Why don't people want to pay what my art is worth?

                                              

Why don't people want to pay what my art is worth?

I keep reading on an artists group pages again and again the same old question, “ I cannot sell my art for what it is really worth?”

This is always a question raging in the art world, sort of the never ending question.

Every artist has an opinion about this and it sometimes sounds like whining and of coarse they do not want to hear any opinions that differ from the fact, that their art is worth far more than they can sell it for.

Of coarse my opinion comes from my experience with Galleries and collectors and of coarse artists and you may not agree with me and that is fine and I hope I do not upset to many people but lets take a look at the reality of the situation.

First lets establish this that the price an artist can ask for a painting has nothing to do with how many hours it took to produce it or all the love and care that is put into it.

Lets look at it this way.

Say an artist does exactly the same painting three times in his life time, all look exactly the same take the same amount of time to produce, they are all identical.

Beginner artist paints painting A, it is worth $10.

Mid life artist [ 10 years later ] paints painting A, it is worth $1000

End career artist paints painting A, it is worth $100,000

Artist dies and painting A, is worth $500,000 and climbing.

It is the same painting and it takes the same amount of time to do, nothing changes but the price.

Now as a beginning artist you may be 20 or 60 years old, it makes no difference you are a beginner and you cannot expect to get the prices that a mature, well known, popular,respected artist can earn. If you have been painting one year to five years you are still a beginner.

Remember also no matter how long you have been painting, if no body knows you, your work has less value.

I know it is not fair, I understand that, but it is the reality.

If you are unknown at 20 or 60 the fact is that you are unknown, there in lies the problem, obscurity, you are invisible.

It does not matter how talented you are, how wonderful your paintings are or even what a nice deserving person you are, if you are unknown then your paintings in the market place are worth less, regardless of how long it took you to paint it.

This is really hard for some artists to accept, you may put whatever price on your art work that you believe it is worth, but in the end the market decides.

It makes no difference how wrong you may think it is or how unfair it is and how the market is manipulated, I have heard it all, that art is from the heart, it is the soul of the artist, giving all of themselves for their art. 

Yes that may all be very true but it does not change the fact that the market dictates the price.

I was talking to an art school professor and they totally disagreed with me regarding my market rules reality. They feel art is beyond fame and popularity and it is about the artist being in touch with their feelings and expressing their emotions and putting truth onto the canvas.

I said that is all good and honorable, so why do you paint?

Their answer,“ for the money.”??

Friends I hear all the honorable words but in the end it is about the money and the market rules, I had just sold the professors painting so it is easy to be philosophical when you are selling?

To get the prices for your paintings you believe you deserve you have to get known.

You must promote yourself, market yourself and as your presence in the market place gets known so will your paintings.

If you are unknown then your prices are low.

If you are well known you will command higher prices.

It is just the way it is and all the whining and griping about it will not change anything.

There is another reasons why paintings do not sell and that is because they are just not good work.

That's the truth, if you were to go through all the art groups, just on Facebook alone you will see so much work, some very good, some good, some ok and some why did you post that?

Everybody who picks up a paint brush and paints, for some reason believes that they are good and even great and well meaning friends and family tell them the work is good when it is obvious it is not.

Now I have no problem with people who just paint because they love it and never intend to show the work or try to sell it. I admire those people who do for the sheer love of painting with no expectations, the problems start when they decide that they are very good paintings and offer them for sale at high prices and wonder why the market ignores them.

I have so many artist that contact all the time wanting shows with work that is just average and they get so upset when I say no. Believe me it takes a lot of hard work to sell a painting these days and most galleries not not have time for overpriced work that is not that good.

I go to art fairs all the time looking for that one artist with the “wow” factor as I call it, so far in the last few years I have found one.

So how do you get known to get your prices up?

First you have to get known, your work has to get known and your story has to get known.

People have to buy into the total package, don't make it up, truth sells better.

They have to like you, like your work and like your story.

So blog, get your story out there, tell people how you work, show them your studio and please, please, don't be like so many artists who put up a photo and the caption reads “my studio,” tell a story, be a story teller, people want to know who you are, what you do, how you work, your likes, your dreams, let people buy into your story.

When you put pictures of your work up on the nett, write a story about, the “ WHY” of the painting?

Be in art fairs, join as many group shows as you can get into and be out of character for an artist be friendly with all the strangers who come to see your work, talk to everybody, greet every body, something artists seem never to do, they get into a huddle with other artists and look like they are waiting for everyone to leave.

You get out there and sell you, if they like you they will like your art.

Be friendly and you will be amazed how these people who have given you their precious time to come and see your work will be so friendly also.

Do not see them as buyers but potential friends who will be lifelong buyers and friends.

Selling art in all its forms is a business and artists can live in denial if they wish but that does not change the fact. You are in the art business so embrace it and get out there and sell yourself.

Artist you can sell yourself and your work.

Yes I know the internet makes it look like there are millions of artists out there and yes there is but so few are selling and marketing themselves, most are to scared to do it and do not want to learn how, so they blame the market for not helping them and paying them big prices and they stay unknown.

As I say to my artists, “ Artist help yourself to help yourself then I will also help you.”

Simply put:-

        Be friendly to everyone they are potential friends and lifelong buyers.

        Talk about yourself, your art and your story, the“ Why” of your art, story tell.

         Learn how to sell. You are your best salesman.

Please remember you do not want to sell one painting, you want to sell a lifetime of paintings.

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