| Have you ever had anything
taken from you against your will? Have you ever been ripped off by
someone you trusted? I certainly hope not, because it is a helpless
feeling, a feeling of disbelief and rage.
"I---expect honesty and integrity
from those persons I do business with."
I am a trusting person. I look for the
best in people and expect honesty and integrity from those persons I do
business with. Gratefully the bad experiences are few and far between.
When I was just beginning my career, I displayed some
of my paintings at a local clinic. The prices were very modest and
when two of the pieces disappeared from the walls, the police declared
it "petty theft". I was crushed! How could anyone with a conscience
take what does not belong to them, whatever the price?
Then, there was a gallery in a community a
half hour's drive from my home, that requested a showing of my seascapes.
There was a "break-in" one night at the gallery. The only things
missing were three of my paintings |
|
|
(They were never recovered). An expensive
camera and other electronic items were not touched. I could only
shake my head in disbelief. Shortly after this incident, the gallery
closed it's doors.
In good faith I shipped two large paintings
to a posh gallery in Beverly Hills, California. The gallery owner
acknowledged receipt of them and after a couple of weeks I got one back.
The other never showed up and no money was ever paid.
"Somewhere a Carol Thompson seascape
languishes in Limbo."
Somewhere a Carol Thompson seascape languishes in Limbo.
Stealing art and not paying for it IS stealing money from
the artist. The pursuit of these criminals is costly and frustrating
and futile. I must leave it to the heart and conscience of these
perpetrators to do the right thing. Still, I believe that 99.9 percent
of business people are honest. So, I will continue to do business
as I have for the last 20 years, and overcome the disgust and disappointment
toward the few, with an up-beat attitude, looking for the best in all people.
|
