“ Failed selling Artist, successful Artist?”

     

“ Failed selling Artist, successful Artist?”

There is a lot of controversy and opinions out there in the Art World, especially the constant discussion about how much should they charge for their painting and what is success?

I need to disclose first that I represent Artists in the Art Business, so this is a little out of character for me.

What is success as an Artist?

For me there are two types of successful Artists, those you make a good living from their art and the two I will describe in this post

I thought of two examples of two very successful Artists, but failed as selling Artists.

When I was a young man starting out in the business world in the 1970's, I would go to a barber in the suburb of Sandgate where I lived. The reason I would always go this particular barber was that he was an Artist, a very dedicated Artist. His Barber shop was filled with his paintings, every space on the walls was covered with his paintings, all the paintings were of his local area.

When he had no customers he would work on his paintings. He taught me so much about the business of Art.

As a prolific Artist he was very successful, he painted at every opportunity that he could and he had a large body of work to show for his efforts.

Whether they were good or bad paintings it was never discussed, what was discussed was his great love of painting and art. To me he was a successful Artist.

As a full time selling Artist he was a total failure, he told me in all the years he had sold one or two paintings. He had prices on each painting, very little in cost, but the prices just hung there like his paintings, year after year.

People did not understand his work and did not want it, he was a naive painter, today we would call his work Outsider Art or Brut Art.

It never upset him that people did not understand his work.

Was he a successful Artist? Yes of coarse.

Was he a good selling Artist? No.

His view was that he loved to paint and he loved art and that he would never stop painting, so he was successful, he painted a large body of work which he loved, but he never sold.

My Mother was also an Artist, a painter of beautiful still life paintings and landscapes. She loved to paint, as her Father had painted and taught her and of coarse she instructed me when I was a small child. She painted for the shear pleasure of painting and she got great joy in giving her creations away to appreciative family and friends.

Her paintings were not painted to sell as she did not need to sell, my Father more than adequately supported her.

Her problem started at this point, when some of her friends who were Artists also encouraged her to join them and their art group and paint with them. She did and she had a lot of wonderful days with the group roaming around the countryside painting and she would bring home her work and proudly show it off to the family.

The group decided to have a group show and exhibit at a local shopping centre. They were all excited about their upcoming show and discussed for hours, how much they should price their work at.

I was painting full time and Mum came to me to get advice on prices, she told me what she was asking and I just agreed as I did not want to comment on the prices she was asking as like all hobby artist when they decide to enter the Art Business have an unrealistic view of what there art is worth..

Mum for the first time in her painting life priced her work.

The show came and went some paintings were sold, none of Mum's sold. At the beginning before the show she thought she would become a popular selling Artist?

Many more shows and a few years later with very few sales, Mum was talking to me about her work and her great concern was that her paintings were to cheap, should she increase her prices and why don't people buy them?

I asked her if she still loved painting and she said she did off handily, but her concern now was the market. 

She had sold very very few paintings, but she was consumed with prices and selling and why people did not buy her paintings, but they bought someone else and she seemed not so happy with her paintings or her painting.

Finally she came to me and said she was going to stop painting as no body wanted her work and they would not pay her prices.

I said that before people loved your paintings and were so happy to accept them as gifts and hang them on their walls.

She said to me, true they liked them but now they will not pay for them.

I said Mum these people would never normally buy a painting you know that, they will accept one as a gift buy they do not buy art.

I looked at her and said, “Why did you paint before?”

She thought about it and said because she loved painting and it was lots of fun to do with friends and she loved blessing people with her paintings.

I said to her, “Mum to go back and paint and do what you love to do, paint and get out of the Art Business, it is destroying your love for painting and the blessing of others. Leave the Art business to those who want to play there and go back to being a successful painter.”

It was like Mum needed permission to get out of the Art business and go back and paint just for the love of it.

She went back to painting her beautiful paintings again, no more prices on them and blessed many people with them, who appreciated her beautiful work and proudly hung them in their homes.

Artist paint for the right reasons.

The Art Business is exactly that and the moment you try to sell your paintings you are in the business, do not kid yourself, you may live in denial if you wish but once you price your work you are in the Art Business, and the truth is the Art Business can be brutal, they do not take prisoners.

My Mum and the Sandgate Barber were both very successful Artists, but they were failed full time selling Artists.

The love of painting and art is a great a wonderful hobby and past time that brings great joy and happiness to the Artist and those who are blessed with one of their paintings.

Selling is the Art Business, like my Mum, you have permission to go back to painting for the shear love of it and never having to put a price on your painting again.

I do hope this has been a help to some?

I would very much appreciate your comments, positive and negative.