A Dawley
Transaction Story . . .
"In the late 1960's I was a teenager taking classes at Miss
Yvette's Dance Studio in Cranford, NJ, my home town. One evening,
Yvette brought a very nice gentleman with a slight Southern drawl
and a large camera into the class. She introduced him as Mr. Joseph
Dawley, and explained he was looking for possible models to pose
for his paintings. He then took some photos, thanked us politely
and left. A while later my parents received a call from Mr. Dawley,
or perhaps it was Gloria, his wife, asking if I might come to his
home to sit for a painting. That an artist would choose me, a shy,
skinny kid (okay, my big sister said I was a nerd) to pose for him
was somewhat wondrous to me, so I went, excited and a little nervous.
When I arrived at the Dawley home I was relieved to see another
girl from the class, Carolyn Krone, had also been invited to pose.
I remember we stood at a barre that Mr. Dawley had installed, while
he took his sketches.Then I was invited to come and sit by myself,
wearing my ballet outfit in several quiet poses, and then sometimes
in other clothes or swaths of material. I enjoyed posing, and the
whole Dawley family, including the dog, was usually around so I
was very comfortable. However, I always worried whether I was giving
Mr. Dawley the attitudes and expressions he wished for.
And then the day came when Mr. Dawley held his first exhibit at
a local gallery. There were several canvases at that show for which
I had posed, and my family and I were awestruck. They were so beautiful
and grand. I also remember paintings of old men and young children,
all looking as if they should be hanging in major museums, not this
small gallery!
Of course I thought my parents should buy one instantly, but I was
one of six children, and so I figured I might have to wait a bit.
I promised myself then and there that some day I would have one
of those wonderful paintings. About 2 years ago, I saw Cindy Dawley
at a cocktail party at the home of a Dawley collector. Of course,
Cindy herself had become an accomplished painter by that time, and
she told me about C.J. Mugavero and her Artful Deposit Gallery.
Cindy said that C.J. represented her father's work as well as her
own, and would perhaps be able to find me one of the paintings I
loved so well. So I contacted C.J., who was so sweet and did think
she had something I might be interested in. It was in fact a small
painting I had sat for, and I did purchase it. But I was still hoping
for one of the larger paintings.
Finally I got the call from C.J. She had a canvas titled "At
Rest", which had always been one of my very favorites. I was
so excited, but of course Mr. Joseph Dawley's paintings are investment
pieces now and I had never taken this kind of step. So C.J. and
I talked things over. She was so kind and patient, explaining the
way things worked, the wishes of the owner, and best of all, understanding
how much it would mean to me to own that painting. One night I was
looking at the painting again on her website when I suddenly realized
I would be heartbroken if I found that someone else had bought it.
I called her immediately to discuss an offer, she spoke to the owner,
worked things out like the professional she is, and now I have "At
Rest" hanging in my apartment in New York City. Every night
I come home and look at it and feel that I have come full circle,
recaptured that special time of my youth, when my family was all
together, and this wonderful thing happened to me. And C.J., I will
always be so grateful to you for making it possible for me to have
what I wished for so many years ago."
"I wish to take this opportunity to thank you for the professional
manner in which you handled the sale of my Dawley painting. Through
your extensive knowledge of art, you showed impartiality and fairness
establishing an equitable cost basis for the sale of the painting.
I felt very comfortable working with you from the first day I walked
into your Gallery through the completion of the sale. I have and
will continue to recommend your gallery to friends and associates.
You're very special. Thank you again for your professional assistance
and cooperation."
