Home Sweet Home...

My aunt and I FINALLY made it home from our New Mexico trip late, late Saturday night (10/16) and I still feel like I'm recovering from my vacation.   The trip was a lot of fun, the weather was perfect and the views were spectacular.  Today, I was able to get back behind the easel after 21+ days of not painting and the impact of the trip and scenery are heavily impacting my work already.  (I should be able to upload those pics later this week.) 

Anyways, back to the trip...as we cruised through art galleries in Taos, Santa Fe and Madrid, I had the opportunity to talk with gallery owners, gather info and make some observations.  In no particular order, here are some notes:

*  The NM art market is recovering.  2009 was their worst season, but they've seen an improvement this year. 
*  There seemed to be more smaller pieces available than I remember seeing years ago.
*  The price ranges were all over the place.  Artists who were more well known could command a higher price (4in x 4in painting for $600.00), verses a newbie artist (4in x 4in painting for $150.00).   (After seeing the high prices here and there, my aunt commented that she understood why artists were starving and that we needed to be more reasonable with our prices.  I tried to exlpain the commissions, supplies, time, etc., but in order for a sale to happen, the buyer has to believe that the value of an object is mirrored in it's price...if not, you don't have a sale...unless it object is under priced, then you have a great deal.)
*  The art market in NM is primarily gallery based and does not have as many art festivals compared to the DFW area. 
*  The artworks on display are done perfectly with the highest attention to detail and exquisite craftsmanship.   I can't stress how well the artworks looked, every piece I saw, framed or not, was created with the utmost excellence.   
*  The art was very diverse.  Back in the late 90s, I can remember going through galleries and it seemed like the majority of artwork was traditional southwest.  Now, there is a great mix of contemporary, traditional and abstract artworks all over the place.
*  Artists who are honed in on particular themes done in their specific style left the biggest impressions.  One artist focused in on sheep.  They were abstracted, but she put them in almost everything.  She even made sculptures.  (This focused attention towards a particular theme is an area that I'm trying to grasp more and more.) 

Next year, I hope to get back out to Santa Fe again and go through some galleries that I missed and take more pictures.  To see more pictures from the 2010 trip, please click here.

Make Art Purchasing Easier For Patrons

I'm currently getting a group of artists ready for a small art festival type show with Art Love Magic on 10/01/10 and I sent the following info to them today about making things easier on buyers, so I wanted to put it out here as well. 

Having a webpresence is so important for all artists to help increase sales.   For those who don't have websites and want to put one together quickly and for Free, please read this blog:  http://www.artbizblog.com/2010/09/fb-3critical.html  by Alyson Stansfield.      IF you already have a website or Facebook page, please read this blog to make sure that you're providing all the info you need.  The only thing I would add to it is this: if the artwork is already sold, please list it as sold. If the artwork is for sale, please list the price and an easy way for a potential buyer to contact you.

When showing at art festivals and such, let's promote happy patrons and make buying easy for them.

1. Don't make them guess about the price. When people don't see a price, they may think that your work is too expensive or beyond their reach. Be up front on your prices and proudly display them...the same way Wal-mart and Kroger do. Most of the time, you don't have to search out a sales associate to do a price check...they want to make your shopping experience as hassle free as possible so that you don't get agitated, but spend your time adding more items to your buggy.     : ) 

2. Share info on the web and in print about your materials. This can be done quickly and easily. You don't need to write a book, just a couple of sentences. If you do jewelry, you can provide details about the kind of stones, beads, and clasps you use. If you're a painter, what brand of paint, canvases, or paper do you use? If you draw, what pencils and pastels are you using? For all: Are your materials archival?

3. Let them know how to pay you for your art. Either by cash, check,or credit card.   -   Do you accept credit cards?   If you want to, it's really easy. Just go to http://www.propay.com/ and check out their plans. Propay is so easy to use...you get the credit card info (Full name, acct #, expiration date, type of card, phone number & email address, and signature on the credit card receipt.) and after the show you go online and enter in all the info to their website, do the transaction and then the funds are in your propay account, which can be transferred to your bank account. You can get a credit card imprinter really cheap at http://www.ebay.com/ . 

