Comments on: The Role of Exhibitions < Deep Thought Thursday

By: Warning: Exhibiting Your Art is Good for You — Art Biz Blog | Art

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:51:42 +0000

[…] virtue of exhibiting your art is something I never thought I’d have to write about. I took it for granted that all artists want […]

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By: Warning: Exhibiting Your Art is Good for You — Art Biz Blog

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:01:29 +0000

[…] virtue of exhibiting your art is something I never thought I’d have to write about. I took it for granted that all artists want […]

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By: Roger K. Lawrence

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 03:13:32 +0000

Regarding the value of exhibiting your art for sale.
I have several friends that have purchased original art (oil paintings). When you see it displayed in their homes or offices they are please that it becomes a subject of conversation. You find they all have one thing they have in common with regard to the art they purchased.
1. The are all very proud of what they purchased.
2. They love to impress their friends and guests by describing their relationship with
artist.
3. The owner also loves to captivate their guests with the story of the artist and
the story behind the art.
Success comes with establishing the one on one with the buyer. This may be the person browsing the show that meets you. It may be the gallery who depends greatly on collectors, Or the gallery acting as your agent. ( you will need to earn the gallerys’ trust to make this happen).
As you are learning from others in this blog topic, there are many ways to market. Some are easier and some are harder. I think financial success comes with fully understanding what the market requires to be successful. This takes some effort but making the effort will reap rewards. It can be lots of fun making the marketing journey.
A final thought as to making the sale:
I have come to believe that developing outstanding skill with your art will open the doors of opportunity for success. Knowing you are are now competing with many other skilled artists; it is ultimately your own creativity and productivity that makes the sale.

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By: Marsha Savage

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:21:49 +0000

In reply to Alyson Stanfield.

Exactly my thoughts. I learn so much by watching people view the art, and also the discussions.

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By: Luciano

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:15:55 +0000

I have been an artist all my life but only now putting together paintings with the purpose or exibiting someday soon. The business part of being an artist have always been a challenge to me. I am not a sales person and dont even know how to get started.
I think the hardest part is the thought of putting pieces out there and people telling me that is not good.
Maybe i should try…

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By: Debra Guttas

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:07:03 +0000

My answer is, maybe. It might depend on what kind of art you do. I garner from some of the posts that some of you are painters. I am a gemstone jewelry designer. When I first started out in the mid-90’s, my husband and I travelled all over the U.S. attending art festivals and fairs. We did that for about five years. It was a lot of work and very exhausting. But it was a great way to get known and build a following. I stopped selling for a few years (due to some life circumstances) and last year I reinvented my business. I was reluctant to start up doing shows again. I thought (or hoped) I could just do it online. What I am finding however, is that shows are a great way to get started again, to build a following. It seems to me that people need to experience my jewelry in person. Perhaps it’s because jewelry is such a crowded marketplace and there are so many artists who are willing to give away their time. They’ll sell a piece of jewelry for $20 that I know had to take over an hour to make. It’s hard to compete with that online. But in person, people get to know you and what goes into creating your designs.
So, to sum it up, I think shows are a great way to build quick sales and a presence in your local marketplace. From there, perhaps you can move away from doing less shows because you’ll build repeat sales and the word of mouth sales kick in.
I am not an extrovert, but I do like doing some shows, particularly those that are more devoted to “artists” vs. festival type shows where there’s a lot of manufactured products. I think there’s a population that appreciates handcrafted items and is willing to spend money on it. They usually are more interested in what goes into the design as well and it’s fun discussing the process with them.
Shows can also be a great way to “test” a new design or product line before you expend a lot of time and effort on something that no one wants. I tested a new design at a holiday show this last Christmas. It didn’t get the reception I thought it might. Now I know not to expend a lot of time and energy creating more of it or marketing it because the interest isn’t there.
I plan to do about one show per month this year, more during the holidays. From there I will decide how much of a focus they will be for me.

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By: PJ Hornberger

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 01:07:10 +0000

After reading everyone’s comments… I sold two small paintings off my site. Thank you. Ya’ll are good luck for me. I’m going to take it as a sign…. more work online from now on. Happy selling to everyone!

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By: Maria Brophy

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:58:45 +0000

I think it depends on what your goals are as an artist, and what your business plan calls for.
Most Fine Artists must show their work – it’s necessary to gain traction in the fine art world.
Other artists do not need to, if they are either hobbyists or if they earn their income through means other than original sales with their art.
I personally don’t see a lot of artists gaining financial success with shows, but for guys like Nemo, who does over 40 a year, he has it wired down to a science!

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By: Lori Woodward

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:15:02 +0000

I work in the realm of traditional art galleries. Many of my friends are well known artists: Daniel J. Keys, Jeremy Lipking, Nancy Guzik, Kyle Stuckey, and Richard Schmid.
I’ve attended a number of live shows at important brick and mortar galleries in the last year, and the opening receptions were filled with artists, but the sales took place before the opening when the collector called up the gallery after having seen a magazine ad or seen the work in the gallery newsletter or on Facebook.
In fact, the majority of sales in those types of galleries are happening without the collector seeing the work in real life. This is a trend, and it totally surprises me. HOWEVER, it seems that these collectors have seen the work live at some point, or else they already own a work of art by the artist. The galleries do such a great job of photographing the work and posting it on their website that the collector trusts the accuracy of the image.
So that’s what happening with established galleries, but for the rest of us (and I include myself here), we are experiencing sales via popup shows, invitational events, outdoor and studio shows, etc. I believe that for artists who have not been famous for a number of years, sales are made while viewing the work live and meeting with the artist.
The Internet has changed the way people buy, talk about, and get feedback on everything. Who knows what art sale venues will look like in 5 years. My take is to have multiple venues while I wait for things to settle out. I’m about to show at Legacy Gallery in Scottsdale, which got my painting featured in American Art Collector this month – and that’s huge to me. I have artwork for sale on my website, and mostly sell to past collectors from there, and I’ll sell some work to my students – usually unframed smaller works.
I say, do live showings, but don’t be surprised when your work sells without having been seen in real life. Both are working!

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By: Lisa Call

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:31:04 +0000

In reply to Alyson Stanfield.

I think there is a lot to be said for spending large amounts of time not exhibiting so you can develop your work. The exhibits can be a distraction from focusing on the art and pushing yourself forward.
I wouldn’t mind spending 2-3 years creating a solid body of work and holding an exhibit at the end of that time. And if 2-3 years works – what about 5 years? Or 10? Where do you draw the line on how much time you want to spend developing the work without distraction?

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