Friday, June 15, 2007

My husband, the Artist.

My husband Timm is officially an artist. And not in the way that I consider myself an artist, in that I create, and express, and do so prolifically. Timm is now an actual bonafide artist. He has created, and sold a piece of work for the express purpose of beautifying someone else's space. They have paid for it, and very well. They have bought it based only on photos and recommendation. He has a name.


Witness: The 'Peacock.'







Detail:

(please excuse the blurry photos!)




It was originally a project for school, and was going to be completed as a functional music stand. It is a solid cherry branch that Timm scouted for it's excellent tripod qualities and then cut down. The piece is entirely carved by hand, with nothing but hand tools used. It is one solid piece of wood, with the exception of a piece of ebony he sculpted and added. It is so finely carved and polished that it looks and feels like glass as you reach the pinnacle of it's evolution- the Cello head.

Enter: My mom. Most of you know that she is an interior designer, and an outstanding one at that. Her skills, eye, and form of art has won us many prizes in our homes (really, all that we own) and several amazing vacations at various beach homes she has designed. It's really quite a perk, I must say. Much better than say, an exterminator, or an accountant. (Neither of which any of us would ever do, so really that's a moot point.) But I digress. Mom visited us for a long weekend about a month ago and was immediately taken with Timm's piece. She thought of two of her clients that would really like it, so she went home and sold it to one of them. The selling price?

$3,600.

Hey, it's a Timm Tanner original. One of a kind.

I'm so proud of him. I value art as an essential part of our cultures, of our abilities and talents bestowed upon us by God, and as integral and beautiful displays of our vision of the world, or what we see in it anyway. I'm glad that he and I both share a passion for creativity in our differing mediums and that we respect and appreciate the art that we each create.

I However, have never sold a piece of my work for more than $50-$100. He is the bonafide artist. How cool is that?

p.s. To answer Jill's question: Our Splurges:

First, we are paying off a backlog of tithing that we somehow accumulated. It's a lot. Then, we are paying whatever's left to our 2 credit cards to make room for the rental truck at $1300, said truck's gas at $800, my car's gas at $300, and who knows how much for hotels and meals along the way.Oh, and it costs about $200 to chip the piece to my mom. (Shouldn't she get some sweet broker's commission or something? )How exciting is that?

But seriously it did enable Timm to buy a mini-lathe for his graduation present. My parent's gave him some money for graduation, so we justified being able to use some to reward Timm for about 9 long years of school, 4 while being married with a family while working an average of 3 jobs. As far as the money goes, it will spend quickly, and to not very fun stuff but I keep reminding myself that no matter how much debt we have to accrue during this move, we'll still be $3,600 less in debt than we would be. I can breathe just a little bit easier.

12 comments:

Jill said...

Holy Crap $3,600?!! That's fantastic! Congratulations to Timm for selling his first piece of art (which is most impressive by the way) and to you both for such a paycheck. What in the world did you splurge on first?

charlotte said...

That's so exciting Jessie!! That's amazing! Congratulations to Timm! (I think I'm going overboard on the exclamation points) That is seriously way cool. I'm so excited to come out next week!

Anonymous said...

I still have sticker shock from when you told me a few days ago. $3600! Such a blessing, and a cool one at that! Timm is amazing.

Karli said...

That is awesome news and a blessing at just the right time it seems! Thank you for your card; I got it yesterday. So cute and much appreciated. Hope your preparations for the move are going well!

Rin said...

Holy Hell! That's so awesome. Your mom rules. I was just thinking the other day of the cute little pearl necklaces your mom got us when we were beehives. I have no idea where mine is, but I was thinking how I wish I still had it.

michelle said...

SO COOL!! I remember seeing the piece and thinking it was pretty great, but you've gotta love Mom stepping in and selling it! For a great price! It's too bad you have to spend it on such un-fun things, but like you said, $3600 less in debt is a good thing. And I'm so glad Timm was able to get his lathe. We have an artist in the family! (ok, another artist in the family, but one who earns $$ for his art!)

Anonymous said...

May I say that I was MOST excited to sell such an original piece of art! The timing was right for two different clients, and it all worked! Congradulations to Timm and I am happy to be the broker! I will admit that I did not reveal my relationship to the artist or that it was his first sale! That will probably make it even more valuable in time!! Hot dog!

Jill said...

Thanks for answering my question. I'm so excited for you guys. What a blessing to be able to pay off credit cards and fund your move!

Robin said...

Now I can say that my pen is a Timm Tanner original. That automatically makes me cooler.

Seriously though, I was so excited for you guys when you told me about this! Way to go Timm! And I can imagine the relief you feel to have that extra money right now. (:

everything pink! said...

happy birthday!

Amie said...

Very impressive. Your mom is an excellent connection! I'm happy your financial burdens are slightly eased. Always a welcome feeling and blessing.

Crystalyn said...

this is AMAZING! both the work of art and the series of events that put $3,600 extra dollars in your pocket. congratulations. it seems creativity and art run deep in your little family.

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