Doing credit cards will also allow you to sell online as well. (Even from Facebook!!)   Let's say somebody calls or emails you about one of your spectacular creations that they can't live without.  Well, you can do the transaction through Propay.  If somebody emails you, you'll want to get their number and call them to get all of their credit card info (Full name, acct #, expiration date).  This kind of info does not need to be sent via email, for both their protection and yours.  You won't have a signature on a receipt, but you can ask them to send you a confirmation via email.   Example:


Dear Jane Doe,

It was a pleasure talking with you today and I want to thank you for contacting me about your desire to purchase "Field of Tulips". Before the transaction can be completed and the piece shipped, I need to have your approval to charge your credit card. If you could, please copy the text below, paste it to your reply to this email and fill in the blanks:

I, ____________________, approve you charging my _____________________ credit card, with the last 4 digits of _ _ _ _ for the following:

9x10 oil painting of "Field of Tulips" for $165.75 (shipping and tax included)

*Once you receive your confirmation from the patron, print it out and make 2 copies.  Send one with the order and save one for your records.   If your buyer is local, you can make arrangements to meet in person at a very public place in order to handoff your artpiece.  I would suggest going during daytime hours and taking a good buddy with you.     : )     If your buyer is out of state, you would not be collecting TX state sales tax. To get shipping rates, check with UPS or Fedex. I strongly suggest ground shipping because it's much cheaper, but please make sure to have a good box and cushion your artpiece well.

My Fabulous Painting Rack

HOW in world have I lived so long without a painting rack? In less than 2 weeks, this piece of organizational heaven has revolutionized my studio space. Amazing, just amazing!! I have had several semi-completed paintings stuck here and there, so it helps me to protect them from nicks and scratches, plus I'm able to see what needs to get done...it stays in my face and I need that to keep me on target. Right now, I use the top 3 slots of the rack to store the small paintings while they dry on MDF boards, but I may increase that to 4 if I start another small painting series.

The painting rack was made out of a baby bed that we took apart after visiting this website. We did make a few adjustments. Instead of 24in slats, I used 20in slats. We also added a 2ft brace to each side for stability. ****A special thanks to my little brother Michael for helping me put this thing together...ok, he pretty much built it by himself, but I handed him the screws. : )

Protecting Your Art....A How To Guide

Recently, I was at an outdoor show and it started to rain and with that rain came a little wind, so you know what happened, right?   One of the my larger paintings fell over and hit the ground. When I inspected the piece, I discovered a nick/ding on the edge of the painting…ouch!    A well meaning friend said “that’s teeny tiny, you can just paint over that.”  But the fact is, I can’t, it was chipped off down to the gesso and there’s about 7 layers of paint that made up that sky color.

So what’s an artist to do??   Well, as we were packing up our things later that day, I paid special attention to how other artists were transporting their precious cargo and noted the following:

One was using old blankets and large beach towels to wrap around his art.
One was using fabric sleeves he had sewn to put his art in.
One was using bubble wrap sleeves for his large photo prints.

I researched the bubble wrap sleeves early last year, and they can be pretty costly if you’re on a tight budget, so those were out of the picture for me.  I REALLY liked the fabric sleeves that the one artist made, but I can barely sew on buttons and I don’t own a sewing machine.  The old blankets and big towels sounded ok, but they weren’t secured, so they could fall off easily during transit and there are potentially high costs involved.

I didn’t have any ideas until I drove past a Hancock’s Fabric store one evening after work and then it hit me:  I could make the painting/art sleeves by using a product called Heat and Bond (for about $3.50) and I wouldn’t have to worry about sewing.  When I got into the fabric store, I bought 2 yards of dark purple felt ($4.99 a yard) and went home to start working on the idea.  I was very excited…Here are the steps I took:

Measure and cut the fabric to the desired size - For a 5×7 painting, I added a few inches to the sides to make sure that there was plenty of room for the painting to fit into the sleeve.


Apply the Heat and Bond tape to 2 sides and iron them onto the fabric, then let it sit and cool for about 2-3 minutes before removing the tape backing.


Fold the fabric over and line up the edges, iron the sides where the Heat and Bond tape is.

Let the painting sleeve cool again and then you’re all done!!



