Dafeng "Art Village" artists pivot to originals...

[shri]

Good story ... first heard about Dafeng well over a decade ago as the place to get a perfect copy of the painting of a dog playing poker...

In its heyday, three out of five oil paintings sold worldwide were made in the village, and for years village painters sold their copies to buyers across Europe, the Middle East and the United States.

Exports began to dip after the 2008 global financial crisis, and all but dried up when China slammed shut its borders in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

A few artists gave up and closed their studios. But others saw in the obstacles an opportunity to establish themselves as painters in their own right by catering to China's art market -- the second biggest in the world, with sales jumping by 35 percent in 2021.

Self-taught artist Zhao Xiaoyong used to sell replicas of Vincent van Gogh's work for about 1,500 yuan (US$220) each, while his original pieces fetch up to 50,000 yuan, he said.

https://www.thestandard.com.hk/break...tion/3/202090/

[jgl]

Dafen was a great place to visit... one of the few places in Shenzhen that made it worth the trip, imo.

I had some stuff done recently- send them a photo and they'd turn it into a big oil painting inexpensively and with very cheap framing and shipping.

[Ella Ella]

Good to know!
I am planning to visit soon, and would love to know if you have any suggestions or recommendations for finding an art studios online, prior to my visit... (WeChat perhaps?)
Thank you in advance!

[East_coast]

Good to know!
I am planning to visit soon, and would love to know if you have any suggestions or recommendations for finding an art studios online, prior to my visit... (WeChat perhaps?)
Thank you in advance!

original artist or paint to order?

[Ella Ella]

original artist or paint to order?

Paint to order
Either acrylic or oil painting, based on a photographs (Realism) and also perhaps to make a replica of a classic baroque still life.

Thanks!

[East_coast]

https://www.pinterest.ca/lemonszfineart/

[jgl]

Good to know!
I am planning to visit soon, and would love to know if you have any suggestions or recommendations for finding an art studios online, prior to my visit... (WeChat perhaps?)
Thank you in advance!

You want to order something, or just visit? If the former I could dig up the email of the place I used.

[David4Maths]

Anyone have any idea on the prices to commission some stuff? Ball park would be ok.

[GentleGeorge]

Cheap fakes for export turns into high end quality manufacturing for the local market - we have seen this story arc play out a few times in the last decade up North

[jgl]

Anyone have any idea on the prices to commission some stuff? Ball park would be ok.

100-200 USD for something around 80x40cm. If there is a lot of complexity, add at least 50%.

Cheap fakes for export turns into high end quality manufacturing for the local market - we have seen this story arc play out a few times in the last decade up North

I don't think this is specific enough to get you your fifty cents. But thanks for chiming into this thread with a post that is not of interest to anyone here.