| Selling Your Art by Douglas Ready |
There is the thought among many artists determined to produce only work generated by their own
internal mechanisms that to succeed in the art world gallery representation is a must. The truth is that
only a very small percentage of working artists will ever acquire gallery representation. A much smaller
percentage will acquire adequate gallery representation.
And, even if you're successful in finding that one gallery with which you can build a working relationship,
the gallery won't do all the work. You need to check in regularly with the owner, build a rapport, meet
potential buyers, attend openings, and reassure yourself that enough is being done to promote your
work. In fact to insure success in a gallery environment you'll need to promote yourself at least as much
as before you secured gallery representation.
The belief that you can pitch your art, without qualification or recommendation, to galleries until
someone falls in love with it to the point where they take on your business affairs and leave you to toil
happily away in the studio is a fantasy. Galleries are not in business to discover new and exciting
creative geniuses and micromanage their respective careers. Galleries exist to sell art.
Galleries are only interested in art they believe they can sell, and there is only one known manner of
proving your work will sell: somebody has to have bought some of it, preferably a good many pieces of it.
An adequate gallery will work with the artist to build his client list, but very few of them are much
interested in starting from scratch. Securing reputable gallery representation without an existing client
list is virtually impossible.
I referred to reputable gallery representation. There are always so-called galleries willing to take on the
work of any artist for a fee. The artist pays the gallery up front for wall space and promotional expenses,
and is even expected to pick up the tab for the wine and cheese required on opening night. This variety
of so-called gallery makes its money by cashing your check and actually does little more than sell you
wall space, although most are perfectly willing to charge an additional commission--up to 50% in some
instances--should a piece of your work sell. This kind of operation is sometimes referred to as a Vanity
gallery.
The artist will do better with a Co-op gallery. This gallery is run and maintained by the artists who
display on its walls. There is generally a fee to join, and the artist can expect to pay what amounts to
monthly rent for the privilege of hanging his work on the wall. The artist may also be expected to man
the gallery a few days every month. The Co-op will also charge a percentage of the dollars generated
when and if the work sells, and while the percentage varies from Co-op to Co-op it is generally a smaller
percentage than a traditional or Vanity gallery.
At any rate, whether the artist chooses to pursue traditional gallery representation or join a Co-op
gallery the one thing needed to insure success is a client list, and the artist himself is the most effective
tool available for generating a client list.
Identify an Audience
Most working artists earn a living without gallery representation. The practical artist learns very
quickly that he and he alone is responsible for the success or failure of his artistic ventures and that while
gallery representation is one way to put his work in front of collectors it certainly isn't the only way.
Sometimes, it's not even the preferred way.
To be successful, the artist must secure collectors as clients. In order to secure clients, the artist must
first identify an audience. An audience is a collection of people who are interested in or fascinated by or
obsessed with the work the artist creates. A client is a member of that audience who actually took
money out of his pocket and traded it to the artist in order to acquire a work of artistic creation.
You cannot and will not acquire clients until you've identified an audience.
There is a market for every variety of art the artist can possibly create, but that doesn't necessarily
mean there's an extensive market for every category of work. It is very possible to earn a substantial
living producing a niche product, but the smaller the niche the more necessary it becomes for the artist
to identify members of that niche if he is to prosper working only within that genre. If the artist is
determined to produce nothing but highly detailed realistic scenes from the battle at the Alamo, he'd
better identify every organization that studies or celebrates that particular brawl and make an effort to
put samples of his work in front of every member of each organization, all the while keeping his fingers
crossed. On the other hand, if the artist expands his repertoire to include not only the Alamo, but
perhaps the Civil War his potential audience amplifies to the point of potential viability.
The successful artist will take the necessary steps to discern and pursue that portion of the populace
with a potential interest in his product.
Originals, Prints and Posters
If the artist is determined to sell directly to collectors those images created from his own internal
directives, there are three varieties of product available for promotion: originals, prints and posters.
Selling the original art is a straightforward undertaking. The artist creates the work and exchanges it
with a buyer for a mutually determined price.
A valuable addendum is the print. Prints may be hand-pulled or commercially printed, and are
produced in a limited number, that number to be determined by the artist. The prints are signed and
numbered on the front of the print to indicate both the number of the print and the number of prints
created, i.e.:
24/75
(indicating print number 24 out of an edition of 75 prints)
Prints are sold at a less expensive price point than the original work, making the print a more affordable,
and sometimes a more appealing alternative to acquiring the original artwork. Prints, like the original
art, have the potential to increase in value as the artist becomes more established.
Posters differ from prints in the fact that they are not limited to a particular number of copies.
Generally, posters are reproduced on a less costly grade of paper than prints, but not always. Posters
are an inexpensive way to make your work accessible to large numbers of people who for whatever
reason aren't interested in spending the necessary amount of money to acquire an original piece of
artwork.
Thanks to modern printing technology, the only real difference between a print and a poster is often the
signature and the numbering. There is an ongoing discussion regarding the proper categorization of
commercially reproduced limited edition work. Some feel that only the print hand-pulled by the artist
should be referred to as a print, that the commercial reproduction, regardless of its quality, is nothing
more than a signed and numbered poster. The distinction is one the artist will have to determine for
himself.
