Candles & Safari Prints

[mdwest]

I wasnt quite sure where to put this.. but believe this is probably the best place?

apologies in advance for what I know is going to become an extremely long winded post as well...


I've had a fairly large number of members ask me about "Candles for Conservation" as well as about access to a South African artist named Anet Kruger over the past week (DSC).. Ive mentioned both a few different times on AH, but thought putting all of the information into one thread where people can find it might be helpful..


So... all of this started a year ago at DSC in 2023.. I was walking around the floor admiring the paintings and various art from all of the different African artists that is on display every year.. but couldnt bring myself to pay the cost of most of the original paintings (or the limited edition prints for that matter).. simply put, I am not an art connoisseur in any way.. I know what I find visually appealing.. but I have no way of really knowing somethings value or whether or not art in any form is really "worth" the asking price.. we have a few pieces of reasonable value (or at least we paid a pretty decent sum for the art).. but again, we arent collectors, and dont really buy based on investment or value.. we just buy the things we think are appealing and that will match the décor of our home, etc..

anyway... after noticing me looking at A LOT of art and buying none of it, Gerrit of @Bos en Dal SAFARIS and I began talking and he mentioned that he knows an extremely talented and award winning artist in South Africa that in his opinion does just as beautiful work as much of what we had been looking at that day, but because she isnt really known in the US (yet) the cost of her art work is significantly lower.. and that he'd be glad to put me in touch with her..

I had a specific thought on what sort of piece I would like to commission.. but as said above.. I am no artist or connoisseur.. and really no idea how to go about "ordering" art for my home.. but agreed to give Gerrits artist a shout...

Cutting to the chase, we ultimately commissioned Anet Kruger to do an elephant painting for us.. the process was incredibly easy/simple.. Anet and I communicated through WhatsApp several times over the course of about a month trying to work through specific color palates, the concept of what we wanted the piece to look like, etc.. and she sent over lots of photos, sketches, etc.. to see if she was capturing my thoughts properly.. we then agreed upon a price (that is no kidding a fraction of what similar art at DSC/SCI costs... like 1/4 or less what other artists are charging for similar work), and agreed that she would have the work done by the time I visited South Africa in July to hunt.. and that we could meet face to face so that she could deliver the art..

@roverandbrew was hunting with my wife, daughter, and I... needless to say, when we went to the unveiling (appropriately at a large braai on Friday night )... we were all blown away.. the pics of the painting really just cannot do it justice..

Since bringing the painting home, having it framed, and getting it onto the wall, a couple of other AH members have asked me how to reach out to Anet and have since then also commissioned work with her.. (I wont disclose their names, but if they choose they can chime in and relay their experiences dealing with her.. I believe both have been incredibly positive)... we also had a large number of AH members at our home last week for a DSC party.. several people noticed the painting on the wall and asked questions about it as well as some prints we have on the wall from Anet (more on that in a minute).. which led me to this post..

Sooooooooo..... there is so much more to type.. I think I'll break this into a handful of posts to make it easier to follow.... more to come in just a few minutes..

 

[mdwest]

Anyway.. so we were incredibly pleased with everything associated with the transaction... Anets communication was wonderful.. her price was the best I found anywhere (after looking at dozens of artists capable of doing what we wanted).. the turn around time was great (many other artists told me it would be "a year" to "years".. we had our painting in hand in 6 months)... and the quality of the work simply blew us away..

another huge plus was.. as we got to know Anet more and more.. we realized what a truly wonderful, kind, and wildlife conscious person she really is.. she isnt just someone with a God given talent out there trying to make a buck.. she genuinely cares about wildlife, genuinely cares about her clients, and is just a fine person in every regard...

So... where does all this lead?

My wife owns a small, boutique candle company.. its really more of a hobby than a business.. something she does because she enjoys it.. she produces roughly 1K candles a year and sells them through a variety of outlets.. definitely not something large enough that it really makes any sort of impact at all on our personal finances (really sorta pays for itself only honestly).. but at the same time is big enough that she gets enough repetitions in each year to know how to turn an extremely high quality product... she uses only the best possible materials (all natural waxes.. no synthetics, no petroleum, etc.. all natural wicks.. all natural fragrances, etc..etc..) and puts out an extremely nice product..

she's had an idea she wanted to move on for a couple of years.. but really hadnt taken the time or found the right partner to do things with yet.. so the idea sat a bit stagnant for a while... until we met Anet..

