Why does Conni Tögel call her current works "sheep incognito"?

Conni's sheep are a lot like people in sheep's clothing - not the most intelligent or adept creatures, yet colorful in their personalities and behaviors. Her sheep paintings visualize how much our mind can limit what we see. Once we remove the constraints, we will see what is really behind the sheep on canvas. Some works are political, some play with words, some are religious, some are a social commentary, some give you answers to the meaning of life. So don't get misdirected by the "cute" and "whimsical" sheep and you might find their hidden agenda...

Does Conni Tögel just paint sheep?

No, Conni goes wherever her creativity wants her to go. She is a true artist with a smile. So you never know what is next.

Does Conni Tögel own real sheep?

Yes, Conni and Peter have a small flock of sheep on their pasture in Anderson, SC. You can see pictures on http://www.seesheep.com.

Is it true that Conni's sheep art can be found in board rooms and conference rooms all over the world?

Yes, you find her sheep in over 20 countries all over the world. There is even a company that renamed one of conference rooms to "sheep room".

Do you ship paintings to other countries?

Yes, Conni's works are currently in over 20 countries of the world. We ship worldwide using shipping carriers like USPS, Fedex, DHL, and UPS.

What is a hand embellished giclée print?

On each of her hand embellished giclée prints, Conni Tögel adds real brush strokes with artist quality paint, while keeping in the original colors of the original painting - this adds texture, highlights and value to the print. Hand embellished giclée prints look very much like an original painting, at a fraction of the cost. This means that her hand embellished art prints are different than just a reproduction, and may rise in value over time.

Do you offer layaway plans?

Since art represents a sizable investment, the Charisma Art Gallery, LLC is now offering flexible, in-house layaway plans. Our layaway plans require a 25% non-refundable deposit, after which customers can pay at regular intervals until the paintings are paid off.

Customers should pay no less than once a month. Items can not remain in layaway longer than one year. Payments are interest-free, unless a payment is missed. If the customer decides to cancel the agreement, all monies paid in - less the deposit amount - may be exchanged for store credit, or another painting or products of equal value sold by the Charisma Art Gallery, LLC. After the price of the artwork has been paid in full, as well as any applicable sales taxes and shipping fees, the customers will receive their artwork. Contact us for more details.

Does Conni Tögel do commissions for customized art?

While a lot of artists are accepting commissions for customized art, Conni is currently not accepting commissions. Her sheep on canvas are such a success, that she has not even enough time to do all of her own ideas.

But there is another possibility to get your idea on canvas.

You can submit your idea to Conni. If she likes the idea, Conni might create an artwork and makes it available to the public for purchase on ArtByUs.com, the Charisma Art Gallery web site or at an art show. While you can submit ideas to Conni, your ideas will automatically become the property of the Conni Tögel and the Charisma Art Gallery, without compensation to you, and Conni Tögel can use the ideas for any purpose and in any way, even give them to others. The sole purpose of this policy is to avoid potential misunderstandings or disputes when Conni Tögel's artworks or strategies might seem similar to ideas submitted to Conni Tögel.

Do you offer appraisal services?

The Charisma Art Gallery does not offer appraisal services. The code of ethics for the most appraisers and auction houses do not permit a financial interest (buying, selling, or brokering) in an appraised work within 5 years, before or after, of appraising a work.

Do you offer value statements?

The Charisma Art Gallery can provide a value statement, at a cost of $25 per artwork, which provides a range of value for a particular Conni Tögel original based on certain assumptions. Please note that some insurance carriers accept our value statements, some do not. Please check with your insurance company before you order a value statement. . If you would like a value statement, please contact us using our contact form.

How long does it take to receive an online order?

Online orders are usually shipped in 2 to 5 working days. Standard shipment for wholesale is 10-15 working days. Time in transit will vary based upon USPS shipping schedule to your specific location.

Does the Charisma Art Gallery buy or consign original paintings by Conni Tögel?

The Charisma Art Gallery regularly buys, consigns, and sells original works by Conni Tögel in excellent condition. If you have an interest in selling an original painting by Conni Tögel, please contact us using our contact form.

Why does Conni Tögel not come to the art festival in my city?

In 2007, Conni Tögel did about fourty shows. With thousands of available shows each year, family duty, and only a few weekends, Conni sheep can't be in every city.

Every year, we evaluate the festivals based on the date of the event, quality of vendors, artist support, promoters, venue, layout, ambience, sales, sales trend, booth fees, travel costs, lodging, advertising, logistical ease, security, patrons and demographics.

As an example, booth fees for these festivals range anywhere from $40 to $1600 per weekend. The production costs for a simple weekend can easily add up to $3000 per show on just one weekend. And this does not cover the costs for materials like canvas, oil paint, pigment ink, paper, etc....

In addition, most art shows have a jury process to decide on which artist will be in a show. This means, depending on the jurors, we might come to a festival in one year, but we are not able to return in the next year because the new jury does not think "sheep incognito" would fit.

Art shows like the Cherry Creek Art Festival get approximately 2,400 applications for 200 booth spaces. Jurors have just seconds for each application and applicants remain anonymous during jurying. Most of the times, jurors are only allowed to look for originality, creativity, design, technique, craftsmanship, and production methodology - usually not for the titles, humor or the stories behind the sheep. All they usually see is three to four images of the artworks for 3-4 seconds. And looking for 3-4 seconds at sheep without the background is just half the art.

As an art show juror once told us: "If the jury likes it, the people usually don't buy it. And if the people buy your art, the jurors usually don't like it." This makes it not easy to get the sheep in some shows. We get in some cool art shows in one year, not in the same art shows the following year, and sometimes we don't get in some art shows at all.

As you can see from our schedule, we usually try to stay away from these festivals. It is in our interest, that Conni's art patrons can rely on meeting her year after year. It is the contact to the art patrons that makes art fun. If festivals do not support the relationships that are created during these shows, there are not a good solution for artists and art patrons. It is like buying something from a vendor at a street corner. Sometimes you would love to go back and ask questions.

Here is where you can help - if you would like to see an artist at your local show  - call up the festival director and tell them who you want to see in the show. That can make a difference ....