If you want a gallery to represent you, you have to convince that gallery that money can be made selling your art and that you can help them make that money. Your involvement in the process is essential. You have to address the financial implications of what happens to your art once it leaves your studio and goes to market. If you sit there grinning hoping you'll be offered a contract, you'll probably be sorely disappointed. You have to prove that you're a marketable commodity.

Proving your marketability is essential, but especially so if the person seeing your art has no idea who you are. To begin with, most artists get shows or representation by word of mouth. They're introduced to the people who eventually sell their art. If at all possible, get a personal introduction to gallery owner who you think should see your art.

With or without introductions, target only those galleries who sell your type of art or represent artists with comparable resumes and career accomplishments to yours. Know enough about the art they sell so that you can customize your presentation and explain why you believe your art is right for them. Be ready to explain why you picked a particular gallery to pursue representation and understand that flattery--because this gallery is the best there is--is not your strongest collaborator. Personalize your presentation or chances are good that your presentation will go nowhere.

Talk about why you believe people will want to own your art. This doesn't mean that you do a high-pressure sales pitch, but rather that you treat the meeting as though you're looking to enter into a moneymaking partnership. If the only reason you've got for showing
your art is that the person you're showing it to sells it, you're better off not making the presentation until you've rethought your position.

Describe the market for your art as well as you can. Talk about who buys it, why they like it, how much you sell, and how much it sells for. The more such information you provide,  the better a prospective dealer, agent, gallery, or representative is able to evaluate whether they can sell your work.

THE CARE & FEEDING OF COLLECTORS

Most people won't spend a lot of money on something just because they like it. If Mr. and Mrs. Collector just want something in pale green to match the drapes there are much less expensive options open to them than purchasing an original piece of artwork. As an artist, you know what your art means on a personal level and you can certainly convey that to people, but are you able to justify your selling price? Explaining why your art has value from a monetary standpoint is an essential part of convincing buyers that your art is something they want to own, especially when they're undecided or unfamiliar with your work.

Many buyers, especially those perusing your work for the first time, need assurances because they often don't know that much about art. They're insecure and they want concrete facts presented in a manner they can understand. Some collectors, of course, buy art on the spur of the moment and according to whatever strikes their fancy, but they're in the minority. Be prepared to demonstrate that your art has value.

Documentation is a good first step. Do everything possible to get your work reviewed. A feature in a newspaper or magazines, even a one-word mention in a small article at the bottom of the page in the local neighborhood newspaper helps establish your credibility. 

Along with documenting your career accomplishments, document every significant piece of your art. Explain what the art is, what it's made out of, why you created it, what inspired you, what it represents. A couple of paragraphs accompanied by a photograph or two of the work in progress should do it. Include these with the art when you sell it. Collectors appreciate a little something extra and this provides them with a little something special, something personal that helps them understand they've just purchased a valuable piece of original art, not simply a wall decoration.

Keep track of individual works of art. Record who and when they sold, how much they sold for, any unusual circumstances regarding the sale. These records will come in extremely handy for your future promotional efforts.

Selling art is a competitive venture. If a collector has only $1000 to spend and he intends to buy only one piece of art, he's either going to buy it from you or he's going to buy it from another artist. Success depends on stacking the odds in your favor by increasing the chances that he's going to buy it from you.

Often this involves little more than being able to comfortably talk about your art. Most contemporary art collectors regard the experience and adventure of meeting and speaking with artists as an essential part of collecting. Collectors love getting involved in the art community by spending time at galleries, going to openings, visiting artists at their studios, crawling through street fairs, talking about art and meeting artists. With luck, the collector will feel something akin to a sponsor and begin presenting you to fellow collectors.

If you're uneasy in public situations or have problems speaking about your art, practice with friends or associates. This is called Role Playing and although it's bound to feel silly while you're doing it, it's the best way to become comfortable with a process that's paramount to achieving success. Actors rehearse for a reason and that reason isn't just to memorize their lines.

The instant you complete a work of art and place it up for sale, it becomes subject to the laws of the marketplace just like any other goods or services. The artist must transition from the creative mode to the objective pricing mode. People like to know that they're getting good value for their money. This means that you've got to price your art competitively. A good rule of thumb, whenever you're not sure how much your art is worth, is to price comparably to what other artists with similar accomplishments and similar market bases to yours charge for similar works of art.

If you can't figure out how to price your art, pay yourself a sensible hourly wage, multiply that amount by the number of hours you take to make the art, toss in the cost of materials, and let that total be your asking price. Whatever formula you choose for pricing
will undoubtedly require adjusting once you've had the opportunity to present your work to the buying public. Just don't make the mistake of pricing yourself out of the market before you get started. And, don't price your work so that people won't take you seriously.