my wife wanted to find a way to use her little business to promote wildlife conservation.. she doesnt really care about making a profit (again, the profit on 1000 or even 2000 or 3000 candles really wouldnt do anything to change our standard of living or improve our lifestyle).. so the intent with this "idea" would be to give 100% of the proceeds to a wildlife conservation charity or cause worthy of the donation.. but.. even that wasnt the real motivation..

through the candle company, she interfaces with literally thousands of people a year at a variety of craft shows, through a booth in a shopping center she maintains, etc.. etc.. her idea was that she could use a candle to bring awareness to conservation programs and causes..

everyone, whether a hunter or not, loves a zebra.. or an elephant.. or a lion.. etc..etc.. and will buy something (if done classy/professionally) with those sort of images on it.. they will stop, look at the product, talk to her about it, read the signage (that tells the story of the artist, the cause, the need, etc).. and become "aware"... whether they actually make a purchase or not..

thats what she really wanted.. to reach a few thousand people a year...

if a few happen to buy a candle or two and at the end of the year a nice check gets written to a solid conservation effort.. then thats a huge bonus..

So.. when my wife met and spent time with Anet.. "Candles for Conservation" was born..

Anet agreed to do the artwork and to help coordinate to put us in touch with a couple of worthy South African wildlife conservation programs (The Endangered Wildlife Trust and the Pilanesberg Wildlife Trust).. and my wife agreed to make the product, generate all of the supporting "stuff" (website, signs for display, etc).. and they both agreed to donate all of the proceeds toward conservation..

Clearly I am biased.. but.. I do have to say.. they are among the best smelling candles shes ever created (earthy scents.. nothing over the top fruity or too floral, etc).. and I think they look extremely good (look nice on a kitchen counter, or on a coffee table, etc and can be displayed in the home easily).. and I couldnt be prouder of what they are trying to accomplish with their endeavor..

If anyone is interested in picking up a few (several people have asked), you can find them at

www.candlesforconservation.com

she is running low on stock right now (sold a lot at her booth over the Christmas holidays and we gave away some at the Bos en Dal party and the AH Dinner last week).. but she still has some on hand and should be ready to ship more within the week (I think she is actually planning on doing another batch before the weekend?)..

I'd see about getting an AH "discount code".. but since all proceeds are going to conservation.. we'd really be stealing from the elephants rather than from my wife lol... so I'll refrain..


Next stop (it will take me a bit to type)... signed/numbered limited edition prints..

 

[mdwest]

As mentioned in the previous post.. Ive gotten to know Anet Kruger fairly well over the last year.. she is a truly remarkable person... PhD.. former minister.. loving mother and wife.. and a no kidding blessed by God talented artist in several different media... she was named 2023 Africa wide wildlife artist of the year at a major competition/showing/event in Namibia last year.. she is fairly notable and known in South Africa I believe.. but has almost zero following in the US (we were the first Americans to ever purchase her art and bring it home with us)... as a result her pricing is a small fraction of what other more established artists are charging for similar work.. I do believe that will change soon though... she is now starting to get a little traction in the US..

After seeing the original sketches Anet did for the Candles for Conservation project.. and seeing that they are just as incredible as the oil painting she did for us prior.. I started talking to Anet about how we might be able to get more of her art into the hands of US collectors and/or just average every day people that might want beautiful works of African animals..

This could turn into a much, much longer post... but to keep it as short as possible... after talking for a while we thought that offering a series of signed, numbered, limited edition prints of the original art that she had done for the candle project might be a good idea.. the artwork was already done.. we just had to figure out how to get prints made, how to log/register each one, figure out the logistics of getting everything from South Africa to the US, keep the cost affordable, etc..etc..

Ultimately all that got figured out... the prints are done on museum quality all cotton paper using a giclee print process (also museum quality).. they each come with a certificate of authenticity.. etc..etc.. and are offered WELL below typical market price for these sort of prints in the sizes offered, etc..

I need to be clear... the prints are NOT part of Candles for Conservation... Anet does in fact make money off of the prints (although honestly it is not much at all).. My interest in the whole affair is simply to help get Anet established (similar to the candles.. if she sold all 100 of the limited edition prints, etc.. it would do little to nothing in terms of changing my lifestyle, adding to my nest egg, etc.. ).. I think she is a wonderful person.. and numerous AH members have expressed interest in being able to get their hands on Anets work.. so I wanted to share... (like the painting in the OP.. everyone that came to the house last week saw #1 in the series of prints framed and on our walls.. I was Anets first customer with the signed prints.. and YES.. I did indeed pay for them )...

