h o r i z o n l i n e

Art Philanthropists

I met an art philanthropist last Friday.

His work was a combination of Norman Rockwell’s accuracy and emotion, and Andrew Wyeth’s mystery and nuance. Both artists, not so surprisingly, serve as inspiration for him.

As we sat to talk, he thumbed through a dozen or so pencil drawings: A montage of childhood portraits for a young girl who was graduating high school; a drawn family tree with portraits of several generations of women; a nature scene that looks as if it were traced from a photograph.

Talent is something so few people have, and this man had talent seeping out of his fingertips.

I ask the hard question, “How much do you sell your work for?”

He looks shy and pensive and fumbles through telling me he did many of these drawings for a man who commissioned them, and after the work was done he just didn’t know what to charge. He knows he spends too much time on the work, but he enjoys it. He can’t imagine actually timing himself as he sits down to draw.

I think about that for a moment… Yes, well, art making is his equivalent of taking a bubble bath. If I were about to take a bath, I wouldn’t want to look at a clock either!

We continue talking and he lets a price slip out. He was charging $300 for deeply personal drawings that perfectly portray individual expressions, snapshots in time, and the memories people hold most dear. If a photograph can speak words, his drawings speak volumes.

Because making the work felt so fulfilling, he was not just undervaluing his work… he acted as if he were cheating the buyer by putting an appropriate price tag on his therapy and enjoyment. With each drawing, he was giving his time and talent away for pennies. He has been acting as an art philanthropist!

We talk a bit more and he finally agrees to raise his prices, taking his time into account. His work will now start at $750.

Praise is a form of recognition. When someone pays you for your work, it feels good. When they come back and ask for more, it feels even better. But… money is also recognition and it feels very good to know that your time and talents are worth part of someone’s monthly income.

By being afraid to place value on his work, he was missing the rewards he’ll need to push his talent further.

Being an art philanthropist and giving away your work is just a nice gesture. If community service is your true intention, you’d be better off to value your work appropriately, sell your pieces, and then simply give the money away. Just, please, stop giving away the work.

<<< Note: This post appeared in my old blog "Art of Craft" on the Blogger network. I've imported these posts because I believe they still hold a great deal of value, despite the fact that my pivot point in life has changed.  My life now centers around following my own artistic path, rather than teaching others how to make theirs more profitable. I hope you understand and relish my new posts just as the old were. >>>

Where are Snooty Artists Born?

Snooty artists really bug me. They don’t “get” how connected they are to the craft community. They ignore all comparisons. They walk out of pricing or marketing discussions that veer the least bit toward examples of functional craft work… presumably because it doesn’t ‘pertain’ to them. They can't hold decent conversations with craftspeople. They feel more comfortable talking about obscurities.

I know I’m not the only person who hates artists who hold their noses in the air. Yet, a predominantly high percentage still 'awaken to their higher art' each year. Why is that?

Art schools aren’t creating the problem. Perhaps they feed it, but it certainly doesn’t originate there.

Are middle school or high school art programs the issue? Or does it start even earlier – in elementary school?

My art teachers were great. Still, I have met many art teachers who snub their noses at functional work over “higher” art forms that are more widely accessible. To prove my theory that most snooty artists are nurtured and born in K-12 art classes, I looked into some popular teaching resource catalogs. What materials are made most accessible to art teachers?

Results of my informal research? Art teachers have a really tough job!  There are many views they can teach, but only a select few prepared professional materials to facilitate their classroom activities. Nearly none of these include living artists and craftspeople.  Just as museum mostly focus on dead, white men - the problem also persists in teaching texts and slide sets.  And that's IF (a BIG if) they even have the funds to purchase these materials.  Many art teachers have zero budget to play with and are forced to do their own research and development.

If we (the collective community who snubs OUR noses at snooty artists) want to see more harmony and cross-pollination in the art and craft worlds, we’re going to need to support the needs of art teachers. We’re going to need to help them understand where function meets fluidity. We’re going to have to ask them to bring art VALUE discussions into the classroom. We’re going to have to take it upon ourselves to re-write the art history textbooks… this time, with the other side of the story.

After all, there are always two sides.

<<< Note: This post appeared in my old blog "Art of Craft" on the Blogger network. I've imported these posts because I believe they still hold a great deal of value, despite the fact that my pivot point in life has changed.  My life now centers around following my own artistic path, rather than teaching others how to make theirs more profitable. I hope you understand and relish my new posts just as the old were. >>>

Is it Really in the Details?

Tonight I find myself sitting in yet another airport, having given up my seat for a standby passenger - a grandmother who was going to Baltimore to visit her grandchildren. I am returning (or attempting to return) from leading another successful arts business workshop, this time in Abingdon, Virginia.

I sit in this section of the terminal as one of only two people. It’s just me and a middle-aged maintenance man, who wobbles to-and-fro as he walks. Slowly and methodically, he starts on one side of the room. As he edges toward me, he flips over rows of chairs to expose their underbellies.

I ask, “What are you doing?”