Reproduction Rights
The artist has a much better chance of generating a reasonable income if he remains open--in fact
actively pursues--reproduction opportunities for his work. Prints, posters, greeting cards, collectors'
plates--all reproduction possibilities, and that income potential, are dependent upon the artist retaining
reproduction rights to his work.
This means that someone who buys your original art that person must be informed that while the
collector owns the artwork, the artist solely owns the right to reproduce the work and only the artist can
sanction such reproduction. A simple written statement included in the Bill of Sale should be sufficient to
accomplish this most important communication.
It is paramount for the artist to retain a copy of the artwork. In the event that reproduction rights are
assigned, the artist will be expected to provide a viable image for the client to work with and it is
unrealistic to expect the collector to return his property for the artist's use. Retaining a copy of the
image is best accomplished by archiving computer scans that can be manipulated for future use as the
occasion arises.
Targeted Promotion
Selling art is a difficult skill to master, but if you're going to make a living as an artist you have to be able
to sell your art at least as well as you're able to create it.
I am astounded at the number of talented artists who have mastered their craft and produce absolutely
wonderful creations, but know so little about how the art business works and what they have to do to sell
their work that most of their working days are spent engaged in occupations that have absolutely
nothing to do with the art world.
Students attend art school so they might learn to create art that is good enough to sell, believing that if a
quality art education is pursued and acquired one can make a living as an artist. Art school offers a
wonderful opportunity to spend several years practicing one's decided craft, but selling and marketing
are seldom found in any art school curriculum. Art school does not teach you how to how to sell your art
in the real world. You'll probably learn how to put together a portfolio, but the chances of an instructor
taking you aside and explaining just how to find the person who wants to purchase what's inside that
portfolio are almost non-existent.
The student is told that if the work is good enough showing it to a gallery owner or mailing a
reproduction to an art director is all that is necessary to generate income. Some art schools dismiss the
art business altogether by suggesting that creating art is where the artist's focus should be, that making
money isn't pertinent to the process and debases the experience of being an artist. Schools rarely seem
to mention that if you can't make money making art, you have to spend a good portion of your time
engaged in unrelated dollar-generating activities.
Selling art does not diminish your credibility as an artist, it enhances it.
In the beginning, your day-to-day accomplishments are what advance your art career. Create to the
best of your ability and get your work out there. Display your artwork at every opportunity, hang it in
every restaurant and bar that will let you use their wall space, set up at every street fair and art festival
you can get to. Listen to what people say, get a sense of who likes what and why, figure out how to price
it so it sells, and show it whenever and wherever you get the chance. Along the way, you'll meet people,
make connections, and those you impress the most will eventually introduce you to others who can do
more for you.
That's how any business works, and the art business is no different.
There are as many ways to sell art and become successful as an artist as there are artists, and each and
every one of those ways is perfectly acceptable. The key to success is identifying those methods you can
comfortably apply to your own work.
Most artists want to become rich and famous as soon as possible. They want to create art full time,
basking in the solitude of their studios while other people sell it. In pursuit of this lofty goal, the number
one question artists ask is how to get representation. Most are stunned to discover that you have to sell
art in order to attract gallery attention. Once you learn to make sales--once you've learned to persuade
others that your art has merit-- you'll be ready for representation.
You must learn to convince others that they're better off owning than not owning your art. It is certainly
gratifying to hear someone say they love your work, but compliments, no matter how constant, won't
keep you from the need to pursue that career in food service.
The overwhelming majority of art world relationships are initiated through networking between people
who already know each other. This is pretty much the same in any business. Few people are willing to
take chances on total strangers and this is why cold calling rarely works unless you've developed a
zealous sales personality or you have something unbelievably astonishing to cold call about.
All artists want to sell themselves and their art, but you'll have better luck selling when you sense that
whomever you're speaking with wants to be sold to. You don't want to get a reputation for turning every
conversation into a selling situation. People will see you coming and walk the other way or at least stop
taking your telephone calls.
Art galleries sell art for a living. They carefully evaluate every artist who presents them with art and
decide to work only with those who can demonstrate that their art is not only salable, but that it will sell.
Art business professionals sell their art by convincing people that it has value and that it's worth paying
money for in order to own. Rarely in the art business do people spontaneously buy art because they fall
in love with it the moment they see it. They ask questions and whoever answers those questions has to
answer them in ways that sell the art.
Art simply doesn't sell itself. Someone has to sell it.
The same holds true for you as an artist. Your art does not sell itself: you have to sell it. Selling your art
involves much more than inviting someone to your studio or your website or setting up at a street fair or
showing a gallery owner a portfolio of your work. When people see your art and like it, they
automatically think about whether they can make money selling it, and you have to address that concern.
If you want a gallery to represent you, you have to convince that gallery that money can be made selling
your art and that you can help them make that money. Your involvement in the process is essential.
You have to address the financial implications of what happens to your art once it leaves your studio and
goes to market. If you sit there grinning hoping you'll be offered a contract, you'll probably be sorely
disappointed. You have to prove that you're a marketable commodity.