Belinda Hufford a client with Linda Atkinson in red,  explore the appraisal of a painting.

Atkinson Fine Art Appraisals officially opened in August of 2012. The appraiser, Linda Atkinson is a Botetourt artist who has stretched her wings in a new direction. Atkinson has a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. She also studied at the  California School of Arts where she lived. Away for 15 years, the  sculptor is part of the  Studio Tours in Botetourt County in October. In her spare time, Atkinson also teaches Art History at VWCC!

To become an art appraiser, she took the State University of New York (SUNY) course of appraisal studies refered to as  “Uniform Standards of Personal Property Appraisals” or USPPA for short.  What would an owner need an appraisal for concerning artwork? Atkinson answered, “Insurance for the item as well as a monetary value for a charitable contribution of artwork or to establish a value prior to a sale.” For instance appraisals are needed for tax deductible contributions if they are over $5,000. she has a list of benefits of an appraisal listed on her website.

Her favorite thing about being an appraiser? She said, “I love to research and look up for people. Rather than use ball park figures  my clients receive an official, legal appraisal.” A significant addition– art appraisals from  USPPA are legal documents which makes them worth the cost.  She is trying to get her name out there through ads in local publications like the Yellow Pages. Word of mouth has been good through local art galleries. She has also contacted estate attorneys.

She has a website and a Facebook page.

She works out of her home and travels to the client. “I do not  charge for consultation, but once  I begin to look into the history of a painting or other art, I charge depending on the amount of research,” said Atkinson. That’s where the detective work begins when looking for  regional as well as local artists past and present. The less well known the harder the information is to discover.

Thus far the most expensive art piece she has appraised has been an America Indian painting that was determined to be worth $22,000 dollars. It was part of an estate and the appraisal changed the distribution of the estate.

Atkinson concluded with, “I love the appraisal business.  I consider myself an art detective.”

The preferred way to get in touch with Atkinson is by phone. 540-312-8463.