We have given away a few sets of the "big 5" (AH Dinner and Bos en Dal Party).. and I let a few folks on AH that had asked about Anet know discreetly that they were available... so sets have already sold (again, I wont disclose who has bought these.. but they are welcome to chime in and say what they think of the quality, pricing, etc.. and share how they look in their trophy rooms, etc).. but the numbers are still very low in the series (collectors tend to like the lowest numbers possible as they long term seem to hold the greatest value)..

Since doing the original big 5, Anet has added a zebra and a kudu to the collection and is currently working on a few more (ultimately I think she'll end up offering 8-10 different animals..

Once again, a pic online really doesnt do the actual artwork justice.. but at this point more than a hundred AH members have seen some of these in person.. hopefully a few will provide their thoughts..

 

[mdwest]

If anyone is interested in prints, they take about 2-3 weeks to turn around (get them printed, get signatures on them and the certificate, get them shipped, inspected on this side of the pond, then reshipped to the final destination, etc..

more information about the prints (and candles).. and purchases can be made at:

www.candlesforconservation.com

 

[mdwest]

one final note...

Anet absolutely can be reached out to directly.. I do not have to be a middle man in any sort of transaction you might want to make with her.. if you want an original piece of art, or to talk to her about anything, shoot me a PM and I'll provide her whatsapp, phone number, email address, etc.. and put you in touch.. again, we (wife and I) have zero business interest in the art side.... we just want to help some AH members get some cool stuff for their collections and/or trophy rooms.. and help someone that has become a friend get established as an artist with a US customer base.. on the candle side I suppose we have a business interest.. but again, ZERO proceeds stay in house.. 100% of what is made is donated to wildlife conservation efforts (that are not in any way owned or operated by us)..

as said earlier.. I've already connected a few AH members with Anet previously and know she is working on at least 2 commission pieces for members here (possibly more? I just am not aware if thats the case)..

 

[VertigoBE]

Beautiful artwork and a very noble cause. Is there anyway to get these in Europe? Congratulations on this initiative in any case.

 

[mdwest]

Beautiful artwork and a very noble cause. Is there anyway to get these in Europe? Congratulations on this initiative in any case.

We'd just have to figure out how to handle the international shipping to Europe (this cant be that hard to do).. and Im sure we could arrange to get them to Europe..

Im away from my computer right now... give me a bit to get back to the laptop and I'll shoot you a PM to discuss

 

[SkullKeeper]

Very nice endeavor…And great idea!

 

[roverandbrew]

I was with @mdwest when Anet unveiled the painting in South Africa. I will double down on Dave's post and say her work is truly amazing. Not only is her work far above most of art I saw at DSC but she is a great person. I would recommend her to anyone looking to get custom work done.

 

[Houston Bill]

Dave, thanks for the post. I was at Dave's house last Thursday and was one of the folks asking him about the beautiful paitimng on the wall in his bedroom. I saw the painting up close and I can vouch for the comments made by Dave and others, it is excellent work.

Thanks again for having the party last Thursday, my wife and I had. a great time and it was a pleasure to meet you and several other AH'ers!

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

I was at @mdwest home and not only saw the fine quality, but was lucky enough to get drawn for the give away set.

You’ll need to get me set-up with buying the matching numbered set on her future prints to add to the collection as well as how to contact her about having a painting done. Yours looked amazing to my very untrained and unsophisticated eyes.

If anyone has questions feel free to PM me. Lots of attendees were asking about the prints.

 

[AZDAVE]

Based on talking to Dave last year I commissioned a couple paintings. That are in the que to be done.

 

[PARA45]

I'm one of the AH members who ordered a complete set of the big 5. They are beautiful and you will not be dissapointed with the purchase. I showed them to my wife, and she liked them so much she is willing to rearrange our family room to make room for the prints. The purchase was easy, and I had the prints delivered quickly and well protected. I showed my wife the kudu, and she wants me to order a kudu (her favorite antelope) to display in the office.

Thanks @mdwest for your kind assistance.

 

[mdwest]

Based on talking to Dave last year I commissioned a couple paintings. That are in the que to be done.

