Selling out of my studio makes me more money and cuts out....

“ Selling out of my studio makes me more money and cuts out the Gallery and middleman, great for the artist?”        

 Is it?

I am the first to agree that if you can sell from your studio and make enough money to live on, then you are doing very well. I know of Artists who have been able to carve out a nice living doing Art Fairs and slowly building up a Collector base from their studio.

I also know an Artist who I consider very talented and a friend who does not show in any Galleries and he has built a good business and sells directly to his Collectors. He did start off from a Gallery but found he could build his business better outside the Gallery system.

If you can do this and it cuts out the Gallery or the middle man and you are happy with that, then you should do it.

I know it is hard to get into Galleries and it is also hard to get into the Gallery that I manage.

So what do you do?

Build your Art Business with or without the Gallery?

I will give you my view.

The problem you face with not having Gallery representation and selling directly out of your studio, will be building your exhibition career, one man shows. Yes you can use a vanity Gallery or space for rent, but it is not the same as showing in a recognised Gallery.

Without an exhibition career it is very hard to build your career beyond what you are doing, studio, art fairs etc, unless of coarse you are that one in a million who finds a collector who will finance you into the big time, if not then it most likely will not happen.

I feel for my friend as he has lots of collectors who buy directly from him so most Galleries will be very slow to take him on for that reason, they will fear that if they show him, he will still sell from his studio while the Gallery shows the work.

For an Artist to really make it into the big time and secretly every Artist wants that, fame and fortune, and if they say they do not want it, they are in denial, they must do it through the Gallery system, otherwise how will collectors get to know them and follow them and their career progress.

Collectors like to see the Artist year by year growing and seeing sales taking place for them to invest in them on a regular basics. I am not talking about selling one painting in an Art Fair but a collector who continues to buy and buy one particular artist and they trust the Gallery to guide them, advise them and if necessary sell paintings that they are not so sure of, the Gallery builds that relationship. Yes, you the Artist can build that yourself but few do, because it is time consuming and most Artists find it hard to sell themselves and discuss there career decisions where as the Gallery can do that. If your collector wants to put some of your work to auction a Gallery track record is very necessary, people always want to know the back story. Real collectors ask lots of questions and want history, sales performance, who else has purchased the Artist, how many shows they have had?

To get into the Auction market will take good collectors buying you and then selling you in the Auctions, unfortunately Artists do not benefit financially from the Auctions but it does build their profile and is reflected in the prices of their current work.

Are all Galleries good and easy to work with? No.

There are some very unethical Galleries who have not paid Artists and scammed collectors, this is a self regulated industry, but on the whole most Galleries are honest and are trying to do their best for their Artists.

Also there are some very unethical Artists, who sell behind the Galleries back and delivery substandard work to collectors, so there is good and bad in both camps.

Good Gallery representation can be the making of a great career for the Artist. If the Artist is hard working and loyal to the Gallery and the Gallery promotes the Artist and good sales follow, collectors begin to take an interest in the artists paintings and the Gallery gets shows for the Artist in other Cities and Countries, then the Artist career will slowly build.

It is to the Galleries benefit to look after the Artist, to promote them and sell them, the more the Artists profile rises so does the Galleries, it is a team effort.

When an unknown Artist is picked up by a large Gallery it automatically raises the profile of the Artist.

The biggest complaint Artists have about Galleries when addressing their anger at me is that I take to much commission and why do I do that when the its Artist who does all the work and it costs them so much in materials and time.

Rather than state the obvious I just say that’s one of the conditions to have a show in this Gallery, the decision is totally yours.

I do not want to argue and have to explain all we do, we are a successful Gallery and explaining would only inflame the situation, I do my best for all my Artists and one of the reasons I write my blog is to try and give something back to Artists and maybe help one or two to become successful.

If an Artist wants to sell from their studio more power to them and I support that decision, but if you want to be represented by a Gallery tell them about your studio sales and try to work out a deal that you are both happy with. If the Gallery shows your painting and then after the show is over and someone who saw it at the Gallery comes to your studio so they can get it cheaper, before you sell it to them, think not just about this one sale but all the future sales that the Gallery will get you. Tell the collector the gallery price and pay the commission to the Gallery or send the Collector back to the Gallery and do the transaction through the Gallery, it will build a trust between you and the Gallery..

Yes it is hard to get into a good gallery that will represent you and promote you and care about your career.

But in saying that if your work is different and you can get the markets attention with your work, that will get you into a gallery. 

Every Gallery is different so do not give up if that is your goal.

The two paintings I have shown on this blog are those of a young Artist who did not contact me looking for representation. I saw him in an Art Fair and his work just screamed out “WOW” So I invited him to the Gallery and have sold him, you are seeing two of his sold paintings on this blog.

He put himself out there and got noticed.

Will he make it to the big time? I do not know, but I will help him have a good shot at it and yes I do take 40% commission from his sales.

Is he happy?

Yes, he is in the game.

He has a small foot hold in the Art World and if he works hard and stays focused then he will make a reasonable living as an Artist.

Have I put him under a contract?

No he is free to do as he pleases, I do not believe in contracts. I want him to stay because he wants to and he feels that we are doing the best for him.

He is fortunate at a young age to be in a big Gallery, but it is possible for every Artist to get gallery representation.

How? Paint great paintings, get noticed, get attention, be involved in the Art World and keep putting your work before good Galleries.

Yes it is hard to get into a good Gallery so while you are waiting sell on line, sell out of your studio and get noticed.

If you get into a Gallery, talk to them about your studio sales and your online sales, if you are good then something can be worked out so everyone is happy. Be very open with the Gallery just so they know.

I wanted to give one Galleries point of view however small.

I do trust that this has helped some artists.