People will buy anything with an art image on it … or will they? Apparently it depends on what the image is and what it’s printed on. A plan by the California Arts Council to raise funds by selling license plates bearing a 1993 image by Wayne Thiebaud was largely successful—in Southern California. The snag in its “Million Plates Campaign” wasn’t the price: $50 for a regular plate; $98 for a personalized one. It was the picture: the palm-trees-beach-and-sunset image just didn’t play well in Northern California.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Postal Service launched the 10th entry in its successful stamp series showcasing American fine arts and crafts: a “Forever” stamp by iconic New England artist Edward Hopper. The stamp, based on Hopper’s 1935 painting “The Long Leg,” depicts a sailboat off the coast of Provincetown, Mass. Price shouldn’t be an issue. At 45 cents each, the stamps are a bargain.
