Selling Your Art: Gallery Representation
by Douglas Ready

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There is the thought among many artists determined to produce only work generated by their own internal mechanisms that to succeed in the art world gallery representation is a must. The truth is that only a very small percentage of working artists will ever acquire gallery representation. A much smaller percentage will acquire adequate gallery representation.

And, even if you're successful in finding that one gallery with which you can build a working relationship, the gallery won't do all the work. You need to check in regularly with the owner, build a rapport, meet potential buyers, attend openings, and reassure yourself that enough is being done to promote your work. In fact to insure success in a gallery environment you'll need to promote yourself at least as much as before you secured gallery representation.

The belief that you can pitch your art, without qualification or recommendation, to galleries until someone falls in love with it to the point where they take on your business affairs and leave you to toil happily away in the studio is a fantasy. Galleries are not in business to discover new and exciting creative geniuses and micromanage their respective careers. Galleries exist to sell art. 

Galleries are only interested in art they believe they can sell, and there is only one known manner of proving your work will sell:  somebody has to have bought some of it, preferably a good many pieces of it. An adequate gallery will work with the artist to build his client list, but very few of them are much interested in starting from scratch. Securing reputable gallery representation without an existing client list is virtually impossible.

I referred to reputable gallery representation. There are always so- called galleries willing to take on the work of any artist for a fee. The artist pays the gallery up front for wall space and promotional expenses, and is even expected to pick up the tab for the wine and cheese required on opening night. This variety of so-called gallery makes its money by cashing your check and actually does little more than sell you wall space, although most are perfectly willing to charge an additional commission--up to 50% in some instances--should a piece of your work sell. This kind of operation is sometimes referred to as a Vanity gallery.

The artist will do better with a Co-op gallery. This gallery is run and maintained by the artists who display on its walls. There is generally a fee to join, and the artist can expect to pay what amounts to monthly rent for the privilege of hanging his work on the wall. The artist may also be expected to man the gallery a few days every month. The Co-op will also charge a percentage of the dollars generated when and if the work sells, and while the percentage varies from Co-op to Co-op it is generally a smaller percentage than a traditional or Vanity gallery.

At any rate, whether the artist chooses to pursue traditional gallery representation or join a Co-op gallery the one thing needed to insure success is a client list, and the artist himself is the most effective tool available for generating a client list.

IDENTIFY AN AUDIENCE

Most working artists earn a living without gallery representation.  The practical artist learns very quickly that he and he alone is responsible for the success or failure of his artistic ventures and that while gallery representation is one way to put his work in front of collectors it certainly isn't the only way. Sometimes, it's not even the preferred way.

To be successful, the artist must secure collectors as clients. In order to secure clients, the artist must first identify an audience.  An audience is a collection of people who are interested in or fascinated by or obsessed with the work the artist creates. A client is a member of that audience who actually took money out of his pocket and traded it to the artist in order to acquire a work of artistic creation.

You cannot and will not acquire clients until you've identified an audience.

There is a market for every variety of art the artist can possibly create, but that doesn't necessarily mean there's an extensive market for every category of work. It is very possible to earn a substantial living producing a niche product, but the smaller the niche the more necessary it becomes for the artist to identify members of that niche if he is to prosper working only within that genre. If the artist is determined to produce nothing but highly detailed realistic scenes from the battle at the Alamo, he'd better identify every organization that studies or celebrates that particular brawl and make an effort to put samples of his work in front of every member of each organization, all the while keeping his fingers crossed. On the other hand, if the artist expands his repertoire to include not only the Alamo, but perhaps the Civil War his potential audience amplifies to the point of potential viability.

The successful artist will take the necessary steps to discern and pursue that portion of the populace with a potential interest in his product.

ORIGINALS, PRINTS & POSTERS

If the artist is determined to sell directly to collectors those images created from his own internal directives, there are three varieties of product available for promotion: originals, prints and posters.

Selling the original art is a straightforward undertaking. The artist creates the work and exchanges it with a buyer for a mutually determined price. 

A valuable addendum is the print. Prints may be hand-pulled or commercially printed, and are produced in a limited number, that number to be determined by the artist. The prints are signed and numbered on the front of the print to indicate both the number of the print and the number of prints created, i.e.:

24/75 

(indicating print number 24 out of an edition of 75 prints)

Prints are sold at a less expensive price point than the original work, making the print a more affordable, and sometimes a more appealing alternative to acquiring the original artwork. Prints, like the original art, have the potential to increase in value as the artist becomes more established.

Posters differ from prints in the fact that they are not limited to a particular number of copies. Generally, posters are reproduced on a less costly grade of paper than prints, but not always. Posters are an inexpensive way to make your work accessible to large numbers of people who for whatever reason aren't interested in spending the necessary amount of money to acquire an original piece of artwork. 

