We'd Rather Do It Than Write About It

When we first started to add a blog about appraising to our website, we were warned that we needed to continually keep the material fresh and posts updated on a regular basis. We were told if we didn’t do this - that we shouldn’t bother with a blog. For those of you that have read our blog, you know that our content is usually written for potential clients. Articles are written to explain why an appraisal is needed, what kinds of appraisals and formats are available and how one goes about finding the most qualified appraiser for the items that need to be appraised.

We write about appraising as a service to prospective clients and to find new collections to appraise. As appraisers, our passion and focus is really on the act of appraising and not on writing about it. We hope therefore, when there are lapses in our posts that we will be forgiven. There will be lapses from time to time as we get busy with lots of appraisal assignments. If you have been following our blog you have probably noticed there hasn’t been a fresh posting since early spring 2010. This is because we have been extremely busy appraising several major collections.

We love appraising truly fine art. As fine art appraisers, we completely submerge ourselves into our work. Appraising an individual’s collection is an opportunity for us to become as intimately involved with a fine art collection as a curator is with a museum collection. We see works by artists that we would never have the opportunity to see otherwise and that most of the world never sees. We get to know each work so well that we sometimes think about it as we walk our dogs and dream about it at night as we sleep.

Every collection we appraise and every artist we learn about as a result of each new assignment adds to our already vast store of collective knowledge. The experiences and insights we gain from working with our clients are a privilege. To us appraising is not really a job but a way of life. In our spare time we read about art, go to museums, attend classes, talk to other art historians, dealers, and other art professionals.

Appraising for us is “the icing on the cake” - writing about appraising is something we do while searching for the next great collection to get involved in and fall in love with. So please forgive us if our posts lapse from time to time. We’ll try to do better and make them more timely and informative in the future. In the meantime, if you have a collection you love, please call us and share it! Our website is www.fineartofappraising.com. Hope to hear from you.

Sincerely,
Christine Guernsey, ISA AM
Guernsey, Nelson and Kolker
Fine Art of Appraising