You may want to experiment with different pricing structures. This gives you a chance to get outside feedback from collectors and settle on dollar amounts that make both you and your collectors feel the most comfortable. It's best to settle on a pricing structure as soon
as reasonably possible, though, because the last thing you want is the collector who bought a piece at your last exhibition finding that a similar piece is 20% less expensive this time around.

COURTING THE GALLERY 

Many artists imagine that once they've acquired gallery representation all their problems will be solved. A team of professionals will devote themselves to selling the work and the artist can retire to the studio and devote himself solely to the creation of yet another masterpiece. 

Dream on.

A gallery contract may require exclusive rights to sell your work, thus limiting your market. If you hold an open studio, you will be expected to sell at gallery prices, otherwise gallery clients may feel they are being overcharged for your work--and, the gallery may expect a commission from those sales. If you want to participate in a local exhibition, you will need to get the gallery's permission.  And, you'll probably need their permission to seek gallery representation in other locals or to publish reproductions of your art. 

You acquired gallery representation on the basis of a certain type of work and you'll be expected to continue producing in that style. You will also be expected to produce a certain amount of salable work, which can lead to undue pressure if you're subject to creative blocks. 

That said, gallery representation can be an effective method of putting your work in front of people whose sole purpose for visiting the gallery is to purchase art. 

Target the galleries you want to approach and remember that the process isn't one of convincing the gallery owner to look at your work, but rather convincing him to represent your work.

An application package to a gallery should consist of 10-2- slides, neatly labeled with titles, dimensions and medium, your name and the year you completed the piece. The gallery will want to know they're reviewing your current work. Make sure your application package focuses on a particular body of work. If you mainly paint nudes, don't toss in those two landscapes you've got no matter how well they turned out. Include a suggested retail price list that includes the gallery's estimated 50% commission and indicate whether the work will be sold framed or unframed.

Include an up-to-date art resume and a short statement about your work, nothing pretentious, just something that details your artistic viewpoint and a little about your working process.

Compose a simple, straightforward cover letter stating in no uncertain terms that you're seeking gallery representation and would like to meet with the gallery coordinator to explore the possibility. DO NOT address the cover letter to Gallery Coordinator-- call the gallery and secure the name of the proper individual.  Enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope for the return of your materials.

Successful galleries may receive several hundred application packages every month. Don't be surprised if it takes some months for them to get back to you. Perversely, it will probably take longer to receive a response if they're interested.

The chances of securing gallery representation, especially if you've never had gallery representation, are slim. Expect rejection, shrug it off, and send out the next package. Most artists who do manage to secure gallery representation have first gone through dozens of rejections.

Eventually, with perseverance and a little luck, you'll get a positive response inviting you in to talk with the gallery coordinator. Remember throughout your presentation that the main
reason someone decides to represent your art is that they think they can sell enough to make enough to help them stay in business. Either they think they can sell that art now or they think that by working with you, they'll be able to sell it at some point in the future, most likely the near future. The only way to get and maintain gallery representation that lasts for more than one show is for them to sell enough to make their efforts worthwhile.

A PROMOTIONAL GAMEPLAN 

If you're serious about pursuing gallery representation, you have to put your work in front of gallery coordinators. Every time your application package is rejected, you're one gallery closer to finding the one that wants to hang your work on their walls.

Artists are continually told that application packages should only go to one gallery at a time. Given the odds of any one gallery having an interest--or even the need--to acquire another artist for their roster, this simply makes no sense. The artist should put his work in front of as many galleries as he can realistically juggle. If two galleries contact you simultaneously requesting an interview, talk with both of them. Just because a gallery has an interest doesn't necessarily mean they're going to offer you a representation contract. And, you may not be satisfied with the terms of a particular proffered contract.

The bottom line is that the possibility of two galleries contacting you at the same time is very slim.

A good rule of thumb is to have twelve application packages circulating to galleries at all times. When a package is returned to you, immediately turn it around and get it out to the next gallery on your list.

If you run through all the galleries in the city you're in, try another. When you run through those, try another city, then another state. In the meantime, realize that a successful art career is not dependent upon gallery representation. Explore other venues for displaying and selling your work--restaurants, bars, banks, libraries, bookstores, art festivals, street fairs, juried shows and a website.

Above all, keep producing the very best work you can. 

Douglas Ready
©2006 Serendipity Press. All rights reserved.

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About the Author: Douglas Ready is an artist and illustrator living in Seattle, Washington. His work has been used for advertising, iillustrated books and magazines, greeting cards, posters and coloring books. You can visit him online at  http://www.douglasready.com .