Real Paintings as Gifts - Good/Bad Idea?

dumitru · Nov 13, 2015

Hello people,
I just came up with an idea and wanted to run it by you amazing people

So I have an artist friend from Austin, Texas who is over 40 right now. For many many years he wanted to dedicate himself to painting but never got the chance to. So he started just recently doing this full-time and as you might guess, things aren't going to well for a new artist.
So I was thinking of a way to help him out and thought of this: as I have multiple clients (hotels & B&Bs) from USA and Canada, what if I would organize a small raffle and give away a free custom painting to 1-2 lucky customers (a newsletter will be sent out). They would simply send a digital photo of their place and he would make a painting out of it, and then ship it directly to them. Everything would be at no cost, but hopefully he would get some exposure out of it (expenses covered by me).
Do you think that something like this is a little out of place? Should I avoid getting involved in any way with my business trying to help out a friend?
I am attaching a photo of his most recent work, as an example of style and quality.
ANY feedback about my idea is really, really appreciated!

gillumhouse · Nov 13, 2015

For him to do painting of THEIR photo would be nice. Just a painting - no. Here is why - taste for one but.....
Himself is an artist and quite good. He has a reputation in the motorcycle world for his colored pencils of classic motorcycles. The ONLY paintings we have sold that were bikes he just painted to show what he does were purchased by people who actually owned those particular motorcycles. I do not men those models - those specific motorcycles. Two were paintings of motorcycles prepared for and ridden by the great **** Mann - and the man who at the time owned both bought both paintings. The 3rd was a young man who owned that model in that color who saved for 3 years to get the price (it was destroyed in a house fire last winter and he was more upset by the loss of the painting than the loss of the bike).
It may even bring in new customers for you as a drawing just of new customers (looking for something to use for ads) and a drawing for established customers - 2 separate drawings.

Morticia · Nov 13, 2015

Are you going to use your mailing list to get this started?
If I understand correctly, the newsletter has this raffle info in it and how do you enter? Reply back?
And the lucky winner, selected at random, sends your friend a photo of their inn (or maybe themselves,) and your friend creates a custom painting of that image.
You're paying for the shipping. Are you also paying the artist or is he doing this for the publicity?
Sounds like fun. I like the idea.
If the artist hasn't done this already, he might want to check with some local inns to see if they would display his works, maybe have an opening night kind of thing as well.
We'd love to do this but we've not been able to find artists who want to. Did it once and that was it. Got no one else even tho this is a big arts community.

Anon Inn · Nov 13, 2015

deleted by poster

dumitru · Nov 17, 2015

Yes, the idea would be for HIM (the painter) to do a painting of a photo provided by the HOTEL/B&B, and then the PAINTER would send it to them by mail.
But now that I think more about it, it would be difficult to explain, organize and handle this thing... Maybe some other time in the future.
Thank you all for the input!

gillumhouse · Nov 17, 2015

dumitru said:
Yes, the idea would be for HIM (the painter) to do a painting of a photo provided by the HOTEL/B&B, and then the PAINTER would send it to them by mail.
But now that I think more about it, it would be difficult to explain, organize and handle this thing... Maybe some other time in the future.
Thank you all for the input!.

The shipping can be expensive as I discovered the hard way.