Art by Marlene Llanes

marlenellanes.com

I received an email from a mental health counselor at Westfield State University's Counseling Center in Massachusetts. She was requesting a painting similar to one that had already sold. They had received a grant and they wanted to decorate their center. I felt very flattered when I read:

"We want to showcase your work on the one of the first walls our clients see when they walk into our center, as we love the message it conveys."

I gave her a quote. She agreed. I did not request the usual 50% upfront because I am always painting trees and usually they sell fast. I told her that I will send her an image once it's finished. At this time full payment including shipping will be required before it ships.

I was about to start the painting when the administrative assistant (of the same University of course) contacted me to work out the details for the payment. She told me:

"The University operates on a purchase order system, meaning the quote is approved and a purchase order is generated. A purchase order (P0) guarantees payment to you after the product has been received."

In other words, I had to ship the painting first without receiving any money upfront.

This is what I replied:

"For commissions, my standard practice is to require a 50% deposit upfront to secure your order and the remaining 50% upon completion of the painting. However, given the similarity of this project to a previous sale, I was initially willing to be more flexible. I was not going to ask for the usual 50% in advance because this painting is very similar to another one that already sold and in case the sale fell through I wasn't too worried because my tree paintings sell very quickly.

I understand that large companies often utilize purchase orders. While I appreciate your business, my standard terms for artwork sales, including commissions, typically involve payment prior to shipment. This practice aligns with common online purchasing procedures.

I can offer you these options:

Option 1: 50% Deposit & Remaining Payment Upon Completion: This ensures a smooth and timely completion of your commission. Tracking number will be provided after payment is received.

Option 2: Purchase Upon Completion: I can complete the painting as planned and then list it on my website and other online galleries. You can then purchase the painting directly from any of those platforms. Please note that this option may result in a slight price increase and may take longer to complete due to the uncertainty of the sale."

She chose option 2.

I started the painting.

The winter holidays came... then other projects that had to get done...

It took me a long time to finish it but since there was no deposit made I couldn't make it a priority. I specified that in the description for "option 2" above.

When the painting was finally ready (the painting above). I emailed both, the counselor and the administrative assistant, letting them know that it was ready for purchase but if they had found something else, they were in no obligation to buy it. I just wanted to let them know in case they were still interested. I even created a special coupon for them to lower the price to what I had originally quoted them (when posting art online, there are more costs involved such as the gallery's fees, etc, so I had to increase the price but with the coupon it would be the same for them).

I wasn't expecting the sale to happen through them since I indeed took a long time to finish it. I was fine if they didn't buy it. What I wasn't expecting was the fact that they both ghosted me. A quick reply saying "we are no longer interested, etc" would have been nice. That's what polite people do.

I think some people don't realize that buying original art is very different than buying, let's say, office supplies. I am a one-person "business." You are buying an item that is not only hand-made and takes a long time to make, but it's also a VERY personal creation (every painting is like a "baby"). You are buying something incredibly unique and you are the only person in the world that owns it. There is no other exact replica of it. Even this painting that I made based on another one that had already sold, is not the same one. This is one of the many reasons art is valuable. If none of this things matter to you, then you can buy prints and that's is perfectly fine though prints don't have the same longevity as paintings and they decrease in value after some time. Paintings can last a life time and even be passed on to the new generations.

Again, I am ok with them not buying the painting and I made this very clear to them. Someone else will hopefully buy it. I just don't understand why after being so interested in my art, they decided to ignore my emails. I am a real person. I am not a company that takes purchase-orders or requisitions (another fancy word they used which I think means the same as a purchase-order). I do not have the capability to work for free, use my own money to ship the painting, and wait who-knows-how-long for the purchase-order or requisition to be processed by their finance department and make the payment available to me. It's not a matter of trust... I mean it's a University, but humans are humans and they can make mistakes or ... anything can happen!! Buying/selling a painting should always be pretty straight forward.

I just couldn't picture my painting already in their possession in Massachusetts while having received no payment. Maybe an emerging artist may take the risk. Maybe a super famous artist who sells tons of paintings every month can take "purchase-orders." I don't know. I am neither one of those. I know my place in the art world and I think it's a good one. I am happy where I am and where I am heading to. In the meantime, I will continue to expect payment before anything ships... but I am still wondering why they ghosted me, lol.

If you are interested in this painting send me a message and I will make the coupon available to you to get 45% discount!!

https://marlenellanes.square.site/product/inspirational-painting-of-a-tree-and-a-path/11

You can also buy this painting from these galleries, but without the discount:

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Landscape-with-Tree-and-Path-Dawn-Nature-Peace-Whimsical/994045/12794013/view

https://www.zatista.com/product/details/162721/Landscape-with-Tree-and-Path-Dawn-Nature-Peace

https://artbymarlenellanes.mysupadupa.com/collections/new-work/products/our-beautiful-path-original-surreal-painting-30x24-in

marlenellanes.com

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

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A Sale That Fell Through and I Ended up Ghosted

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