If you wanted to completely close the sleeve, you can: Tape it shut from the outside with masking tape OR you could put in a zipper by Heat & Bond or sewing. You can also make your sleeves out of fleece instead of felt. Or use towels or blankets from a thrift store, which will help you to keep costs down and be a little GREEN.

So far, I have made 19 small art sleeves and I plan to make larger ones in the next month for the big paintings. Going forward, if a painting isn’t hanging on a wall, I will have it in a sleeve, because I can’t afford for paintings to get scuffed up and damaged.

Special Note: Please make sure that your artworks are COMPLETELY DRY before inserting into the sleeves. An oil painting can take up to 3-6 months to cure and an acrylic painting can take up to a week to cure. (Depending on the thickness of paint layers.)

Your Studio Space

Recently, an artist buddy and I went on the White Rock Artist Studio Tour to see how others organize their work space to inspire us to make our studios more efficient. Before we ventured out, we made some mental notes of what we wanted to pay attention to so that we could learn how to make our studios better. One of the things we were both interested in was art supply organization, so whenever we saw something that would make life easier, we pointed it out to each other. Two weeks after our artist studio tour & research outing I decided to re-organize my supplies. This ended up being a day long project, because the last time I had done anything like that was in 2003 when I decided to clear out my furniture and turn my living room into a studio. Going through everything was actually fun and interesting. I found a lot of stuff that I wasn’t using and wasn’t intending to use any time soon, so I put those items in a box and will be giving them to some artists this week. This will help somebody else do something beautiful and it has helped me to de-clutter my studio some.

Do you have a special space set aside that’s just for you and your creative work? If not, why not? If so, is your studio currently arranged & organized to help you be the best at what you’re doing? Some people may not be able to make their entire living room a studio, but here are some ideas:

Spare bedroom - Sell the extra bed and get an air mattress for guests…you can use the extra $$ to buy art supplies…besides, how often do you have slumber parties?
Garage - You may want to get a window unit for the Texas summers
Storage Shed in the backyard - Don’t forget the window unit….
Dining Room - You only use twice a year for family meals anyway.
A small section of the living room
Your Media/Theatre room

And as an added perk, as long as your studio is NOT in your bedroom you can write off the square footage of it for business expense. Woohoo!

Organizing your studio doesn’t have to be a difficulat task. We saw how one artist was using an old plastic closet door shoe organizer to keep different supplies in, but instead of hanging it on a door, she nailed it to her studio wall. One lady had all of her stuff in an old tool chest with wheels so that she could roll it wherever she needed it. Another artist had her work table suspended on the ceiling via pulley system to make more room in her studio for other things. When she needs to work on the table, she simply clears the area and cranks the handle to lower the table. You don’t have to spend an arm and leg either…you can find great deals on storage cabinets, carts, shelving units, containers, etc. at garage sales, estate sales, going out of business sales, thrift stores, holiday sales, etc.

By having a special creative space, you’ll also be encouraged to create more frequently. For me, since my studio is such a large portion of my residence, I constantly see paintings that are in progress and it sparks ideas for new work, helps me with creative problem solving in pieces that have me “stumped” and keeps me focused on my short and long term artistic goals. If you don’t have a studio space, now may be a good time to create one and bless yourself with a special place that’s set aside for your creative endeavors. If you have a studio, now may be a good time to go through things and take inventory of what you have and move things around so that your space is more efficient than before. You may decide to bless other artists with things you don’t use/need OR you may want to donate them to a homeless shelter, church, or school for kids to use. Either way, it’s all good, so have fun and enjoy the process of making your studio unique, inspiring, and one of the coolest places to hangout in your neighborhood!

***Click here to see more pics of my studio***

Your Creative Business and The Recession

If you’ve noticed a lull in sales over the past year due to the economy, you’re not alone. A lot of artists are experiencing a decrease in sales these days because of what is going on in the job market, but alas, we can still expand our businesses in this economic drought and look forward to a lush future.

What can you be doing to expand your business?

Well, you could….

Update your website, refresh your artist statement (that’s supposed to be done about every 2 years anyway), update your artist resume, re-evaluate your pricing, revise your marketing strategy, experiement with a new style, technique, theme, or medium, start a new series, study with a mentor, update your portfolio with new imagery, re-organize your studio space and give away art supplies that you don’t use (be a blessing to another artist), organize your sketches by date for easy future reference, stretch canvases, do an inventory check and determine how many new pieces you want to create in the next 6 months, set your creative goals for the next year (16 new paintings completed, website overhauled, studio redesigned, etc.), research the local and regional art scene, read biographies on successful artists, consider new ways to promote your creative works and get exposure, do business/marketing research, etc.

