art sale – Rafi And Klee Studios

Posted on November 24, 2020November 24, 2020 by Artist Rafi Perez — 4 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving – Let The Craziness Begin

Happy Thanksgiving!!!! This is the day where Klee and I contemplate our year and appreciate where we are and who we are. This year has had a bunch of stupid challenges for us all, but there is so much to be grateful for. We are grateful for you reading this right now and so I give you a big turkey hug… or tofurkey hug, depending on your preference. Other than gratitude, I have had something else on my mind.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the holidays coming up and holiday sales. Things are actually changing a little due to the pandemic. Thanksgiving is two days away and the holiday shopping season officially starts the day after. Every year the sale has started earlier and earlier, I have some friends that pull an all-nighter on Thanksgiving every year for the Black Friday craziness. This is usually followed by Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and finally, the Holiday Shopping weeks leading up to Christmas.

Every year, Klee and I gear up for this season and prepare for the madness. Usually, we have a local face to face presentation at the market and put together an open holiday studio day where people can visit the studio and peruse the art and jewelry available. That is not going to happen this year. We pulled out of the market (which was canceled for most of the year due to the pandemic) and have to be careful about who we invite into our space. Luckily, some artists will be able to take advantage of little markets that are popping up now for the holidays, we however will not. Klee and I have been very careful this year since my father has all the conditions that the “RONA” loves.

Admittedly, the holidays are not big for art. Art is very personal and honestly what if you get someone a nice work of art and they don’t connect with it? So I usually focus on my calendars, special commissions, and my textured prints. Every year I try to focus on something new that I’ve never tried before to see if it meets the needs of the holiday shopping hoard, which makes it a fun social experiment. Klee on the other hand creates something that is personal, beautiful, unique, and much easier to gift. She’s usually the breadwinner during the holidays while I bring in little scraps of roadkill here and there, but we get by pretty well.

In 2020, however, we are completely reliant on the internet (which was out and spotty for 2 months after the hurricane) so that has changed everything. To say that it has been a year of challenges and having “make it work” moments is an understatement. So this year in lieu of an open holiday studio we are having a Virtual Open Studio live stream event on December 4th (More details soon). Our plan is to make it laid back, fun, and full of gifts for people who will actually take time out of their day to watch us.

We are also running various sales on things like the limited edition calendars and special items only created for the holidays. In the meantime, Klee and I are working on commissions, special art and jewelry for the live sale, and a book that will release early next year. One thing that I have learned from being a full-time artist for over a decade (Our Studio Anniversary is tomorrow November 25th, 2009) is that no matter what things look like financially, you have to keep moving forward and create your own opportunities. Sometimes those harebrained ideas pay off, sometimes it takes years, and sometimes they wither and die… but no matter what, you gotta keep creating.

No matter what, this holiday season is going to be different than pre-2020 with less in-store shopping. Looking back, I’ll be honest, Black Friday got a little ridiculous.

It started with opening 8 am Friday morning.

The next year being 5 am…

To the next year being 2 am…

To the next year being midnight…

Finally to last year when stores opened just after Thanksgiving dinner between 5 pm – 8 pm on Thursday evening.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t a big fan of employees having to go to work on Thanksgiving and deal with an extra day of Black Friday madness. If you have never worked retail, I can tell you that it is a nightmare scenario.

Because of the pandemic, store openings will look noticeably different this year. Stores, such as Walmart, BestBuy, and Target, that have been known to open on Thanksgiving day to begin their Black Friday sales early, are in fact closed on Thanksgiving day this year. The earliest opening I’ve come across for this year is 5 am on Friday, November 27th.

Honestly, Black Friday has begun much earlier this year online, with many companies doing either “Pre-Black Friday” online sales, or even simply starting their Black Friday promotions early. Although I’m sure you are disappointed that you will not have the bloodshot bleary eyes from staying up all night watching people rip apart dolls and fight over parking spots, you can find most sales online.

Cyber Monday sales will also probably continue the sales over a week past Thanksgiving.

For small business Saturday, I know small businesses could really use some love, so could the artists and vendors who are setting up for shows and markets… So support local, whether you do it online or in person, support those badasses.

We will most likely be doing a Small Business Saturday Sale as a thank you to our awesome collectors and friends out there who have helped us get through some tough times this year.

Either way, whatever you do, whether you are a shopper, a business, or an alien, be safe and smile. If you can support local businesses please do so. This year has been extremely challenging for a lot of us, and I want to just send you my love. My final thought is this, it is all just stuff, what REALLY matters here is the human connection we have with each other… that is why I am a big fan of these shops staying closed until it is ACTUALLY Black Friday… Families could take a day to eat good food and feel grateful without having to run out after dinner… Just my opinion.

We’d love to hear your thoughts! How will you be approaching holiday sales this year? Let us know in the comments.

Stay safe, and happy shopping!

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Artist Rafi Perez — Leave a comment

4 Special Stocking Stuffers To Give From Rafi And Klee

That time of year is upon us where we desperately try to remember what the people who are near and dear to us would like in their stocking. In the spirit of the holidays I have compiled a list of our most popular stuff to stuff a stocking with.

