I had such high hopes, and I'm still hoping that he comes through.
I commissioned Larry and paid for my piece back in March, and was told a few weeks turnaround. Now, as a rep myself, I understand that things come up and artists get delayed, but to ignore people who have already paid, and respond to new clients withing an hour to take more money is one of the things that is destroying the trust of collectors.
Here is an email I sent to Larry last week.
"Hi Larry,
So, I wanted to give you a heads up, there are some collectors who are reaching a boiling point regarding their commissions they are waiting on from you. While you said mine would be done in April, I rep over 40 artists and understand things come up, so I still have faith in you.
If hard times have come up, my best suggestion is to communicate this with your clients. Your fans want your work because they admire what you do, and will usually wait with a smile as long as you keep them informed. If you take their money and cut off communication, they feel like they've been stolen from and that spreads like wildfire this day in age.
I implore you to reach out to those who have commissioned you and let them know what is going on and fulfill your commitments. A few great commissions to the right people and your revenue stream can be great, but if this hits the collector's boards and web sites, its going to be rough. If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know. I love your work and know many others would love to get pieces too.
Jerry"
Communication is key! He had no problem responding to a new client today in only 23 minutes to arrange a new commission, but hasn't answered my very polite and trying to be helpful emails in months.