You see, even if the economy is a little rough right now, there’s still a lot of work that we can do to get prepared for a thriving market that is around the corner. We can use this valuable window of time to get ready to go up to the next level by using it as a stepping stone to get to where we want to go in our careers. I want to encourage you to chase after excellence in your creative business and dream BIG…there are great things on the horizon for us!

Taking An ART Vacation!!!!!

Have you ever gotten to that place where you were totally exasperated and ready to explode? Well, that happened to me at work last week and I got to thinking “wow, I haven’t had a vacation since summer 2008…” Like a lot of other artists that are striving to perfect their craft and pursue it fulltime, I work at a “day job” and work on my art when I can. Since 40 hours of my week are devoted to my day job, my artwork often takes the back seat. I also notice that when I’m tired, my creativity doesn’t flow the way I would like it to, compositions are weak, my line quality is poor, not to mention my attitude. What’s an artist to do? Take an Art Vacation!!

Ok; this isn’t first the first Art Vacation for me, but I haven’t done this in well over a year…so I’m very excited about it! : ) What is an Art Vacation you ask? Well, for starters, I’ll be taking off a WHOLE week from my day job at the end of October, but I won’t be telling my family about it. Does that sound mean? I hope not. I know from past experience that if I tell my family that I plan to spend a week at home doing art I’ll get calls all day long with requests to go here and there, run errands, etc. WHAT a distraction!! I really want and need this time to be devoted to a specific purpose: advancing my art business by expanding my inventory. Here’s my agenda:

• Go to the Huffines Art Trails on Sunday, 10/25, with my art buddies to see what other artists are doing, observe their setups, listen to music and eat greasy fair type food.

• On Monday, I’ll make sure that all of my supplies are ready to go and then I’ll review old sketches from the past 2 years and plan out 3-4 new surrealistically styled compositions.

• On Tuesday, I’ll start working on all of the new paintings.

• By Wednesday night, the art hermit in me will be craving interaction with others, so off to the Art Love Magic Open House I’ll go. (YAY!!!)

• Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be painting days.

• On Sunday, 11/01, I’ll “chil-lax” and reflect on my artsy fartsy week.

You see, the Art Vacation is really all about work, but it’s the kind of work that us creatives love to do. It’s our passion and yet for a lot of us, we don’t devote as much time to it as we would really like to. I’ve mentioned this before in previous posts that our busyness often keeps us from doing those things that we love to do. Perhaps simplifying our lives some, turning off the tv, and focusing on our creative goals will help. Maybe more Art Vacations are in order for all of us. ??

I want to encourage you to take some time in the next week to sit down and think about what your creative goals are for the next year and write them down on a BIG poster board and tape it to your wall so that you see it everyday. Take an Art Vacation and work on these creative goals every chance you get. When you do, you’ll be happier and the rest of us will be blessed because you have introduced more beauty into our world.

Sole Proprietorship for Artists

Ok, I know this next part isn’t too exciting for us artsy fartsy folks, so I added in a little humor where I could, and hopefully it won’t be that painful. Starting your own business isn’t as daunting as some people might think; it just takes preparation and organization followed by ACTION. You may think that you don’t need to set up a sole proprietorship, but if you sell over $600.00 of artwork in one year, it’s time to get your small art business set up.

