The Higher You Bid, the More It's Worth

Alligator handbag with gold finish by Cartier: $27,000

People value strange things. Especially rich people. For example, a woman's handbag these days is a status symbol to the wealthy and can cost thousands. This perversion has trickled down to the masses, where people of average incomes still will pay a lot of money for what is basically a bag in which to schlep one's belongings, not all that different from the shopping cart used by the homeless or a rag attached to a stick used by hobos. I admit to furthering this practice as I have on occasion paid more for a handbag than for a week's worth of food.

One difference between the rich and the not rich in the valuation department is art. The rich pay millions for it, while the middle class sees most art as lacking in value of any kind, unless it's to fill in an empty space over a sofa. As an artist I find this sad and downright depressing, causing me to overeat and then feel bloated and nauseous, my two least favorite ways to feel. If only people would buy my art I could have such a better digestive system!

Despite my oil paintings costing me anywhere from $50 to $75 to create, depending on the size of the canvas and how much paint I use, and adding in my time at the minimum wage of $15/hour and the typical painting taking about 60 hours to complete, a starting price might be $900. But for my friends, who I want to enjoy my work, I charge only $200 regardless of the size of the canvas.

So I recently posted this price on my Facebook page and a friend asked, "How much for 2?" As if the fact that he would buy two would diminish their value even further. And he's what you might call "rich," based on all outward appearances. 😢

I would love to know what his wife pays for her handbags.