I was chatting with Anet last night and your paintings came up... it sounds like she is making good progress and should have them done fairly soon (Im guessing the end of Feb? maybe early March? based on the conversation.. (I was trying to gauge when she'll be starting on our next commissioned piece)...

I know she is excited about how one of the paintings in particular is going to turn out.. she is using some special technique (she completely lost me on that part of the conversation) that adds to the complexity..

 

[mdwest]

I was at @mdwest home and not only saw the fine quality, but was lucky enough to get drawn for the give away set.

You’ll need to get me set-up with buying the matching numbered set on her future prints to add to the collection as well as how to contact her about having a painting done. Yours looked amazing to my very untrained and unsophisticated eyes.

If anyone has questions feel free to PM me. Lots of attendees were asking about the prints.

I meant to tell you that night.. the prints are European A4 size (yours are.. which is the size the originals were done in.. there are also other sizes available)...

Framing them is not difficult, but is non standard if youre looking for an off the shelf frame option (not a lot of places are going to carry pre-fab "nice" frames in A4..

Our solution was to have Hobby Lobby make us some custom mats that have the A4 size cut out in them (so you can view the entire print), but the external dimensions of 12x16.. so they fit into a very standard sized US frame (something you can pick up anywhere without having to pay for "custom" frames to be made...

I think the mats were about $11 each (that was going with one of the best quality mats they make.. there were cheaper options).. which made is super easy for us then to find a set of frames we really like...

I think the prints actually look a lot better being matted in the frames as well (just my personal opinion)..

 

[roverandbrew]

Dave, thanks for the post. I was at Dave's house last Thursday and was one of the folks asking him about the beautiful paitimng on the wall in his bedroom. I saw the painting up close and I can vouch for the comments made by Dave and others, it is excellent work.

Thanks again for having the party last Thursday, my wife and I had. a great time and it was a pleasure to meet you and several other AH'ers!

That elephant is truly amazing.

 

[mdwest]

A couple of quick updates...

All candles for conservation orders made have been fulfilled.. you guys should be seeing candles on your doorsteps soon if you havent gotten them already.. the last couple of larger orders went out today..

we're still waiting on a few of the LE prints to come in (takes time as stated above and in emails/PMs sent to get prints from the art gallery, then get them signed, get the certificate of authenticity created, get them shipped, etc.. nothing is printed in advance.. the process starts when an order is made).. I do expect that all but the last couple of orders that came in will ship to their final destination by early next week (Monday/Tuesday?)..

Several guys have reached out direct to Anet to get commissioned work done... if this is something youre interested in, I'd strongly recommend moving fairly quickly on this unless you are a super patient person.. depending on the size and complexity of the work you want completed, getting a commissioned piece of art done can be a several month process.. then when you factor in the wait list that is now coming into play, you might be waiting a good while if you dont get into line soon..

A big THANK YOU to everyone thats ordered candles, prints, and contacted Anet.. these are all really great (and cool) causes I think.. and frankly the value in what is being received FAR outweighs the associated cause IMO.. even if we werent participating in funding conservation efforts and helping establish an incredible artist that is focused on things that most of the membership here really enjoys/likes.. the actual dollars spent on these things.. whether we're talking a single candle.. or a 4' square oil on canvas commission.. is WAY below what you'd pay for the same thing of similar or lessor quality elsewhere (so its a really good bargain in addition to being able to support a great cause IMO)...

 

[MontanaPat]

Somehow missed your initial post following the Thursday night party, the prints were beautiful pieces I just already have plenty of artwork. However I showed my wife the candles for conservation this evening when I read your post and went to the website. She was all in and had me order a full set of candles for her to come to Montana. Thanks for sharing this information with us and a good way to support a worthwhile cause. Enjoyed meeting you at your lovely home.

Pat

 

[MT_Fin]

Just ordered a couple prints. Thanks!

 

[mdwest]

Somehow missed your initial post following the Thursday night party, the prints were beautiful pieces I just already have plenty of artwork. However I showed my wife the candles for conservation this evening when I read your post and went to the website. She was all in and had me order a full set of candles for her to come to Montana. Thanks for sharing this information with us and a good way to support a worthwhile cause. Enjoyed meeting you at your lovely home.

Pat

The last one got made tonight (she was missing 1 of the scents.. all the others were already on the shelf ready to go).... should be headed toward your part of the world tomorrow.. Thanks!