observation about second
marriages: “it’s the triumph of hope over experience.”
Mark Nevins
Sent from my iPhone
On May 31, 2021, at 05:44, Malcolm Bourne <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
It’s a ‘both’/“and’ situation, isn’t it. We can both sympathies and understand
someone who is suffering/broke, and also be justifiably angry if they have not
produced promised work. It also seems - but I might be wrong about this - that
there is something about the sort of mindset that leads you into this sort of
creative career, that is also more vulnerable to the disorganisational aspects
that in turn can translate into, for example, not drawing what has been paid
for, and/or not being able to turn your talent into a regular paying job, or
not fulfilling those sorts of contractual obligations and therefore not being
offered that sort of work. And of course things like marital splits, and
pandemics, exacerbate these things.
And, as I have written about before, there is, at least in my opinion, a
potential ‘power imbalance’ between the provider of the art, and the collector
and therefore purchaser of the art - which in some ways is the exact opposite
of the imbalance between the publisher who pays for the artists’ work, and the
artist who draws it.
On top of that, for most comics creators, even if they make a living from it,
it rarely provides enough income to manage life when not working, when retired
etc, unless you have been lucky enough to work for one of the bigger companies
on staff and accrue those sorts of benefits - including medical, which is such
a big thing if you live in a country without socialised health care.
Hence, things like Hero Initiative, the rise of the GoFundMe scenario, and
things like Jose Delbo reportedly selling NFTs for a 7-figure sum which I am
sure he sorely needs to live off.
As a collector i have been very vocal in the past about artists who do not
produce, I have ’named and shamed’ (Goldengate, anyone??) and I agree wholly
with Wally here. I no longer pay up front for art that doesn’t yet exist apart
from in rare circumstances when the artist is such a good friend that I really
do know it’s coming. i still have one friend in comics (writer not artist) who
owes me significant money, and I still have a couple of commissions owing, and
therefore money outstanding - thankfully just a few hundred dollars, not
thousands - for some years. I firmly believe no artist or anyone else for that
matter should take money for work unless they know they can deliver, at the
agreed time, and have organised their diaries to do so. I don’t know Tom
personally, I think we met once, and I do sympathise with his plight, and FWIW
I have periodically donated money directly through things like GoFndMe or HI to
help out those who, to coin a phrase that is all too true, are less fortunate
than I am.
Malcolm
On 31 May 2021, at 05:32, RAYMOND CUTHBERT <rcuthber@xxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi Wally:
Tom Grindberg has had an awful year in which he has tried changing residences
(and states) after the loss of his marriage, wound up in a natural disaster
zone, tried to get back to his home state, wound up in the hospital during
Covid19 and a friend started up a "Go Fund Me" page to help him financially.Tom
has been posting on Facebook fairly often recently, usually posting old
artwork. I have not seen much of anything new from him since all this trouble
began. He does seem to be in dire straits and I wonder if he even has any art
materials. He is asking for money on Facebook quite frequently.
He was much more responsive to requests and commissions prior to all these
disasters in his life.
I'm sorry that his misfortunes have spilled over onto your life.
Best wishes!- Ray Cuthbert
From: "Wallace Harrington" <w.wallace.harrington@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "comicartl" <comicartl@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, May 30, 2021 10:59:43 PM
Subject: [comicart-l] Tom Grindberg
I need to discuss Tom Grindberg.
Over the last couple of years, a lot of collectors have been singing his
praises so loudly so that I was moved to buy two of his Tarzan strips. Looking
at them, they are Frazetta-inspired and derivative, but still very pretty to
look at.
A friend mentioned to me that Grindberg had been on Facebook bemoaning his
financial fate and suggested he might be open to a commission. I contacted him
in mid-February and he responded quickly. Over the course of 9 e-mails, I told
him what I wanted, he said he'd love to do it and he gave me a price. I told
him I'd pay half upfront and the remainder when I approve a sketch.
"No, no, no," he said, "I need all of it now". I explained that I had
commissioned a number of other artists who took forever or, in some cases, I
never got the work. He went into his wife leaving him and his financial
situation and again said he needed the money. He promised to have a sketch in
a week and the piece complete in 6 weeks. So, like a fool, I paid... and three
months later he won't even respond to any of my e-mails requesting updates.
My friend mentioned it on Facebook, and Grindberg asked what I had requested.
He apparently had no recollection of the discussion; he definitely took the
money though. I now understand he is asking for money again.
I understand that life has been difficult the last year but I have lost all
sympathy for him. The guy may be a talented artist but is still a jerk that
doesn't keep his promises. He is on my Fecal Roster, for sure. I suggest
being careful in dealing with him especially for commissions.
Wally Harrington