Thanks to modern printing technology, the only real difference between a print and a poster is often the signature and the numbering. There is an ongoing discussion regarding the proper categorization of commercially reproduced limited edition work. Some feel that only the print hand-pulled by the artist should be referred to as a print, that the commercial reproduction, regardless of its quality, is nothing more than a signed and numbered poster. The distinction is one the artist will have to determine for himself.

REPRODUCTION RIGHTS

The artist has a much better chance of generating a reasonable income if he remains open--in fact actively pursues--reproduction opportunities for his work. Prints, posters, greeting cards, collectors' plates--all reproduction possibilities, and that income potential, are dependent upon the artist retaining reproduction rights to his work.

This means that someone who buys your original art that person must be informed that while the collector owns the artwork, the artist solely owns the right to reproduce the work and only the artist can sanction such reproduction. A simple written statement included in the Bill of Sale should be sufficient to accomplish this most important communication.

It is paramount for the artist to retain a copy of the artwork. In the event that reproduction rights are assigned, the artist will be expected to provide a viable image for the client to work with and it is unrealistic to expect the collector to return his property for the artist's use. Retaining a copy of the image is best accomplished by archiving computer scans that can be manipulated for future use as the occasion arises.

TARGETED PROMOTION

Selling art is a difficult skill to master, but if you're going to make a living as an artist you have to be able to sell your art at least as well as you're able to create it.

I am astounded at the number of talented artists who have mastered their craft and produce absolutely wonderful creations, but know so little about how the art business works and what they have to do to sell their work that most of their working days are spent engaged in occupations that have absolutely nothing to do with the art world.

Students attend art school so they might learn to create art that is good enough to sell, believing that if a quality art education is pursued and acquired one can make a living as an artist. Art school offers a wonderful opportunity to spend several years practicing one's decided craft, but selling and marketing are seldom found in any art school curriculum. Art school does not teach you how to how to sell your art in the real world. You'll probably learn how to put together a portfolio, but the chances of an instructor taking you aside and explaining just how to find the person who wants to purchase what's inside that portfolio are almost non-existent.

The student is told that if the work is good enough showing it to a gallery owner or mailing a reproduction to an art director is all that is necessary to generate income. Some art schools dismiss the art business altogether by suggesting that creating art is where the artist's focus should be, that making money isn't pertinent to the process and debases the experience of being an artist. Schools rarely seem to mention that if you can't make money making art, you have to spend a good portion of your time engaged in unrelated dollar- generating activities.

Selling art does not diminish your credibility as an artist, it enhances it.

In the beginning, your day-to-day accomplishments are what advance your art career. Create to the best of your ability and get your work out there. Display your artwork at every opportunity, hang it in every restaurant and bar that will let you use their wall space, set up at every street fair and art festival you can get to. Listen to what people say, get a sense of who likes what and why, figure out how to price it so it sells, and show it whenever and wherever you get the chance. Along the way, you'll meet people, make connections, and those you impress the most will eventually introduce you to others who can do more for you.

That's how any business works, and the art business is no different.

There are as many ways to sell art and become successful as an artist as there are artists, and each and every one of those ways is perfectly acceptable. The key to success is identifying those methods you can comfortably apply to your own work.

Most artists want to become rich and famous as soon as possible. They want to create art full time, basking in the solitude of their studios while other people sell it. In pursuit of this lofty goal, the number one question artists ask is how to get representation.  Most are stunned to discover that you have to sell art in order to attract gallery attention. Once you learn to make sales--once you've learned to persuade others that your art has merit-- you'll be ready for representation. 

You must learn to convince others that they're better off owning than not owning your art. It is certainly gratifying to hear someone say they love your work, but compliments, no matter how constant, won't keep you from the need to pursue that career in food service.

The overwhelming majority of art world relationships are initiated through networking between people who already know each other. This is pretty much the same in any business. Few people are willing to take chances on total strangers and this is why cold calling rarely works unless you've developed a zealous sales personality or you have something unbelievably astonishing to cold call about.

All artists want to sell themselves and their art, but you'll have better luck selling when you sense that whomever you're speaking with wants to be sold to. You don't want to get a reputation for turning every conversation into a selling situation. People will see you coming and walk the other way or at least stop taking your telephone calls.

Art galleries sell art for a living. They carefully evaluate every artist who presents them with art and decide to work only with those who can demonstrate that their art is not only salable, but that it will sell.

Art business professionals sell their art by convincing people that it has value and that it's worth paying money for in order to own. Rarely in the art business do people spontaneously buy art because they fall in love with it the moment they see it. They ask questions and whoever answers those questions has to answer them in ways that sell the art.

Art simply doesn't sell itself. Someone has to sell it.

The same holds true for you as an artist. Your art does not sell itself: you have to sell it. Selling your art involves much more than inviting someone to your studio or your website or setting up at a street fair or showing a gallery owner a portfolio of your work. When people see your art and like it, they automatically think about whether they can make money selling it, and you have to address that concern.

                                                           GALLERY REPRESENTATION: PART TWO»

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