I think this is on her as a reputable artist to fix this for you. She may have been distracted on the day of the event and perhaps failed to notice the damage. if you are happy with her repair, any add on is up to you, will certainly be appreciated, but should not be expected. Maybe a little cake or cookies?

I'm an artist. I've never sold my work but if something like this happened to me, I would fix it and not expect any kind of payment for it. I would see it as taking pride in my work and wanting the painting to appear exactly as I had intended.

This is just a guess, but I feel like maybe the gallery should compensate her for her time though. It was their responsibility to keep it safe. One way you could find out is by reaching out to a completely different gallery and ask them what their policy is for that.

I'd let her fix it....no tip.

No tip. My read is that you think she mght have been trying to pull a fast one, so my thank you would be pleasant but not much more than that.

I agree with the others Let her fix it. An artist wants their work displayed in the best possible condition. i have a painting from a highly sought after local artist. The paint was fine at time of purchase but over the years had a failure undetectable to most people. When he saw the painting in my house he insisted on taking it home to repair it. He refused payment - when I picked up the painting I purchased a few smaller pieces of work from him because We collect his work. Not because I felt obligated.

Thank you all. I appreciate the guidance!

I don't want to think she pulled a fast one -- but I think it was hard to miss. Still, it was a very busy event and a lot of people were in the gallery room at the time.

The mark is right in the middle of the canvas where it is blue .. it looks like you hit your wet fingernail polish with a card or edge of a table. The pinkish beige color is underneath and revealed in a line about an inch or more long (the painting is 14 x 14). I definitely think another painting or wood piece may have hit it. (and now as I describe it-- I am very sure she realized it was damaged).

I can't say that I see exactly where it is damaged. I paint a lot but have never sold anything. I have damaged more than a handful of paintings while moving them around my house and therefore would not be surprised for this to happen during the shipping process. Just recently I noticed a huge gouge in a painting, a couple of inches long. Who knows how it occurred as it has not recently been moved. Maybe something hit it. I have no idea.

I would expect the artist to pay for you to ship the painting back, the repair, and the return shipment back to you. I would not expect you to incur any additional expenses. I would expect the artist to have insurance that would cover the out-of-pocket cost of the repair. I would not offer a tip.

Also, keep in mind it takes a long time for the oil to dry. It does not air dry, it oxidizes and that takes time, a lot of time. I paint with an oil and wax mixture. The drying process can take many, many months. A drying medium can be used but it still takes time. And, if this artist is famous or becomes famous the value of your painting will be diminished with the damage. It could be that the painting is still not completely dry and that is what caused the damage. Because of that, you might want to select a different piece in exchange for the damaged one.

@ilikefriday the image above is from her site -- i am keeping my painting in its gallery wrapping until I return to her.

Luckily she is local so no expense other than getting it back to the gallery. The artist is well known locally but surely not famous. While I like some of her landscapes, this is the painting that spoke to me. I noticed it from across the room and returned to it multiple times before purchasing. For a somewhat gloomy image, it makes me happy! I will be perfectly satisfied with a touchup to the one I purchased.

This was a recent painting-- she shared images of it partially completed in late October so I think you are right @ilikefriday, I bet it just wasn't completely dry and was damaged on setup or as folks were moving through the gallery-- it was packed with people.

I don't think it is uncommon for an artist to sell a piece that is not completely dry since the process takes so long, at least that is what I have read on a few artist forums. I am sure she will be able to fix it and things will be as good as new.

How noticeable is the gouge? I was wondering if she says you have to pay for shipping & insurance, if she's a distance away, & also for fixing the painting, I'd call local artists if you can and see what they can do. Nobody will know. :)

The artist is local .. and she is not asking me for payment.

I would never ask one artist to change another artist's work. I would more likely keep it as is.