Complaint Review: Yarnell Art

 When I was attending one of Jerry's workshops, I tried to start a conversation during lunch break with him about his "faith". He held up his hand and said to me " I have NO interest in that stuff, that's strictly my wife's thing!!" Really??? You advertise it as YOUR ministry! You even show yourself praying for someone with a bible in your hand in your video for Pete's sake! Are you just doing it for money? What? And, why?

I'm wondering why your long diatribe about Jerry Yarnell was posted online for the world to see, instead of being sent directly to him. Revenge? A desire to embarrass? 

This web site is for the purpose of alerting the public of "ripoff" scams, not airing family dirty laundry.

 My Opinion:  Your family is in great pain and, this is doing nothing but causng more pain and making both sides look bad.  You need to let the anger and bitterness go and go about with new creative ideas.  Your talented enough and, your name is big enough, you have the ability to go above and beyond.  Why continue to scratch up old wounds?  The lord WILL take care of you if you will let him. Aren't you tired of all the pain....Geez, Let it go people.  I'll pray for all of you. 

I have put orders into all three websites that sell Jerry's DVD's. I am very glad that his old paintings are being sold because I love his work and all three websites sell different paintings so between the three I have quite alot to choose from and if Inspiration of Painting and Yarnell Art did not sell Jerry's old Art, I would be missing out on all these wonderful pictures. Jerry sold the rights and must have made this decision on his own and being the wonderful Christian that he is, I would think he would be thrilled that his work is being shared. I honestly never would have been introduced to his work at all if not for Inspirationofpainting which lead me to Jerry's authentic website which I also use. Everyone be glad Jerry's work is still out there for if it wasn't, we would be missing out on some great work.

Dear Cousin,

I've always been impressed by your talents and your technical ability as an artist. When I saw some of your work for the first time in the early seventies I was overwhelmed how someone as young as you had the talent to produce the work you were doing at that time. Over the years, as your work appeared to mature and as your artistic ability began to explode I thought there was no end to what you could do.

I have not been around you during your life and have only been able to see your work and life from afar. I have been impressed by not only your artistic ability but also your spiritual and Christian ideals and growth. I know you have not been given your world on a silver platter and that you have worked very hard for what you have.

I also know that your family has done much to help you along the way. That is why it grieves me so much to know how you have treated them and accused them of things they have not done.

Jerry, I thought you were a good, upstanding, Christian. I know God has helped you in so many ways. Through your near death sicknesses; through your family losses; and hopefully now, by helping you to understand that what you are doing to your family is so wrong ! But maybe I was wrong thinking that you are still living in God's eye. It appears that now the only thing in your eye is the dollar sign that drives your ego and causes you to forsake those that love you !!

I still watch your programs on PBS out here in California regularly. My Granddaughter paints based on the basis of your guidance and so many painters at the senior center know that you are my cousin and how proud of that I am.

I ask you, please get the problems between you and your family ironed out and especially get the riff between you and your mother and father taken care of. The day will come and it will be too late - and you will wish you had apologized.

I don't know how many of my artist friends have read these Rip Off reports and asked me about you. It really doesn't matter how I, or they, feel about you. It matters how your family feels about you; and you about your family. God bless you cousin !

Once again, I will come here to defend our company name.  For those of you who seem to be caught up in the 'Official' not official wording I would like to explain things to you. 

Yarnell Art owns the 'Jerry Yarnell School of Fine Art' TV program.  We do not own Jerry Yarnell.

As is stated on our website we are the Official site of the 'Jerry Yarnell School of Fine Art' TV program.

The rights to this claim were sold to me by my brother Jerry almost 4 years ago.  There is absolutely nothing misleading about the wording.  This is exactly what I purchased and this is exactly what I have every legal right to advertise.  Jerry's new website is his official website.  We do not claim to be Jerry Yarnell's official website. 

We will not waste our time bad mouthing our competitors.  Both companines have excellent products and we will leave it to the consumer to decide how they wish to spend their time and money. 

Sincerely,
Scott Yarnell

I too have been snookered by the old website.  Yarnellart is very definitely purposely misleading people.   Businesses, and rights, are bought and sold everyday but when questioned, anyone with a conscience anyway, does not lie and pretend to be the 'old' owners.   If you purchased the old name and products with the rights to sell them, good for you.   I'm sure there is a market for it.  Just don't pretend to be something you aren't.   Unfortunately anyone can use the word "official", and in your case, the public is suffering for it.

Jerry's students have a sense of loyalty to him and Yarnell Art understands that completely.

It is a free market society and consumers can choose where they want to spend their money.

Yarnell Art is simply one of many, many companies who sell Jerry Yarnell products and it is not in our best interest to advertise for those competing against us.  As far as the claims of the company being stolen and other inane insinuations against us we believe that most people are blessed with common sense and understand these attacks for what they are.  Yarnell Art will never sink to the level of these personal attacks.  We appreciate our customers deeply but we also respect the rights of those who choose to do business elsewhere.  

            

Scott and Diane Yarnell,

Per your comments, you are definitely not being forthcoming when people on your website and Facebook page ask how to contact Jerry Yarnell or when they clearly believe they are talking to Jerry. You should be very open and helpful to people who contact you so they can make their choice of ordering from Jerry to support their favorite instructor, or to you since you can provide the older DVDs and supplies. Obviously people assume they are supporting Jerry, the artist and teacher, not Jerry's family members who have the same last name which you use to your full advantage to confuse people. You misled me personally and I have watched you mislead other students of Jerry's who love him and are missing out on seeing Jerry's new paintings which are inspiring and gorgeous.

