Buying a new or second luxury home anywhere is a momentous occasion. When it happens in Sedona, Arizona it is a sublime event. Suddenly you find yourself owning a piece of indescribable beauty - right in the heart of Sedona’s red rock country. Expressing your artistic tastes in your new dream home is another story. How do you go about uniting the natural magnificence of the region with selected art pieces that reflect who you are in your new life?
Sedona draws people from every part of the country - and world for that matter. Each has a special story of what compelled them, in some cases, to drop everything and move to a place they’ll call home or visit frequently. Often new Sedonans need to outfit an entire home or they bring along most of their former household - art included - from somewhere else.
In places like Sedona the rhythms of raw nature have immense appeal, displaying the drama of a dynamic and vastly fluctuating landscape. The sensational rock formations offer forever changing patterns as sun, rain and sometimes snow render new palettes of color, texture and form each hour of every day.
Architects and designers have spent much time divining the perfect view orientation for each custom luxury home. Floor to ceiling windows of sometimes unimaginable proportions carefully frame and display the natural art of the Sedona landscape. So what about man-made art? Faced with bare walls and views that go on forever, how do you even think about it?
For many new homeowners Sedona and the Southwest in general offer a tremendous opportunity to toss out more traditional artistic tastes by embracing art more adventurous, more bold, or more reflective of the spirit of the West. If pitching favorite art pieces isn’t an available option then how does it all come together in a new space with 18 foot vaulted ceilings and lots of glass, for example? What decisions need to be made and what helpful sources of inspiration are available?
Linda Goldenstein, president of Goldenstein Art Associates has developed a holistic approach to making art available to her clients so that art purchases are made with intelligence and inspiration. Goldenstein is well known in the Sedona area and the Southwest. A native of Arizona, she was born on the Hualapai Indian reservation and grew up just south of Sedona in the Camp Verde area. Her family has lived in the area for 40 years and during that time has seen tremendous change. No longer a sleepy hamlet of the ’60’s, Sedona has transformed into a sophisticated and highly desirable travel destination. Current retirement and working trends reveal a migration to Sedona for quality of life reasons and that means home ownership, booming house construction and a need to fill the new spaces with art!
Having worked in the arts for over ten years, Goldenstein feels her mission is to support the living arts... and make art, and those who create it, more accessible to the community. To that end she works with wellknown, established artists and seeks out new emerging artists. Traveling to the jungles and high mountains of Mexico twice a year to discover new talent in copper bowl making and silver smithing is a joy for Goldenstein. Working with such diverse talent as a Tibetan Buddhist nun who paints stunning sacred Tibetan Buddhist deities in a European pointillist style or a Santa Fe woodworker/artist who produces gorgeous burled tables inlaid with precious stones, Goldenstein has a knack for discovery.
Investors in art are always looking for the next artist. Goldenstein takes her quest seriously to promote the arts and provide an eclectic selection of artists and artistic styles for her collectors, new clients and art patrons. Connecting on any level to an emerging artist or an established one is a rich and inspiring process. Knowing the story of how the art piece came into being, whether it’s a beautiful sculpted bronze or a contemporary abstract painting it is all about connection, connecting the art buyer with the artists, interpreting the art for the client, providing the client with the engaging details of the artist’s life and purpose all add tremendous dimension to the art buying process and ultimately result in the lifelong appreciation and satisfaction for the newly purchased art.
Investment in art is always present. Financial investment and emotional investment. Art is to be lived with and enjoyed daily. Art that remains in a family can be passed on. It can be sold or given away when other tastes emerge. Knowing value and the potential appreciation is also essential when making an art purchase. A good art consultant will explore all these areas with the client.
Linda Goldenstein provides for her client’s abundant opportunity to view and try out their potential art purchases. It’s a process and often one that requires time and just being with the art to see if it fits.
Where to begin?
Typically Goldenstein will meet with a new home owner, investigating their current artistic tastes, assessing their openness to explore new art expressions, determining their budget and advising on how to integrate that dramatic new painting (with splashes of reds and golds) with their existing pieces. It is all part of the art buying process.
Next is exposure to many artistic styles and the various art media.
Once an idea of the range and particular likes of a client are determined the fun begins: looking at the artists and their work. After a decade of creating art exhibits and representing artists in multiple locations from California to Texas, Goldenstein has consolidated many of her artists into Goldenstein Gallery in Uptown Sedona.
Situated in the newly constructed Arroyo Roble Village Shops complex, the gallery is just south of the Sedona Arts Center. For Linda Goldenstein, this destination gallery is an exciting expansion of a successful art career. "After nearly four years, I feel like we’ve found our home," said Goldenstein. "Between the Sedona Arts Center, and other galleries in the immediate area, I believe this location is the next ’arts hot spot.’ This space showcases the art beautifully. The views from our spacious balconies overlook Oak Creek and spectacular red rock formations. In the front of the gallery we plan to install a sculpture garden welcoming visitors as they enter Sedona."
Goldenstein Gallery showcases internationally recognized contemporary and emerging artists from many traditions including Tibetan Buddhism and Native American. Paintings, multimedia, sculpture, fine imports including hand-worked copper and silver, elegant contemporary furniture and exquisite architectural elements are represented. For new luxury homeowners it’s an ideal place to experience what will work in their new space.
The continuing trend in luxury real estate is "bigger is better". Because of the enormity of wall sizes and interior spaces in new homes it’s often difficult to find art that works well. With this issue in mind, Goldenstein has found a way to offer more exposure to her artists with big art pieces. For years prior to the gallery opening she has contracted with strategic high-end locations producing fine art exhibitions in and around Sedona. Places like the Old Marketplace in West Sedona offer ample wall space to display some of those larger pieces. Hundreds of excellent local artists including abstract artist Keith Schall, contemporary painter Allen Powell and sacred artist Ani Sherab Khandro with her pointillist-styled Buddhas get great exposure there. This is so helpful for the art investor. The art can be seen and displayed in a setting often similar in scale to their homes.
Consider previewing the art in your home
In the absence of a drop dead "I have to have that piece" response to a first look at a piece of art, consider taking it home on a trial basis. "This is one of the most effective ways to really get a sense and feel for how the art fits in," says Goldenstein. "Once you’ve selected the piece or number of pieces you are considering, we’ll bring the art to your home, make suggestions regarding hanging and positioning, hang it and leave it with you. Investing in art is so deeply personal and often so subjective and intuitive we want to do everything we can to facilitate the right purchase for you. It’s really the final step in the process and it has to feel right."
The involvement of a professional art consultant can make all the difference in the world when making any art buying decision. Look for one with years of handson experience and a gift for matching up artists and their works with your tastes and lifestyle. Be open to exploring new art territory and especially revel in and enjoy the process of looking at and acquiring beautiful art that reflects you and your passions.
--Goldenstein Gallery will be open from 10 to 6 PM daily. For more information, call 928-204-1765 or email goldenstein@sedona.net.