Starving Students Movers

I recently attending a Starving Artists Group sale. They advertised "Original Oil Paintings! Nothing Over $69!" There were hundreds of paintings stacked against their cardboard shipping boxes, the tables and the chairs. I found numerous virtually identical paintings. Some of them had identical artist's signatures on them indicating one person painted multiple copies of the same master. Other copies of that same painting had different artist's signatures on them. These were clearly
mass produced. I envision a factory with dozens of "artists" painting copy after copy of the same paintings and signing the names they are given. I found several signed "Misc." I imagine that meant the artist was supposed sign miscellaneous signatures on them, but he misinterpreted the work order. Many of the paintings appeared to be signed with the same red marker, although they were different signatures.

The vast majority of the paintings were of landscapes with trees or small town scenes. If that was not what you wanted then the selection was very limited. I also saw a few different flowers and a some dolphins.

The frames were glued together and made from cardboard with a thin paper veneer. I was surprised at how light and flimsy they were. They even looked cheap. I don't know if they would pass muster in a dimly lit bedroom, but they certainly weren't worthy of being displayed in a living room or an office. The frames were available in the same four sizes that the paintings were available in.

I felt like Starving Artists Group had deceived me. I saw the TV commercial and thought there would be original paintings. What I found were cheap commercially mass produced paintings and cardboard frames. For $118 (large painting and frame) I can do better.