Jerry's students past, current and future deserve the chance to attend Jerry's workshops and become better artists learning from his "new" better than ever series and his incredible online school with all his new lessons which is a culmination of his 30 years of experience. ALL his paintings are great, old and new, but his students are the ones who deserve full disclosure to make up their own mind who they want to be in contact with, or not.

I am just a student and I don't have all the facts related to why in the world Jerry's brother and sister in law have rights to sell his old series, but that situation does not give you the "right" to lie (not even by omission) to artists and students who want to communicate with Jerry directly.

I have read comments on your website and FB page from students who think they are talking to Jerry and they even ask "him" questions, yet you don't give them Jerry's contact information. I know what you Diane told me before I figured out how to contact Jerry directly, and I know what I have heard from other students who were also misled, and I know Jerry's students deserve and would want to continue communicate with and continue learning from Jerry directly. That's not to say some might not want to purchase some of the older DVDs from Jerry's past lessons which you have pointed out you have the right to sell. But shame on you for not giving "Jerry's" students the opportunity to find Jerry and Donna. Your conscious decision not to provide Jerry's contact information and clarification to the students is not an ethical choice. 

I challenge you to post Jerry's contact information on your website and Facebook page. If what you have denied and claimed is true, then why not? Let Jerry's students know how to find him. Do it today!

And while you're at it, why not remove your claims of being the only "official" website in the Google search engine? How can your site be an official Jerry Yarnell site when he has his own that is actually the "only official site" for Jerry Yarnell? 

You would still have have customers who want to buy Jerry's older lessons, because those paintings are still great. So why not stop the shady business practice and come clean. Post Jerry's contact info on your pages. All those nice comments in your Guestbook belong to Jerry, not you. Be kind and forward the nice comments to Jerry along with contact info for who wrote each comment so Jerry can contact them and say thank you and share his new series with them. 

Jerry Yarnell's current and only official site is:  www.YarnellSchool.com  (not yarnell art)

     My name is Scott Yarnell.  My wife Diane and I purchased Yarnell Art from my brother Jerry Yarnell in 2008.  We own all copyrights to the 'The Jerry Yarnell School of Fine Art' tv program and related dvds.

We also own www.yarnellart.com and are 100 % authorized to sell all products on our site including brushes and paints used by Jerry Yarnell on the 'The Jerry Yarnell School of Fine Art' tv program.

We also sell his complete line of instructional art books.    

     No where on our website, facebook or youtube do we claim to be Jerry Yarnell but we have birthrights to the last name and legal rights to use them.  No one in our office has ever claimed that Jerry is deceased.

Anyone making claims that the business was stolen is being foolish and slanderous.  Yarnell Art has an excellent reputation among our customers as an honest and dependable company and we fully intend to defend our name. 

Jerry Yarnell is alive and well in 2011 and has a NEW website and FaceBook page. All of Jerry's loyal fans and artists who want to continue learning from him need to know he is no longer affiliated with his old website (YarnellArt). 

There are still hundreds of art students who believe they are dealing with Jerry Yarnell when in fact they are looking at the "old" website and are signing the Guest Book of his "old" website. Jerry Yarnell is NOT affiliated with them anymore, so the super nice comments being posted about Jerry are not getting to him. The unanswered questions are because the questions are not getting to Jerry.

The people who are currently running the OLD website are purposely deceiving Jerry's long time fans and students and taking their money for purchases made from the old website. I personally feel ripped off because I assumed my purchases would go to support the artist I admire so much. I expected my purchases for art training and painting supplies to benefit the man I know from TV lessons and the nice and incredible artist/instructor I met in person at one of his workshops.

Any profits from painting instructions, books, DVDs or other supplies should go to the actual artist who worked hard for many years building up his business and his loyal following. Jerry Yarnell should be the one profiting from any sales of HIS products, not the ex employees. Note: Dianne Yarnell is profiting from purchases, and I think that stinks. Don't be confused or tricked because she shares his last name. If you want Jerry Yarnell (you know, the actual artist and teacher) to profit from any purchases you make, then you have to find the correct website.

Watch this YouTube video created by the one and only Jerry Yarnell.

http://youtu.be/MGTd51eKgPU

If you Google Jerry Yarnell don't be fooled when you see the "old" website being run by Dianne Yarnell saying it is the "official" site. It is simply NOT. Her's has a purple interface and includes OLD copies of OLD painting classes. Jerry's new website is fresh, current, BLUE interface and has a ton of brand new INCREDIBLE painting lessons...wow! gorgeous paintings.

My goal here is to expose this situation so other art students like me can connect with our favorite artist and trainer, Jerry Yarnell. His NEW correct website is (http://yarnellSCHOOL.com) (NO LONGER affiliated with YarnellArt) and his new site is filled with outstanding NEW painting classes.

Join the fun with Jerry's students on FaceBook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jerry-Yarnell-Yarnell-Studio-School-of-Fine-Art-LLC/379206402152?ref=ts

If you're reading this, please share the correct website links in any art forums you belong to. Those who have learned so many great painting techniques from Jerry need to help him reach more artists who still don't know how to find him. 

Again, the "correct" and ONLY true official website is:  http://yarnellSCHOOL.com

Happy painting!! Blessings!!