Sonya Sparks (By Studio Luniste)

Gallery Owner Sonya Sparks Offers Cautionary Advice When Purchasing Art 

By Frank Sabatini Jr.

Whether it’s that small, framed watercolor of a blooming lily pond hanging exquisitely on a gallery wall or a gigantic acrylic piece dominating an exhibit with its colorful, abstract patterns, there are several personal assessments consumers should conduct before making a purchase. In this case, they have little to do with your spending budget.

Sonya Sparks of Sparks Gallery in the Gaslamp Quarter is a master at helping both seasoned collectors and nervous novices identify their buying style in order to make wise art purchases—no matter how mesmerized they become over a piece’s workmanship and beauty.

Since opening her 4,500-square-foot gallery nearly 10 years ago in the historic Sterling Hardware Building, Sparks has become familiar with all types of buyers. As a result, she recently devised a unique quiz to keep them on the straight and narrow before making art purchases from galleries anywhere. 

When speaking with her about the art world in general, we learned some trusty do’s and don’ts.

Downtown Condo Guys: Are you personally an artist and/or collector?

Sparks: Yes. I studied at the University of San Diego—majored in business and minored in arts. My practice is photography. I now collect art. A lot of it is from what I show in my space by artists from San Diego and Southern California.

Downtown Condo Guys: What motivated you to open the gallery?

Sparks: I was curious on how artists could make a living. And I didn’t see any opportunities at the time for local artists to show their work in San Diego. Since renovating the building and opening the gallery in 2015, we’ve worked with over 400 artists, primarily from San Diego, in both solo and group shows. We also showcase 100 artists on our website.

Downtown Condo Guys: Is everything you show always for sale?

Sparks: Yes.

Downtown Condo Guys: Tell us about the quiz you recently created to help art consumers navigate through the buying process?

Sparks: It’s called Discover Your Art Collector Advantage. We just launched it in April. It’s a nine-question self-guided online quiz that helps collectors understand how their personality can affect their decisions when buying art. I created it to help clients identify their potential pitfalls and leverage their strengths based on their personality type. I promote it when doing interviews on podcasts. And we also email it out.

A lot of people have been taking the quiz to figure out if they are collectors or appreciators. There’s this feeling of pressure that comes with saying ‘I’m a collector.’ So when you are an appreciator, it doesn’t have the connotation of investment collecting. We find that most of our clients are appreciators.

Downtown Condo Guys: Are new art buyers typically driven a little bit for investment reasons? Or is it out of personal taste and the love of a particular artist?

Sparks: It’s definitely not for investment reasons but for the other two. They are often starting from the beginning and don’t know how to fill a space. Others may have a small collection already started and they’re looking for an expert opinion on appraisal value. For that, we have appraisers who can help.

Downtown Condo Guys: If buying art for investment, what risk factors should shoppers take into account?

Sparks: They should research the artist thoroughly and see if the artist is sold in different locations and galleries, and then find out what price points that artist is selling for. Sometimes they are secondary market pieces, which means they were pre-owned. They need to know the provenance, which means the history of where it came from and how the piece was treated. If it was kept in moist conditions, that’s a red flag for the value. And if there is damage to the piece, they need to find out if it is repairable, because that will affect the price.

Downtown Condo Guys: From an aesthetic point of view, what are some of the do’s and don’ts for decorating a new house or condo with art?

Sparks: Some of that is in our quiz.

[Among the do’s]:

• Get an idea of what you are looking for: Is it based on color? Or a feeling that you want? Or do you want something that is a conversation starter? Are you looking for craftsmanship only?
• If you have a specific budget or expectation, be clear about your needs to the gallery.
• Ask if the artist can create something custom if his or her existing piece doesn’t quite fit your needs.
• Make sure the piece you are buying has the right hanging equipment appropriate for your space.
• And do ask if the artist can create something custom if his or her existing piece doesn’t quite fit your needs.

[Some don’ts]:

• Don’t put artwork in your bathroom that cannot be replaced if it’s damaged by the moisture.
• Don’t put original art, such as watercolors, in areas where moisture and other elements can damage them. If doing so, go with reproduction prints instead.
• Don’t go in unprepared without carefully measuring your spaces first.

Downtown Condo Guys: What genres of art do you predict will become hot in the next several years?

Sparks: In my opinion, it could be collage—or magic realism. We’re starting to see people embrace magic realism, which is a relatively new term to describe fantastical art that is highly realistic. Harry Potter would be an example. Collage art hasn’t been that strong before, although it has been around forever. 

Downtown Condo Guys: What is the most expensive artwork you’ve ever sold at Sparks?

Sparks: It was a stainless steel sculpture called ‘The Tot’ by Richard Becker that sold for $12,500. Some other high-priced items include a stained glass front door created by renowned artist James Hubbell. It was a secondary market sale that went for $12,000—and a sculpture titled ‘Through the Fire’ by [the late] Tanya Ragir that sold for $11,000.

Downtown Condo Guys: How is the art industry as a whole doing presently? Is it invincible to inflation and economic downturns?

Sparks: I believe it is invincible—it has been very resilient even during Covid. And with the current forecasting, it is still holding up. But our gallery doesn’t focus on trends like that. We focus instead on finding art that speaks to clients’ hearts.