These are gifts that are both affordable and meaningful from our collections of fine jewelry and fine art.

PLEASE NOTE: While people are generally overflowing with joy and uncontainable excitement, this season can also cause a bit of stress for us with increased orders and workload or winter storms that can drastically impact delivery times. It is important to us that you get your gifts.

Order-Deadline-Rafi-and-Klee — Order cutoff dates are as follows, to ensure timely delivery for Christmas. Domestic orders (continental US), for bespoke (made to order) items: December 11th. Limited collection (ready to ship) items: Dec 17th. All international orders: December 3rd.

Ok, now that’s out of the way, on to the fun:

Tiny Hammered Disk Earrings – Sterling Silver and 14k Solid Gold “Mini Gong” Earrings $59.00

Three Little Birds Wall Art by artist Rafi Perez Original Artist Enhanced Print On Wood $25.00

Curate Your Space — This is a high quality print of my work on textured archival art paper. I enhance my prints using either ink, paint, pastel, or a combination of mediums. Each one is unique, this Piece is mounted on wood and ready to hang out of the box. It is completely hand crafted by me, with unique texture patterns added by hand, no two are exactly the same. These pieces are signed and dated on the back. Check Out rest of my CURATE YOUR SPACE pieces.

Green Fluorite Crystal Necklace – Solid Sterling Silver – Raw Fluorite Octahedron Crystal – Long Layering Necklace $60.00 (Was $75.00)

Four Seasons – 4 Piece – Tree Paintings on Reclaimed Wood By Artist Rafi Perez $131.75 (was $155.00)

Seasons of change — Original Abstract Textured Tree Mixed Medium Paintings on Re-purposed wood Part of “The Seasons of Change Series” This series came together over a period of time in which I experimented with the feeling of the season. Eventually the Seasons of Change evolved to what you see now.

Also! Don’t forget! Calendar Order deadline is tomorrow, December 5th. Please order yours before they are gone.

Posted on November 23, 2018November 23, 2018 by Artist Rafi Perez — Leave a comment

20% Off And Free Shipping! All Rafi Art And Klee Jewelry

It’s that time of year again! When big companies have sales and everyone loses their mind shopping. Usually this time of year is not a big deal for us since we don’t have the advertising budget to promote ball buster deals… which, I’m not even sure I know what that is, or if I got the term right.

Cyber week sale! Nov 20th-25th Enjoy 20% off all items in our shops, no coupon code necessary. Take advantage of free shipping (domestic only) on all orders!

We do, however, have a beautiful and amazing small dedicated few that would rather get hand crafted art and jewelry from us than the mass produced big box store merchandise.

Because of this, Klee and I decided it would be awesome to have a sale for our awesome following and collectors!

Cyber week sale! Nov 20th-25th Enjoy 20% off all items in our shops, no coupon code necessary. Take advantage of free shipping (domestic only) on all orders!

Also my Calendars are now available for order until the December 5th deadline.

I would appreciate early ordering so I can have them all shipped out by the shipping date!

So visit our online stores:

Visit Rafi’s Art – https://rafiperezart.com/

Visit Klee’s Jewelry – https://kleeangelie.com/

Buy Calendars – https://rafiperezart.com/shop/25052164/2019-calendars

Oh, wait… it’s Door Buster Deals… that makes a little more sense.

Posted on August 18, 2018 by Artist Rafi Perez — Leave a comment

Solo Show At Artel Sept 4th – Oct 19

I am excited to announce that I will be showing my art in the alcove at Artel Gallery in beautiful downtown Pensacola.

The show is called Sunflowers & The Nature Of Being. It is meant to ignite the spark within the imagination of the viewer as he or she explores the art, discovering a collection based on beauty, nature, and the human spirit.

I’m hoping it will be a window for self discovery, dialogue and inspiration. Show runs from Sept 4th – Oct 19^th.

Join me for the reception on Sept 13th from 6 -8pm.

What: Sunflowers & The Nature Of Being Solo Show Reception

When: September 13th, 2018 From 6pm-8pm

Where: Artel Gallery – 223 Palafox Pl, Pensacola, FL 32502

Why: Because it is AWESOME!

Posted on May 24, 2018 by Artist Rafi Perez — Leave a comment

Winning Is Always An Option If You Don’t Quit

As I approached the gallery I found myself wondering how in the world I was going to get the massive sculpture I constructed up the stairs. I had somehow managed to squeeze it into my car without damaging it, which I attributed to dumb luck.

Luck seemed to be on my side that morning, considering I had pulled into a parking spot right in front of the shiny and unending staircase into the gallery.

I’ve entered the juried art competitions at Artel Gallery a handful of times with varying results. I still remember the first piece I entered, which was rejected with no particular pomp and circumstance. It was laid off to the side with the other rejects waiting for me to glumly collect it, like picking up a child from detention.

That rejection had a devastating impact on my self esteem as an artist for some time. I had just started selling my art and gaining some traction with local collectors, and it caused me to feel like I wasn’t good enough to continue masquerading as an artist.

It wasn’t until several years later that I decided to enter another piece, which didn’t get rejected.

