Art Business, Artist Help & Tips, Artist Success, FAQ, Start Here
Your work in the studio is something completely different. The success that you have with the work that you create in your studio will stand alone by itself, you will either have successful breakthroughs which will make your work stand out or not; only time will tell. However, to get your work out there into galleries, in front of the general public and collectors, will need you to in some way, develop a systematic approach and to develop a systematic approach you will need an action plan.
Artist Help & Tips, Artist Success, FAQ
I can tell you many stories of my own experience with this, having also gone into the cycle of using one credit card to prop up repayments on another one, etc. etc. It’s very easy to get caught up in this kind of behaviour, especially when credit is so easy to attain and if you are going through a lean period with sales.
Art Business, Art Marketing, Artist Help & Tips, Artist Success, Start Here
If you live in a town or suburb where there are only two or three newspapers or magazines, pitch to your favourite one or at least to the newspaper and the magazine which you feel will best suit your ends. Make a connection with the editor if possible and let them know that you won’t be sending the same information out to their competition. If you do this you’re more likely to have a published verbatim alongside the excellent quality photograph you submit along with the media release.
Art Business, Artist Help & Tips, Artist Success, FAQ, Selling Your Art, Start Here
Although one of my favourite places to exhibit is in New York, I also love to show in many places on the international stage. I’ve been accustomed to exhibiting my art in many places other than my home country Australia, because of a number of reasons. I believe the primary reason is because of my work being different from standard practice.
Artist Help & Tips, Artist Success, Selling Your Art
Research the gallery, find out who is the director, and write a letter of introduction with details about your website, if you have one, and include a CD, though these days I think it’s preferable to send some good quality photographs as well.
Art Business, Artist Help & Tips, Artist Success, Selling Your Art
One of the first things that I’d recommend for an artist when they’re contacting a gallery for the first time is to never do it cold.
Art Business, Art Marketing, Artist Help & Tips, Artist Success, FAQ, Selling Your Art
There is a fine line between pestering and simply being professional and following up. In my experience some of the best media coverage that I have had has come about through my providing a professional and detailed media release. That’s the first step. Following up on this is crucial, even just to find out whether the editor has received the press release that you have prepared.
Art Business, Art Marketing, Artist Help & Tips, Artist Success
There were some events where I noticed my works were being bundled together with far too many other auction items, resulting in my work not achieving the kind of price that I was comfortable with. I think what happened with some of these events, was that people just became too focused on quantity and not quality and as a result some really good pieces of art were compromised.
I ended up consulting the local regional Gallery director for his opinion about how I should handle this matter and was advised to just simply stop putting my art up for auction in these local events. This was not easy for me to do because these events were being run by very good friends and many of my contemporaries continued to work up for auction at these events, so in some ways I felt like I separated myself, but it was necessary for me to protect the integrity of pricing scale of my work.
Art Business, Art Marketing, Artist Help & Tips, Artist Success
While charity events can be great marketing opportunities for you, the mix of people who attend include people with no interest in art as well as potentially, the serious collector. Anything is possible, just be sure to manage your expectations.
Art Business, Artist Help & Tips, Artist Success, Selling Your Art
I have found it a great thing to see an artist who I have recommended to enter for a major competition, being actually hung. Sometimes it can be the launch pad for their whole career by being seen in a prominent museum or nationally recognized gallery as part of one of these prizes. The fact is you have to enter in order to have the possibility of being hung all of even possibly winning.
Art Business, Artist Help & Tips, Artist Success, Selling Your Art, Start Here
Read through the entry form and conditions thoroughly and ask around to see if the particular prize is reputable and recognized.
If the prize is an international one, check the details very clearly. Many young artists have fallen prey to paying large fees and attending exhibitions and competitions internationally because of the perceived boost for their career and recognition, only to later discover that the particular exhibition was not what they expected.
Art Business, Art Marketing, Artist Help & Tips, Artist Success, Selling Your Art
Sometimes you may wonder whether it’s worth the expense especially if you are producing 1000 or more postcards, in my experience it’s worth the expense simply because it becomes a postcard that people are more likely to hold onto or pass on.