He says in an everyday, matter-of-fact way, “I have to flip the seats over to clean the bottoms.”

“What would be on the bottom? And who would touch it, even if there were gunk under there?”

He shrugs his shoulders as doubtful as I and says, “Health inspector says we’ve gotta do it, so we do it.”  I think about that a moment as he continues flipping chairs – now the entire half of the room.

“How often do you do this?,” I ask. To which he replies, “I dunno. Sometimes just once a week. Most times, twice a week, though.”

“Twice a week! Why would they want you to spend hours every week cleaning the bottoms of chairs, where only little children might even have contact with the dirt? And, even then, licking a little dirt won’t hurt anyone. Just touching the bathroom door handle… now that’s a health hazard!”

He finishes his job. And as I watch him wobble down the hallway, it occurs to me how ludicrous this man’s job is. He spends a huge portion of his week flipping chairs, sweeping them, and setting them upright. Over and over again. Cleaning a part of the airport no one even THINKS or DREAMS about.

At the workshop I just wrapped up, I took a break after my second presentation. As I walked away an attendee stopped me. “What is that word you said back there… minutiae? What is that?”

I pulled up a seat and explained the definition of the word. “You know… when you have been working on a piece so long that you've lost objectivity. You’ve started addressing the minutiae – the tiny little details that no one but you will ever notice. It’s not going to help the piece, but still you go at it. You can't see that you should have stopped an hour and a half ago.”

Why is it that when I looked tonight at the hard working maintenance man, flipping an entire room full of chairs over… the absurdity of his work jumped out? Because it’s minutiae!  It’s the smallest common denominator. It’s the thing that’s not going to make or break anything, and certainly is not of consequence to the thousands of people who interact with the result of his labor…unaware how clean and sanitized the bottom of their seats are.

He saw it.  He knew it was ridiculous.

But, artists… we don’t always see it.  We wrap our heart into things. We tell ourselves the minutiae IS important and that even if people don’t notice it – it’s the intent that matters. For a maintenance man, going through unrecognized motions is draining and absurd. For an artist, going through the motions with inconsequential details is still draining and absurd… we just tell ourselves it’s not because it helps justify our wasted energy or it demonstrates how dedicated we truly are.

“Why yes, he is such a great painter that he spends weeks preparing his canvases, sanding 12 times between thin gesso layers!”

Look... At the end of the day, we are only as good as our body of work, whether a clean airport or a series of art/craft pieces.

But, if any of the “work” in our body of work is not evident to the person buying our pieces… maybe it’s time to step back a bit and stop making so much out of the invisible. Maybe our work would sell just as well if we streamlined, stopped taking the ‘scenic route’ through every artistic journey, and started getting to the heart of the matter a bit quicker.

What are people praising or buying in your work?  Now, go out and do just that!  Stop worrying about minutiae – the dust underneath the seats.

<<< Note: This post appeared in my old blog "Art of Craft" on the Blogger network. I've imported these posts because I believe they still hold a great deal of value, despite the fact that my pivot point in life has changed.  My life now centers around following my own artistic path, rather than teaching others how to make theirs more profitable. I hope you understand and relish my new posts just as the old were. >>>

Trade Shows With a Twist

I know 2 ways for artists / craftspeople to sell their work:

1) Selling directly to a collector or gift giver
2) Selling through galleries and retailers

The traditional craft market has many wide avenues to accomplish both. A craftsperson can appeal directly to collectors by selling at a regional fair or festival or by retailing online (etsy, anyone??). They also have another avenue available to them - advertising, conducting direct mail campaigns, or exhibiting in a wholesale trade show to reach gallery owners, catalog companies, and others who re-sell craftwork.

The fine art market is another ball of wax altogether. In order for most painters, printmakers, collage artists, or other traditionally recognized fine artists to develop a collecting base, they must follow a less defined path. Their options include:

- Trying to hobble together an accepting audience through more contemporary craft events or juried craft markets.

- Spending a great deal of time and energy to apply for and exhibit work in quality exhibitions around the country. Prestige, award recognition, and high profile jurors a nice perks that help this process along.

- Finding gallery representation

If you are able to find gallery representation, one of the great additional options is having gallery support for your work at one of the growing list of affordable art fairs that take place each year. Particularly popular in Europe and Australia, more and more events such as those I'm highlighting below continue to gain strength in the States:

NYC's Affordable Art Fair - Galleries represent work ranging from $100 to $5,000. There also are AAF's in Bristol and London. 

SOFA NY or Chicago - A blend of art and craft, galleries who exhibit at SOFA each year tend to be on the higher end of the craft collecting scale and the mid-range of the art collecting market, particularly sculptural pieces.

Single Art Events - 'Single Art' is the name of the show promoter. Their shows are held in Sydney and Melbourne. 75% of all work is from emerging artists with price ranges at or below $5,000.

Glasgow Art Fair - Last year marked Glasgow's 10th anniversary. Shows similar to this in format and style of work can be found in London, Cologne, and Berlin.