Rafi Perez Best In Show Artel Gallery — Rafi Perez Artel Gallery

The marble steps to the gallery blazed white in the hot sun, daring me to make a move. I had managed to get the sculpture out of the car without damaging it, knocking myself in the head only once.

The only idea that my mind could seem to muster that morning was to pick up the sculpture and maneuver the stairs as quickly as possible. The sculpture isn’t necessarily heavy, it’s just awkward to carry around, because like most sculptures, I didn’t design it to be carried around.

I prepared myself at the bottom of the mountainous stairs, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, and steadied my breath. One false move and all the work and effort that went into my art would be laying in pieces on the forbidding marble steps.

After deciding to enter my art again, I got pieces into four separate shows, won best of show, and had a solo show in their alcove. I also got rejected two more times, but it didn’t have an impact on my self esteem as an artist. Some might attribute the lack of feeling dejected to the fact that I had a couple years as a career artist under my belt, but I know plenty of seasoned artists who have a difficult time with any rejection.

I don’t have difficulty with rejection because after two years of avoiding art competitions, I finally realized that you can’t win if you don’t enter; and your art is not being rejected, it simply didn’t match the taste of the juror. The thing is, that art competitions don’t matter, but if you want to win one, you are going to have to face rejection. In fact, if you want to do anything awesome or important with your art career, you are probably going to face a lot of rejection and criticism.

If you want to be safe from rejection, then don’t put yourself out there, don’t do anything different from the norm, don’t try to have a voice, and definitely don’t become an artist.

Simply because someone rejects your artwork (or whatever it may be) doesn’t mean that you are worthless. It doesn’t have anything to do with you, and never will. A lot of people avoid thinking about being rejected or losing, but in my opinion it’s a good idea to think about that worst case scenario, and face the fear in your mind.

What if my piece gets rejected? How will I feel? What does it mean?

These could be hard questions, but until you ask yourself and question the validity of your answers, you are going to keep reacting in misery to rejection. The really cool thing about exploring these questions is that you don’t have to react at all, you can respond to the situation however you like.

My answers are less dramatic and devastating since I’ve had a chance to explore this topic and really decide how I want to respond to these questions and this particular type of rejection.

What if my piece gets rejected?

Then it get’s rejected. I pick it up, bring it home and probably sell it at some point in my lifetime. Who knows, it may win a prize at some other art competition… just didn’t suit the juror this time I guess.

How will I feel?

Fine, I have other more important things to focus on.

What does this mean?

Only what I think it means. If I think I’m a failure or a reject, that’s on me. This is an opportunity for me to show myself who I am, by the way I respond. I choose to respond by saying “Well, maybe next time… I got shit to do right now.”

I glanced around one more time, held my breath, and made a run for it. I verbally counted every step as I ascended the stairs with the agility of sloth in running shoes.

Out of breath and elated that I made it to the top, I stood there gleaming in victory. I then proceeded to scrape and bang my way awkwardly through the front door, hitting my head one more time for good measure. I placed the sculpture safely in the gallery lobby, signed it in, and breathed a sigh of relief.

By the way, it was number 13 in the roster… talk about dumb luck.

I had done it. I achieved something I thought was impossible to do on my own, willing to face humiliation and rejection for something I love and believe in… my art, my sense of fun, my freedom to be me.

Had I given up, after that first rejection it would have controlled me. I would have spent the rest of my life being afraid to face rejection, and I would have been filled with “what ifs”.

I don’t believe you actually fail, even if your art doesn’t get in. Even if you get rejected, or lose… I think you only fail if you give up… because that’s the one thing you have control over.

It’s sometimes easy to give up because things might seem hopeless or hard. I didn’t think I could possibly get the sculpture to the gallery on my own, but my belief in dumb luck took over, and I decided to try.

Good thing too, I won Best Of Show.

Posted on March 22, 2018 by Artist Rafi Perez — Leave a comment

Spring Is Here And So Is Our Sale March 20-29th

Spring is in the air! I know it’s true because my eyes get itchy and I find myself sneezing uncontrollably. That being said, we also have an uncontrollable urge to do some Spring cleaning, or spring a sale on you… you see what I did there?

Both Klee and I have some fun sales going on. Such as 15% off of selected works of art and special deals on shipping.

Klee’s Sale – Spring Sale Event! March 20-29th Enjoy 15% off of every design in my shop. No minimum purchase required, no coupon code necessary. Free domestic shipping on orders of $100 or more.

Tree Of Life Pendant Necklace - Lady Tree - 14k Yellow Gold Filled - Fossilized Coral - Genuine Grey White Diamonds - First Bloom — Tree Of Life Pendant Necklace – Lady Tree – 14k Yellow Gold Filled – Fossilized Coral – Genuine Grey White Diamonds – First Bloom

Some pieces started selling the moment we activated the sale, this art (Wisdom Of The Deep) already sold as part of the sale, and although I’m sad to see it go, I am happy that it has a new home in Pennsylvania.

Art By Rafi This Week #1 — Wisdom Of The Deep 46″X41″ By Rafi Perez SOLD

Our sale runs until the end of day on the 29th of March 2018. If you go on our online store it lists all the sale prices. Have fun, and if you have any questions please email us!