Dear Janis,
These days artists are receiving emails like this: “We like to do business with you. We are skilled painters in Shenzhen, China. There are lots of talent painters working together in our studio. We can paint oil painting at every grade of different style, our price and service are very competitive, you can make more money than before if you buy oil paintings directly from us. The FOB prices can be $7 per copy for 20” x 24” and $12 for 24” x 36”, if you are interested in, we can send some photos of our works to you, we also can paint exactly according to your any email pictures, it is very easy to do the international business now, looking forward to your reply.”
Mutsu Carnival
As well as cheap copies of famous paintings for the world’s supermarkets, what these chaps have in mind is that you go golfing while they make your stuff—at less cost than you might normally pay for a couple of golf balls. They’d like you to think it’s the new reality of free trade.
The Group of Five
I’ve seen a few fairly good copies of my own work, done without my permission. At first glance they look okay. At second glance the painters haven’t figured out the order I do things, and they’ve not rendered well the deviations and mannerisms that make my work somewhat distinctive. As clever as these guys are, they’ve not lived my struggles, and they’ve put in unpleasant struggles of their own. Can others see this? People tell me they can recognize my work from across the room. Many other painters can say the same. How sophisticated does a collector have to be to spot a phony? How greedy does a dealer have to get to sell one? How stupid do artists have to be to let themselves be cloned?
Jazz
As many know, I’ve worked long and hard to thwart the Chinese copyists. A couple of years ago we managed to have replicas of more than 1200 Western painters removed from Eastern clone-sites. The various levels of governments were of no help in this fight. Direct email appeals to the decency of the cloners worked, if only temporarily. These are talented, well-trained painters. Our efforts brought to mind some of the great principles: Put the devil to work in your work. Fill it with private magic. Use techniques and processes that are yours alone and tough to master. Do things that others can’t.
Best regards,
Robert
PS: “We can do good job for you and save you time.” (Chinese cloning website)
In China, the word “copyright” currently means the right to copy. We need to help the Chinese understand that world citizenship means more than a fast buck-it means respect, honour and integrity. There are more than 10,000 clone-painters in Shenzhen-all of them poorly paid. Artists need to reply to these Chinese emails and let it be known that they do not want their work cloned under any circumstances. Chinese artists need to be encouraged to be their own artists. Many have seen this light and have achieved international acclaim at prices that do not perpetuate poverty in either art or ethics.
The above is a copy of one my letters from Robert Genn, a well known and very successful Canadian painter, who provides an art listing site called The Painters Keys…he has given me permission to reprint his letters for you whenever I feel you’d be interested in the topic under discussion.
I too have had a number of these emails, which means my work has now been cloned and is being sold as I write this, with not a penny sent to me..I tried to find them on the web, but the sites are so big [there are thousands and thousand of paintings] that I gave up. Janis
Are you worried about your art being cloned, and have any of you received emails like the ones I’ve received?
Picture of a cloning factory at work...There are regular competitions held, with 100 or more painters all racing to see who can finish a copy of the same portrait or landscape the fastest. The quickest of the Dafen, Shenzhen artisans can complete up to 30 paintings a day.
Over 10,000 Chinese painters occupy the city of Dafen, Shenzhen. Five million oil paintings a year are created here for foreign markets.
P.S. According to Robert, one of the main sites is called Arch-World.
Andrew and I went to have a look right away. It turned out to be a big site that ‘represented’ more than 2800 artists, living and dead. These folks have been simply ‘lifting’ images from dealer and public gallery websites, and other online pages. They are offering them as giclees or photocopies in several sizes. You can fill up your shopping-cart for peanuts. Smaller sizes are 129 Yuan—379 for larger. That’s about US$16 and $46. They also frame and ship.
coppertrees, 2 months ago
No I have not, sounds like the same with -Indian Jewerly copied and copied. That is why many tribes do not sell their work outside their own people.
mlgkats, 2 months ago
i would be , i don’t trust any emails from places i don’t know
Janis Zroback in reply to coppertrees’s comment, 2 months ago
The paintings I am showing here are the ones among others of mine that have been cloned, and I can’t do anything about it….they are too far away and their laws are non-existant…
coppertrees, 2 months ago
That is so sad Janis Sorry it is happening
Janis Zroback in reply to mlgkats’s comment, 2 months ago
Mel they are sending emails from anywhere in the world…I have had many with U.S. or British addresses that are actually coming from Nigeria…you have to be very vigilant…it’s not only cloning, it’s offfereing to buy your art, getting you to send it, then you find that the money order is a fraud…the latter has not happened to me, but it has to many that I know…
Janis Zroback in reply to coppertrees’s comment, 2 months ago
Once you’re out there, you are fair game…luckily they don’t really know how I do the work, so the copies may not be that great…I hope.
hilarydougill, 2 months ago
That is the only problem with this site, anybody and everybody can help themselves. hugsxxx
valzart, 2 months ago
But we still have our copyright to fight the fraudsters ... ;} hugzz
Laurie Puglia, 2 months ago
that is certainly, reality. anyone wanting to make a fast buck no matter what means they have to go through, to do it. thanks for the enlightenment here, sort of like the nigerian scam artists. laurie
Janis Zroback in reply to hilarydougill’s comment, 2 months ago
I agree….Yes they can….