There's similar, smaller events too, such as...

The Art on Paper Fair - Held in London and connected with the Royal College of Art

The Sydney Art on Paper Fair - 2006 marks the 11th consecutive year for this show

GOOD LUCK with whatever choice you make.  Budget well, research like crazy, and pray you hit the mark with whatever sales venue you choose.

<<< Note: This post appeared in my old blog "Art of Craft" on the Blogger network. I've imported these posts because I believe they still hold a great deal of value, despite the fact that my pivot point in life has changed.  My life now centers around following my own artistic path, rather than teaching others how to make theirs more profitable. I hope you understand and relish my new posts just as the old were. >>> 

Exceptions to Every Rule

So, if you read this blog, you know I have a few pet peeves. I cannot stand the usage of "unique" and "whimsical" when referencing art or craft. I think fashion jewelry is steadily strangling the wearable art market with simple, strung beadwork that often lacks basic skill. And, I think eBay is one of the dumbest ways for a serious artist to promote or sell their work.

On... the... eBay subject... I think I'm now ready to admit I have seen an exception to my rule. (<gasp! shock!>  Yes, I know. Just, read on.)

I've enjoyed Duane Keiser's work for quite some time now. In fact, I've had a link on this blog to his website since the beginning. Duane's blog exclusively showcased one painting each day. He committed to the exercise of doing a small, postcard-sized painting, scanning it, and posting it online. People started purchasing them at $100 per painting. I never purchased one because everytime I would go online and fall in love with a piece, it was already sold! Yes, his work is that simple and clean and good.

Then, suddenly Duane started listing his paintings on eBay. It was a true "business" move, if ever I saw one. Because, soon his paintings on eBay started rising in price. He had widened his market and people were bidding against one another like shooters at the O.K. Corral. The paintings were just as good as ever but the price was higher, perhaps more appropriately in line with the success in his style and execution.

I would guess that during this time Duane learned a great deal about what his work is "worth" and what value people place on his brushstrokes, color pallete, and subject matter. Just seeing how the prices in still lives began to have dramatic range was probably an eye opener.

A fortune cookie sells for $120, but an orange half sells for $186? What subjects do people buy? What colors sell best? What amount of surface development is enough to convey what's intended and sell well, while avoiding wasted energy or overkill?

So, for the past year I've watched Duane sell on eBay. With one day left on the auction, yesterday one of Duane's postcard paintings had already been bid up to $325!

Aside from kicking myself for not buying his work earlier, I can't help but admit that Duane is breaking my eBay art sales rule. He's succeeding in an environment that is slathered with garage sale art, slapped together "contemporary art pieces", and tacky painted surfaces that shimmer and sparkle.

When I looked further, I found another "painting a day" artist who started doing one painting per day and posting the piece online... the same model Duane has used with success. Is Justin the next Duane? Is there room for both?

What do I pull from this? Well, yes, there are exceptions to every rule. Still, I maintain that making art or craft work and expecting eBay to build a collector base for you is ludicrous. There's something to say for choosing a sales environment that matches the perception of your work quality. The eBay perception of quality, like it or not, has always been like that of a really, really juicy yard sale.

Selling your work on eBay is just like any other sales avenue... you're up against some difficult odds. There will be a time, money, and creativity investment on your part.

The investment I have slowly watched Duane put in came in this order:

1) Making great work and working consistently. Practice doesn't make perfect, but it does improve your execution. To my eyes, Duane's work has only gotten better and better. Before anything else, it should and does always begin with making artwork with integrity and appeal.

2) Allowing a natural progression to take place. I don't know Duane personally, which is why I feel good commenting with my outsider perspective. He started simply, with a blog of daily paintings. Then his website grew and his larger studio work appeared. One day I started seeing a gallery listed where he had a show installed. Still later, eBay came into the picture. Duane didn't rush the process or try to build a business. He just let things percolate and develop as they needed to.

3) Duane still keeps it simple. Maybe he has what we all have - too many commitments and too little time. I don't know. What I do know is that even when prices for his small postcard paintings started rising to double (or more!) their original $100 pricetag, he has still stuck with what worked in the beginning. His work still mainly featured quick little "snapshots" of objects centered in the frame or sections of a landscape or streetscape. He could try to transition his collectors and his email mailing list over to larger pieces and stop doing the postcard pieces. Maybe someday he will. But in the meantime the simplicity works and, I imagine, it still holds enough interest to not bore him.

So, don't everyone go rushing to sell on eBay. Think about your options and exercise them wisely.

But, DO go rush to eBay this week and check out Duane and Justin's paintings. Because some day your small $100 or $200 dollar investment might just grow on you. I've already seen it happen before MY eyes!

<<< Note: This post appeared in my old blog "Art of Craft" on the Blogger network. I've imported these posts because I believe they still hold a great deal of value, despite the fact that my pivot point in life has changed.  My life now centers around following my own artistic path, rather than teaching others how to make theirs more profitable. I hope you understand and relish my new posts just as the old were. >>>