ARTIST - “ THE WHY?”

ARTIST - “ THE WHY?”

                             

                                 Sculpture by ISABELO L. TAMPINCO …...[ 1850 – 1933 ]

                              “ GIRL HOLDING A FLOWER “ …... original title unknown.

                                 Description at the end of the post.

Many Artists come into the Gallery I work with, all looking for a one-man show that will launch their careers and shoot them into the stratosphere of the Art World.

They are so confident that their work is good and deserving of high prices and a show.

I said to a colleague, “ I am tired of looking at the same painting, over and over and over again and no one talks to me about them, or tells me the Why?”

I have the unique advantage of having walked down both sides of the street, I am a practising Artist of 30 years experience, I have worked in Galleries and with Collectors and I have seen so much of the same art work, constantly repeated.

I do not want to offend anyone but the reality is, so much work that we see in the Gallery and on the internet is just like what everyone else is doing.

I look at the work the hopeful Artist is showing me in the Gallery and I ask questions about the work.

“ Why should I show this work?”

“ Why did you paint this?”

“ What were you thinking about at the time?”

“ What influenced you to paint this?”

So often the Artist will look at me and say, “ I don't know I just did it .”

or “ I wasn't thinking anything”

Unfortunately it is no different on the internet or on Facebook and all the Artist group pages.

I read so often Artists asking questions about their work, about selling on the net, about how to sell on the net? How many likes do they get or should expect for such good work or why does my painting get ignored and I get no likes?

So lets think about this?

Artists spend hours and hours painting or drawing to produce a beautiful art work.

Then they decide to share it on their Facebook page and then in some Artist groups. So they put up the picture, give it a title, state what medium it is in and the size and sometimes even a price. Then they put it up on their Facebook page and into artist groups and wait for some likes?

Of coarse family and friends may like it, because that is expected and maybe the odd Artist looking for their own work may spot it and like it, but on a whole it will pass into Facebook oblivion without much notice taken of it at all.

My question is?

Artist you take so long to produce the work, all that time and love and then you put it up on Facebook like it is an orphan and most people ignore it.

Why put all that time into producing the art work and then not telling the “WHY” of the work?

I am convinced that the paintings that have a story about them will without a doubt create more interest than just a lonely painting out there fighting for attention among all the other orphan paintings lost on Facebook art groups.

If you want people to take notice, then tell the story of how your art work came into existence.

You must think about why you are doing it not just doing it.

People/Collectors want to connect with the Artist, they want to get to know the reason why the Artist produced the work.

           What were you feeling at the time?

           Why did you use those colours?

           Why did your composition have circles in it?

To many Artists are asking the wrong questions and not telling their story.

The question for the Artist?

“ Why are you not telling me about the process, so I can be part of the painting?”

Instead you give me details I am not really interested in, you tell me the title, that's good.

You tell me the medium.... I do not care what medium it is in, that will not make me buy, it may influence me later.

You tell me the size... Not that interested I can tell if it will fit on my wall.

What I want to know is, “Why should I buy it?”

Give me a reason to connect with your painting?

Give me a reason to fall in love with it?

The Collector/ Buyer is in the Gallery, is looking through Facebook Artist groups, they are interested in paintings and they have bought paintings in the past, the Collector says,

“Please Artist tell me why I should buy your painting?

Help me to connect with you, your painting and your process?”

Back to the Artist showing me their work in the Gallery.

The paintings are good, but there are a lot of good paintings out there, they are not outstanding but I am open to showing them. So now I am waiting for the Artist to convince me that he loves his paintings and thereby convince me to love the paintings, because if I love them and connect with them, then I will enjoy selling them because I love them.

I want the Artist to convince me.

Paintings I can get easily, just check out the internet to see how many paintings are out there.

The world does not need another painting.

The world does want paintings that they can connect with and be emotionally attached to.

Think about this , most Artists know Picasso and his work and most know his life story. We look at the painting “ Guernica” and we emote to it because we know the “WHY”.

Why he painted it, the emotion behind it, the protest he was making with it, all this helps us to emote to it, to fall in love with it and to admire Picasso.

We buy into his whole story as well as the painting.

So Artist, “Why should I show your painting?”

“Why did you paint this particular painting?”

“What were you thinking or feeling when you painted this?”

“Why these colours and not others?”

Convince me Artist that you love your painting. Remember your first boyfriend/girlfriend and how you had to tell everyone about how wonderful they were, how special they were, tell me that about your painting so I am convinced and I can convince the collector.

 I want to buy into the “why” and so few are telling me their “why.”

Artist if a painting is worth putting all that precious time, love and energy into, it is also worth telling the story behind it. The story invites me the potential buyer to connect with you the Artist and your painting.

Next time you put a painting up on a Facebook artist group tell your story about your artwork, “ The Why?”

I do hope this article helps some Artists to connect better with their potential buyers.

As I said before, “ The World does not need another painting.”

But the World does need paintings that they can connect to, emote to and become part of the artistic process.

Please Artist remember, the buyer/Collector lives longer with your painting than you do.

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