Janis Zroback in reply to valzart’s comment, 2 months ago
Copyright means in China….the right to copy….so having copyright actually means very little.
Janis Zroback in reply to Laurie Puglia’s comment, 2 months ago
The Nigerian scam artists are alive and doing well I get a letter almost every week, but I can tell from the first word who they are regardless of the email address…never send art until you have cashed their cheque…better yet get paypal…as soon as you mention it, you never hear from them again…
Laurie Puglia, 2 months ago
Good advice. i’ve never had any one buy my art yet but i appreciate that heads up. maybe some day… i have to get 10 mp camera. my 3 mega pixel is soo outdated :( check out some of my work if get the chance, would welcome your honest opinion.
webbie, 2 months ago
So sorry Janis…What we need to do pray for them and let GOD handle them…I no they be on the run then :) huggggggggggggz
Janis Zroback in reply to webbie’s comment, 2 months ago
You might have a point Thelma…
Jim Phillips, 2 months ago
Well, you opened my eyes. Thanks
Avril Brand, 2 months ago
As with most things in life… it’s all about demand and supply. While there is a demand for this kind of art, designer wear, cds, you name it, there will always be those willing to supply. Hit the demand hard! Make it a criminal offense to possess these items. I bet the greatest consumer market is in the west anyway.
I am disgusted at the trade in animal products, especially animals that are endangered. Elephant tusks, leopard skins, rhino horns… the list is endless… yet the international community does nothing. They are scared stiff to take on the Chinese trade.
Destroying these articles means nothing to the people who trade in them. Hitting the demand, will. Not a slap on the wrist, as our pc governments are inclined to do, but with lengthy jail terms and massive fines.
Not that it means anything, (my art is not that wanted, anyway) but I do put a little mark hidden on all my paintings. And as you say, Janis. They can copy the art but they cannot copy the processes and passions that created it.
Thank you for a great article, Janis.
JRobin Whitley, 2 months ago
Of course, I’m not as good as you but I’m glad to know the Clones are out there. Thanks for the heads up.
Janis Zroback in reply to Jim Phillips’s comment, 2 months ago
You’re welcome Jim…
Janis Zroback in reply to Avril Brand’s comment, 2 months ago
The best mark is your thumbprint in the last layer of oil on the front before it dries, in an unobtrusive spot, and also on the back of the canvas…most of the time, depending on the design, I only sign the back of my paintings, so I place an indelible thumbprint there as well and the date…hard to erase…
I was talking to an attorney who specializes in art fraud and she gave me the above advice…she is handling cases right now of theft from museums….
Avril Brand, 2 months ago
That is excellent advice, Janis… better than any mark!!!
Janis Zroback in reply to JRobin Whitley’s comment, 2 months ago
It’s always good to be aware of what’s going on….you never can tell, when your work is going to be next…....as soon as you’re on a website you’re fair game.
kjgordon, 2 months ago
I had a request to purchase some original paintings of mine and even received a check in the mail…I was to pay the pick-up service out of that check…..
The check was NO GOOD….bank said it was a stolen check making its rounds all over the world….
The name used was Tina Brown from England….(the author)
catherine walker, 2 months ago
sorry to hear that janis..it must be devaststing..I wouldn’t like it at all.. I’d be so angry about it.. and wow a thumb print..maybe that is the answer..
Janis Zroback in reply to kjgordon’s comment, 2 months ago
Good for you for checking first…some people didn’t and sent the art, then tried to cash the cheque…also sometimes the cheque is quite large and the artist is asked to return the difference after paying for shipping…they send off money and the art, then the cheque bounces…so they are out valuable art and a lot of cash, sometimes thousands of dollars in cash and untold value in art work..even the money orders and cashier cheques are not to be trusted…the letters are usually written in poor grammar and spelling, but have a U.S.or British address….they are generally from Nigeria.
Janis Zroback in reply to catherine walker’s comment, 2 months ago
That’s the price you pay for being on the web these days….a thumbprint is the best as there is no other one like yours…
kjgordon, 2 months ago
It is amazing that there are such naive people wo get hookied by these scammers….
Most times I ask for cash…If it is mailed to me I have the person insure the mail…
Janis Zroback in reply to kjgordon’s comment, 2 months ago
I use paypal…as soon as you mention it, they run a mile…
Janis Zroback in reply to kjgordon’s comment, 2 months ago
I know lawyers and investment bankers who got rooked by Nigerian scammers…you know the one where they they say have a lot of money and they want to place it in your bank acct? then people give them the acct. number and they get cleaned out.
