What makes art valuable? It depends who you ask.
To some, it may be the artist who created it. To others, it may be the materials and colors used. But for most, art acquires value by the feeling it invokes. And to artist Keith Wilcock, creating something beautiful is just as important as admiring it.
As an artist and co-owner of Wilcock Gallery, Keith found his passion for art at a very young age when a severe fever led to months of bed rest and missed school. To pass the time, Keith’s parents gave him paper and pencils. Soon, his imagination took over, and he was creating drawing after drawing.
In the second grade, he won a prize for painting a pirate ship with purple sails. “I remember my second-grade teacher, Mrs. Chase, teasing me about purple sails, but I felt, you know, if I’m an artist, I can use whatever colors I wish,” Keith recalled.
As Keith continued his schooling, he realized that not many of the artists he knew were making money, and, being a practical man, he decided to major in psychology. But he never lost his ardor for art.
“For most of my adult years, I’ve had two career paths: one in the art world and one in the world of industrial psychology,” Keith says.
His art, which was showcased and sold by various galleries during his working years, mostly features watercolors, oils, and pastels, with watercolor being his preferred medium.
Pulling inspiration from artists like John Singer Sargent, Maynard Dixon, Maxfield Parrish, and John Burkey, Keith’s intent with his art is to create and leave behind something worth being admired.
“What I wanted to do is really leave something behind that was beautiful, so I try to make landscapes and florals and figures… I think if we had more beauty in the world, we’d all be better off,” he says.
When it came time for Keith to retire from his psychology career, it created an opportunity for him to open his own gallery. Partnering with his son — also an artist — they opened the Wilcock Gallery, where they experienced immense success for over 20 years on Water Street in Excelsior.
In 2015, Keith and his son made the decision to close their physical storefront. Over time, they had accumulated hundreds of original works of art, many from artists Keith has personally known and painted with. The father-son duo, in turn, opened an online version of the Wilcock Gallery where they continue to sell artists’ work, from sculptures to watercolor and oil paintings — two of which were created by John Berkey, and all of which now sit in Keith’s home.
“My house is just filled with art now because we still had all those paintings left over when we closed the gallery. I’ve got closets full of them, and all my walls are covered,” he says.
When it comes to giving advice to budding artists and art investors, Keith has mixed feelings. On the one hand, creating and buying art can be expensive and time-consuming.
“There are just thousands of artists out there now scrambling for attention and wanting to be recognized, and very few of them make enough money to send their kids to college or buy a nice house,” Keith shares. “A few of the very top ones do well.”
In that same vein, Keith says acquiring a sure investment means buying art — often from an auction — that is already appreciated, which can get very expensive. It’s not uncommon to find art at an auction that sells for over $100,000.
On the other hand, Keith is not one to criticize the emotional connection to a work of art.
“I have always thought a good painting is one which gives you a little smile inside when you walk by and look at it, and you grow attached to it even though it may or may not be worth a lot of money,” he says. “But I think the more valid reason to buy art, really, is that somebody really loves the art, the sentiment that’s in it.”
Discover your next favorite masterpiece and explore the incredible artists and artwork available online at Wilcock Gallery: https://wilcockgallery.com/