Ok, so tonight was absolutely incredible. I went to the Atlanta Visionary Arts Fair and met Alex and Allyson Grey. They spoke, signed autographs, books, and in my case some blotter. They also took a long while to do a Q&A session. Absolutely beautiful and amazing people they are. I would never even think about selling the ones I got but I am curious as to what their value is. Anyone have any clue? I ask because I thought I saw so em going for a good bit a while back. I'll probably be attending tomorrow as well, as it is a two day event and I'm considering picking up either prints or more blotter and getting it signed, as I think they'd make awesome gifts to close friends.

I think that stuff like that mostly has value outside the monetary system, if you know what I mean. A client once tipped me with a blotter signed by Kesey and the Prankstrs- great piece of history but not much cash value on the mainstream art market.

As talented and groundbreaking as the Greys are, they still don't get a lot of love in the mainstream art world, where value is established through an old boys network of commodities trading style buying and selling, along with a lot of hype by deeply entrenched insiders. At the big art museums you'll find that the contemporary art galleries are filled with quickly done minimalist stuff, deliberately messy and nonvisual... No room at all in those hallowed halls for the kind of visionary art that we appreciate in the psychedelic community. It's really quite perverse, IMO.

^^^ But visionary art is the best art! That's not just my opinion, it's a fact, good sir!

I would be so excited to meet the Greys! I got to meet Paul Stamets this year and got a book signed by him. I wasn't even able to speak properly! He probably thought I was a simpleton or something. I have learned its hard for me to meet my heroes.

Autographs are weird to me.


I mean, Alex made some pretty pictures.

Making someone into a rock star...really? Celebrity, really? But people have made alex into a celebrity, one who does events every week of the years, signs hundreds of pieces of paper at each event. Those autographs imo are less valuable that the paper they are written on. The value is decreased by having been signed. People magazine sucks I would not wipe my ass with it. celebrity autographs, same thing. I've met alex...and many other artists and musicians whose work I admire. Big deal.

One time I vaped some spice and recieved a message--"adore the creation, forget the creater". Don't get all rock-starree about your own work, that fame will do nothing good for you, don't idolize someone else for their work, it does nothing good for them.

I have a large framed bardo being print on my wall that minxx got signed by alex grey and he drew some weird eye thing on it and dedicated it to the raw food restaurant she opened and ran for a few years in Toronto..he signed it and wrote some stuff about "food for the soul"..

I dont think it has any value though outside of ourselved valueing it because we love his artwork.

He offered to sign a print of one of his works for me.....I declined.




The little eye thing is part of his signature, eye in the triangle. I asked him what it represents, he said "eye of truth. or eye of god".


I never sign my own art. My ego does not belong there, the creation belongs to the whole world, it was never mine to begin with. Great artists always claim that they were just a conduit for the vision. Then they turn around and sign it! Yep.

Alex has had people kiss his feet before. It freaks him out- he's really a very humble regular guy. He does all that autographing because in the eye of the person he's doing it for, it adds something to the experience, somehow makes it more real.

After discovering Beksinski I went through a period of not signing my paintings. Strangely, those pieces were by far the hardest to sell. Humans are pack animals and apparently place high value on that kind of memento. So I totally get what Doodazzle is saying, but basic human nature does seem to place value in these things.

To me the autograph is something that strengthens the physical connection of what ever it's on. So my book by Paul Stamets came off a printing press and got shipped some places and ended up in my hands. But then the person, who put so much work into the thing and made it what it is, left a unique mark on it. It's such a small amount of ego, some black molecules from a pen, that it doesn't lessen the value. What is value anyway? It's not a real thing.

Yes, I feel like conduit for creativity when I make art, especially directly from psychedelic visions, but it sure as hell isn't easy. I think a tiny signature mark is not overstepping the boundaries for someone who put so much work into bringing something beautiful into this world.

I see your point and I do not wish to try and convince you that I am right/you are wrong. However, I was talking about paintings, not books. A painting is a thing of beauty, lines, colors and form, all there for a reason--the signature is the one element that sometimes stands out to me as being out of place. The ego thing, if I may restate myself is simple. The artist sais "I am just a conduit for this art" Then they turn around and sign it. No-one else in the world finds that odd?


Here is a beautiful thing that I would like to share. Orson Welles, being rather moving and poetic. It won't convince you to share my opinion but watch it anyway.

i ordered "Kissing" and "One" framed together for my better half on valentines day, alex signed them and drew an eye inside a winged heart on them. It deffinitely makes it more valuble to me than the same prints without it because its one of a kind. Even if he only spent 2 seconds doing that he still put his energy directly into the prints that are hanging on my wall. To me thats way more valuble than something printed from a machine that he has never touched or even seen. Its not just about this celebrity putting his name on it, its about this visionary artist that has enriched my life and inspired me putting his personal energy directly into the print, its more powerfull.
In my opinion this is why i can look at a rembrant print over and over again in books, online, i can hang a massive print of the best quality on my wall and stare into it everyday, but its not going to give me the same emotions as if i were looking at an original painting that he directly poured his energy into.

I see what you mean Doodazzle. I confused getting an autograph with signing a work of art. I have actually only signed one art work.... I guess I must agree with you! Now that I think about it, I never wanted to change the work after I called it finished. Or maybe, I just never felt it was good enough to sign... I still have much to learn in the ways of art.

If I ever intend to be a professional, I think I'll keep in mind what Guyomech said. That's very odd that the unsigned ones didn't sell as well.

Tokapelli, that's exactly what I wanted to say, only in better words.

My wife's approach is sort of a middle way... Small initials in a discreet spot. You have to really look to find them.

i like that approach guy, i try to do it in a way that it doesnt take away from the art