Karin Taylor
,
2 months ago
wow, no..this hasn’t happened to me that i know of Janis…
i haven’t received these emails…but i am i
Aus so maybe it is just a matter of time
i think it’s dreadful
Janis Zroback in reply to Karin Taylor’s comment, 2 months ago
Karin, not every on receives the emails…only some cloning sites send them out..you may already be cloned…most artists are not aware until someone tells them or maybe someone has bought the art and you find out in a round about way…you can try looking for your own work, but the sites are so big, it may take a while to find your own stuff..have a look at Arch-World and you can see what I mean…they also change the names of their sites very frequently, to avoid detection…
Alison Pearce, 2 months ago
This is something I have never heard of. Thank s for bringing this out into the light and I hope someone somewhere has an answer that can give artists greater protection from this kind of theft
kjgordon, 2 months ago
one of the reasons I don’t use any payments like that ….
I will take a personal check if I know the person…
or if I have a good feeling about the person I am selling to…..
so far I have not been burned…every payment has been good..
except for the one I mentioned and I knew it was smelly before it all happened….
I played stupid till the end…
After I got back from the bank I sent them an e-mail saying the check had to be held for 3 weeks and can they change the way I get paid..
Have thes hipping service give me the cash ….Never heard back from them…............
Janis Zroback in reply to Alison Pearce’s comment, 2 months ago
You’re welcome Alison…I’m afraid we’re on our own when it comes to foreign countries with different laws from our own…
Janis Zroback in reply to kjgordon’s comment, 2 months ago
I’m not surprised you didn’t hear from them…you have a very savvy bank too.
bidjara, 2 months ago
Thanks for the heads up Janis…..I really dislike leaches and these guys are exactly that!! Yes the thumbprint is the best idea yet…it’s how most indigenou artist mark their works esp those from remote communities where english is the second language. Mel
GloriaDK, 2 months ago
I am thinking of using my thumbprint as well Janis and on the back. I have had numerous emails from Nigeria regarding an amount of money I have inherited but have chosen to ignore them!! I had a whoppa of a virus the other day and I don’t know where that came from, nasty people who have too much time on their hands,,as you say Paypal at the moment is the best way to go. When I was there in the States, I lived in Miami beach and visited Hollywood one of the surburbs there further north for the day for a conference and came across a guy who sold artworks in his store, plenty of them. He told me if I wanted to he would give me an easel and set me up on the street to attract people passing and also that as I am a quick painter he would pay me to copy from cards and photographs he had. He was running a business from China from what I gathered. Yes, it does go on and it isn’t nice at all.
Alison Cornfor..., 2 months ago
Wow, as a photographer I’ve had my share of issues with people stealing my work but I had no idea this affected painters as well. Frightening…
Janis Zroback in reply to bidjara’s comment, 2 months ago
The thumbprint will protect your original work forever, but in terms of copies being made by the clone factories in China, unfortunately you have no control until the Chinese gov’t decides to do something, and I’m not holding my breath…you can put on your website that your works are not to be copied and that they are protected in a special way…don’t say what it is though…
Janis Zroback in reply to GloriaDK’s comment, 2 months ago
It’s the best idea to use the thumbprint…it can never be copied…the Nigerian letters can come from anywhere, as they have phony U.S. or European addresses…but they have one thing in common…a certain way of expressing themselves that’s a bit unusual…there are also letters saying you won millions of dollars in very legitimate lotteries around the world and you have to send some money to verify who you are…no lottery issues money to people who did not buy a ticket and you never have to send money to claim a win…
Another big one for artists is where you exhibit work for sale…some pubs and restaurants offer wall space to artists…besides the obvious pitfalls like the restaurant closing due to bankruptcy and you can’t get your work back, or it burns down, I know of one artist, who had his work turned into prints and cards by the pub owner and sold at the cash register…profits going to the pub owner…this happened in London England…he found out that he would have to take them to court and he could not afford it…he lost a lot of money to the pub owners.
Very often even Galleries go bankrupt and you can’t get your art back unless you have a watertight contract…
Bottom line is that all artists should take care to protect themselves in any way they can…I hope that my bringing up these issues has been a help in that regard…please, if you can let other RB artists know that this info is here for them as well.
Janis Zroback in reply to Alison Cornford-Matheson’s comment, 2 months ago
It affects all artists….there are tons of scammers now, so that it really behooves us to take care and not fall into the many traps that are out there.
Lozenga, 2 months ago
this had a few very interesting issues to read!! i have had lots of emails like this, i instanly mark them as spam, but sum emails still filter thru!! very sneaky people out there, you definitly have to rust your instinct, and be aware, to not be gullible. it’s definitly not cool!
Janis Zroback in reply to Lozenga’s comment, 2 months ago
That’s so true..you really have to scrutinize them closely…thanks for commenting.
Joanne A. Bradley, 2 months ago
Very interesting to find out what is happening out there in the bigger art world.
Janis Zroback in reply to Joanne A. Bradley’s comment, 2 months ago
But it also includes the work of photographers Joanne…..don’t ask me how it’s done…