Candice Alexander Art Studio — Attraction in Lake Charles

Im having a hard time with this review. She’s an amazing artist. Her works are innovative, fun and capture the heart of the idea of each creation.

I went in there after seeing her work somewhere else and was impressed. She has her prices listed and was running a BOGO on prints, so I figured I would be able to get some for me and others for presents.

Both in her studio/shop and online, she has the prices listed for the 8x10s for 49 dollars. Yet, when we checked out, she told me the 8x10’s are $99.

I come from an family of artists. I’ve been lucky to work on a lot of projects from houses to restaurants and all over the country doing things from murals, Trompe-l'œil to simple faux painting. So I’m big on supporting local artists. Still, I don’t appreciate being told a different price because of a BOGO than what’s listed. If one wants to upcharge a deal, then be up front about that. I understand these are the artist’s works, and they should be paid what they feel is their worth...but instant price changes shouldn’t happen.

As I said, I absolutely love her work. And I would have paid what I did anyway...I just wish it was ran as an honest transaction.

I was considering having her do a couple of new ideas, as she was offering to do the 14x18 for $150, which is what is normally 99 dollars. But, while I love what she does, I have a hard time supporting an artist that does a bait and switch on pricing.

I’m not saying to not go see her shop, because I absolutely love her work. And had things been more honest, I would buy a lot more for people...as I know they would love them, and it would be great to see them in my friends restaurants around town...but personally I’m having a hard time with how it finished up...hey, as they say, your mileage may very...

EDIT: As a response, I did continue with the transaction, as she has stated. Because I figured that when I was charged, I was mistaken. As I said, I had purchased the 8x10, not the 14x18 as stated below. I know the size I brought home as they printed one I wanted that wasn't available. When the paper was measured for printing, it was 8x10.

Like I said, I love the artwork, and don't intend for a refund as I have full intentions to hang them up...and do feel that she should be able to charge what she wants for her work. I was just upset to find that what I purchased and what I was charged, even with the generous discount was incorrect.

I have no intentions on trying to back out of a transaction, but I just like to be treated fair and want to make sure that everyone is as well. I have attached a photo with the measurement of the prints...as getting into a who's who on a review board isn't that...

I have admittedly not been a fan of this artist dating all the way back to the 2016 Pokémon Go app release. Her completely unhinged response* to the location-based, app-driven collection of innocuous children's cartoon animals (that provided free foot traffic to her business while simultaneously encouraging the nation's youth to get out and exercise socially) was enough to prevent me from ever wanting anything to do with her studio and the artwork within. That being said, incoherent ramblings on a popular children's game and the totally sane and business savvy decision to rudely shoo away potential patrons do not justify a poor review (well, the shooing probably does).

The overwhelming evidence (widely available on social media) of artistic theft and unethical behaviors exhibited by this artist, on the other hand, warrant admonishment.

I would encourage anyone thinking of visiting this studio to take a glance at the artist's responses to the other negative reviews on Google to get a good idea of the kind of person you would be supporting when stopping by (this is assuming she does not delete or modify her responses, as she is very fond of doing when called out for her consistently poor behavior as an artist and person).

Any valid criticisms are immediately labelled as "trolling"/slander, and then paired with threats of litigation and thinly veiled condescension.

*a response which included, but was not limited to, "sacrilegious" rantings that were pretty ironic coming from someone that charges exorbitant prices for Al-generated imagery of Jesus Christ covered in hastily drawn scribbles.

EDIT: I had this review in my drafts from last night, and by the time I went to post it this morning, she had already gone through and edited every single one of her replies to the negative reviews. All of them have been changed to the same targeted attack against two other local artists, one of whom she was actually caught plagiarizing. You'll notice that the groundless legal threats and the name-calling are...

Unethical artistic behavior. She takes images off google instead of creating her own works.

My first experience with Candice was when a friend commissioned a special memorial piece of their child who had passed. She completed a piece with the child’s favorite characters and photos of the child. Six months later, she removed the child’s photo and began selling prints in her shop. The parents were dismayed and made an upset post. She privately messaged them and threatened to sue for slander if they didn’t remove the post. I reversed looked up the photo and found that the artwork of the characters she had used was not even hers, but Janey-Jane on Deviantart. I contacted the original artist who was publicly upset, so Candace was forced to remove the print from her shop. Since then, she has been discovered selling multiple stolen works as her own. She even tried to sell prints of an officer who died without having consulted his family.

I would not recommend her...