ARTIST......FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT.

ARTIST......FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT.

                                                                     

The last blog I talked about people buying what they like.

This blog I want to discuss why some young artists just do not make it.

I am dealing daily with many young artists, wanting to make it in the art world and become famous, some extremely talented, some very good capable artists and some who should have listened to the cruel advice of Uncle Joe and become an accountant or something equally as boring.

This week I saw some wonderful sculpture it was really nice, different and unique work that showed a developing grasp of the medium, clay and very nice attention to detail.

But there was a problem.

Now I do not blame the young artist for this entirely, she gets some blame, but I do blame the Art School she comes out of and for that matter most modern Art Schools. Why is it that they do not communicate to the students that when you present work to a Gallery it must look good and be saleable, presentation matters?

Again if you are not Picasso you will not get away with shoddy presentation.

This work was presented in such a way that normally I would have immediately dismissed it but because I am trying to be a better and nicer person, I let my developing good nature get the better of me and I accepted it.

Normally I would not have accepted it but I felt the sculpture was good and showed a lot of promise and deserved to be seen, even though I did not like the way it was presented. I explained my reservations and said that if she continues to present her work in this fashion it will not sell well and I will not accept it again.

For Mrs Buyer, the first impressions counts with new artists, if it looks good and she likes it, it has a good chance of selling.

Now I know many will say I am to hard on the Artist, she is just starting out and has little funds behind her work, but what I am asking for would not have cost much more than how it was presented. Bad presentation should never be tolerated, all she was doing was undervaluing herself, her very nice work and hurting her own future. To her credit she agreed to fix one piece and will bring it back for the opening of the show on Sunday.

I like that, she was prepared to take instruction and not get offended but get it right. So many other artists just get offended and look at me like I have destroyed their career and crushed all their self esteem out of them and are deeply offended that I dared to criticise them.

Oh well at least I get their attention.

Again I say that the work itself is very good and she has promise and if she can push on on further with her work and I think keep it at a saleable size, this young woman is a future successful artist and that is what I want for her also, so start at the beginning getting it right and good practice will be with her for her whole career.

Why do I think she could be a very successful Artist?

It was two pieces she did that really impressed me, the other pieces were not as exceptional but she had a high standard of work and it caught my attention immediately. I was glad to find another woman sculptor who showed such promise as I feel that we do not have enough talented women being taken seriously in the Art World, we have one other female sculptor with the Gallery and she does exceptional work.

Also my gut said she was good and I do listen to that gut feeling, I have been wrong in the past but better to have a go with that feeling than to ignore it.

A few simple reasons why some young Artists do not make it?

Shoddy work and they think its ok because some famous artist got away with it, not in my world.

Bad presentation of work, unpainted side wrap on wrap around canvas.

Badly made frames, not presented well.

Rough timber for bases, etc.

When starting out in this rough and tumble Art World, do it right from the beginning, attention to detail, consult with the Gallery as to what they expect, most of all be a professional business person. Artist, that is what you are a professional business person, like it or not.

Art is a business and for you to survive in it, then treat it as a business.

We will talk more on this in my next blog.