Art Business, Artist Help & Tips, Artist Success, Selling Your Art
Now it’s not a case of all bad stories. Of course there are exceptions and this is why I mention these cases. In my experience I have had some of the most amazing connections and experiences with certain art galleries and their directors. I remember one art gallery director who had a premium gallery in Western Australia and I was a member of his stable. He knew I had a certain amount of debt at the time and wanted to see how I would make my art being completely free of debt and certain of a regular income. So he cleared my debts for me and put me on a retainer, which lasted for well over a year. During this time I ended up producing some work, which to this day I am still very proud of. It was critically acclaimed and helped to establish me at the time. I will always be grateful to this particular person for his kindness and generosity.
Art Business, Artist Help & Tips, Artist Success, Selling Your Art
You need to prove yourself over time and build your resume one line at a time, establishing consistent track records of successful shows. You need to convince gallery directors that you’re committed to making art. You must impress curators and critics. And you must demonstrate you’re capable of doing what’s expected – selling well and selling consistently. Galleries don’t establish artists’ reputations – they only enhance them.
Art Business, Art Marketing, Artist Help & Tips, Artist Success
I remember in one of my first exhibitions after I got out of art school, I made work with complicated theory, which was reflected in the work in a number of ways that was not very clear to the viewing public. For example many of the artworks were hanging off the wall in very strange angles. They were very odd shapes for canvases and works on paper, however it was not explained in any way that the public could fully understand it.
Artist Help & Tips, Artist Success
Immediately I received the sponsorship to the value of $10,000.00. I am amazed how quickly businesses respond to sponsorship requests, when they can see a tangible return. This may give some ideas to those artists who had difficulty raising the money to participate.
Upon arriving at the Biennial, I saw that there was a mixture of professionalism and enthusiasm during the set up days and there was a fair amount of complaining by some artists, who became largely preoccupied with their complaints for the entire length of the Biennial.
Art Business, Art Marketing, Artist Help & Tips, Artist Success, FAQ, Selling Your Art
I want to explain here, that expense and complication doesn’t have to be the case. I’m now going to teach you in the following explanation, how to set up what is known as a blog.
A blog is essentially a website. On the Internet these days, it is very easy to find blog sites that are free. One such site, which is owned by Google is called blogger.com.
There is also another one called WordPress.com, which is also a great blog facility. Follow these easy steps to set up your own site. Simply follow the prompts, which are as follows:
Art Business, Art Marketing, Art Seminars, Artist Help & Tips, Artist Success, FAQ
If you document your lecture or your public speaking engagement you’ll be doing a few things at once. Firstly you will be creating an archive, which is irreplaceable. This archive can be converted into a DVD in a reasonably simple manner at your own computer. This DVD once produced, can then be either sold at future speaking engagements or through your website. I can’t stress enough how important it is.
Art Business, Artist Help & Tips, Artist Success, Start Here
When he first started, he stumbled upon vast amounts of plastic ocean debris, collecting them in 80 jumbo garden bags full of beach-found litter. “When I first piled this collection up in my studio, I had friends drop by asking if I was okay!” he adds.
John didn’t see a giant mound of trash – rather, his unseen intelligence was at work. He saw a giant painter’s palate of colours and shapes, hues and forms: selections of yellow coloured plastics, the red, then the blues, the rope and strings, the plastic coke bottles, the thongs… the list goes on.
“As I worked with these objects, I became even more fascinated by the way they had been modified and weathered by the ocean and nature’s elements,” says Mr Dahlsen.
Art Business, Artist Help & Tips, Artist Success
This piece will act as a celebration of roads and the city infrastructures. Historically, public art has been employed to soften the ‘blow’ of a city’s infrastructure and the predominance of tough and durable structures and the masculine elements of engineering.
The intention, as I see it, of this totemic structure is not to try and soften any image of roads and traffic, but to bring it to an artistic conclusion, where the artwork meets the challenges of its surroundings, reinterpreting it and not trying to digress from the very nature of roads, traffic and engineering with a contrasting message.
