52 Pieces in 52 Weeks by Hana Artist Renee Coates

Hana Artist Renee Coates

Right around the time I graduated from art school in NYC, my artwork back home in Hawaii started gaining attention.  Galleries were calling.  People wanted private commissions for their homes and businesses.   I realized I had a choice:  I could either work as a 9-5 artist for a textile company in NYC, or move back to the islands and have a shot at earning a living as an artist.  The idea of being free to paint every day without “clocking in”, and doing what I’m truly passionate about really appealed to me.

Over the years my original paintings began to elicit higher and higher prices, and found their place in homes and businesses across the globe.  In addition to original paintings, I also sold giclee prints, cards, and posters of my images in local stores and gift shops.

In spite of this success, a common theme when receiving inquires about my art started to emerge.  People love it, but not everyone can afford an original.  In fact, many find the limited edition giclee prints out of their range.  I realized a large percentage of my friends and family don’t own one of my originals.  I had commanded a price most artists only dream of, yet had catered to the few who could afford me.

As an artist, you want your vision to be shared with the world.  After struggling for some time to create a solution, 52 Pieces was born.

1 painting a week, 52 a year, totaling 52 pieces.

I want to give everyone the opportunity to own an original, without decreasing the value of my previous work that has sold.  The key is scale.  Imagine that one of my large paintings is shattered into 52 pieces.  People have an easier time investing a few hundred dollars in a small original than several thousand for a larger piece.  By working on small 6″ x 6″ canvases, I can still preserve my going rate, but also make originals available to those who may not usually buy one.  A per-square-inch formula (read more in “The Mathematics of Art”) enables me to create original artwork that can reach the masses.

The blog format is interesting because it opens communication between the patron and artist, and also keeps the site up-to-date and interactive.  Bidding on the art gives the patron the pricing power and redefines the traditional brick-and-mortar gallery setting.  The vision behind 52 pieces is to make the buying and selling of art more understandable and less intimidating.  It’s about starting a conversation between the artist and those who love her work.

Thank you for joining me in this endeavor.  I look forward to hearing from you every week!  “Visit www.52pieces.com to view a new painting by Renee every Sunday at 11:52 p.m. (EST)”