Here are a few steps to get your business started on its way:
• Decide on a business name – Business names are very important. Does it have a ring to it? Does it describe your business intentions? Can it be remembered easily?
• Make a list of possible business names if you intend use something different than your name. Take your list of business names to the records building or county courthouse of the city you plan to do business out of along with your driver’s license and social security number and see if the business name you want use is already taken. If it is, choose another one on your list and try it.
• Get your business name registered with the county/city. There is a small fee for this, so you may want to check on this beforehand.
• After you have registered your business name, it’s time to go to your local county tax office and set up a reporting plan. (Here’s where the fun really begins!) You will need the documentation that you get from the county records office when you register your business name, as well as your drivers license and social security number. The tax professional will ask you how you want to report sales taxes to the state comptroller.
• Reporting sales tax to the state comptroller can be done monthly, quarterly or annually. You decide how you want to report taxes based off of what works best for you. I do it once a year. In December, I get a letter in the mail from the state comptroller requesting my sales and my state sales tax payment for that year. You can even do your reporting online, which makes it a lot easier.
• Open up a separate banking account for your business. You will need all of the documentation from registering your business name and the info from the tax office.
• Make sure that all of your business purchases are paid out of your business banking account from that point forward. This will save you a headache and some Advil when it comes time to do your tax reporting to the state.
• If you have the funding availabile, purchase equipment and items that can help you run your business with ease, such as: a computer, printer, fax machine, cell phone, multiple carbon copy receipt booklets, folders, small filing cabinet, envelopes, paper, inkjets, tape, a stapler, staples, highlighters, paperclips, etc. All of these items are tax deductible, so please keep your receipts!• Set up a filing system to keep track of your business bank statements, receipts, art catalog and patron info, etc.
• Keep track of your business related expenditures such as: office supplies, art supplies, marketing expenses, mileage to and from places directly related to your business, etc. If you set up a little office or studio in your home, from which you work out of, that is separate from your sleeping quarters, you can deduct a portion of your rent/mortgage payment and utilities as business expenditures. In order to claim mileage, keep a small notebook in your car and write down the miles you drive while delivering art work to a gallery/client, going to client meetings, going to get supplies, etc. Be sure to save all of your receipts…you can’t claim what you can’t prove! (or you could and risk an audit)
• If you donate artwork to a non-profit organization, be sure to get a receipt for your contribution to their cause, this is will be a deduction for you.
• For the first few years of sales tax reporting and income reporting for your new business, you may want to hire a CPA or Accountant to help show you the ropes. When it’s time for you to report the sales tax and/or do your income taxes, you simply take all of your business expense receipts, and accounts receivable info (records of the money you brought in due to sales) to your preparer. Your tax preparer will let you know what documentation to bring if you have any questions. (It’s better to pay someone a little money when you’re just starting out to help you get the tax reporting right than to risk an audit…once the IRS starts auditing you, they don’t stop…or so I’ve been told.)
• Be a perpetual student and take advantage of free entrepreneurial advice when you can. Attend seminars, visit websites (such as www.score.org) and ask other successful artists about how they promote and sale their art. This will help your art business BOOM!

- Michelle McSpadden

Art Marketing - Part 2

Having an online presence is extremely important for artists who want to advertise their work and expand their patron base. Using the web effectively to showcase your artwork can be an extraordinary marketing tool. The following article was done in collaboration with Glenda Williams, a Graphic Designer and Artist. Here are some things to keep in mind as you set up your website:

-Make sure your web address is easy to spell and remember. This will help avoid confusion and sending people to somebody else’s website.
-Put your website info on all of your printed documents and link to it on your myspace, facebook and twitter pages. You’ll also want to add the web address to your email signature.
-Keep your website design a little neutral – you don’t want your website to compete with your artwork. Have you ever visited a website that was too busy or the colors were too loud? Your website should enhance the artwork, not distract the viewer from it.
-Think Simplicity - you don't want your website to be difficult for visitors to navigate through. Keep things simple, post relevant information & directions, and your web visitors will enjoy their time looking through your work.
-Make sure that the photos of your work are top notch. If you don't have a good camera (10 mega pixels or more), you may want to look into hiring a photographer to capture your imagery for you. If you can't afford a photographer right now, maybe you can exchange artwork for photographs or set up a payment schedule.
-List your prices clearly on your website and make sure that your pricing is the same no matter where your artwork is. For example, if a gallery is showing a painting of yours that is $400.00, make sure that it’s listed for the same price on your website. If not, it has the appearance that you’re competing with the gallery, which will send mixed messages to the patron and the gallery. Keep prices consistent, unless you are having a sale, and if you are, then make sure that the sale is well noted.
-Update your website with new work as often as possible.
-Once a painting sells, mark it as sold on the website, but don’t take down the pic. Having an online history of your work will help you and your viewers to see the progression of your talent and themes over time.
-Have a special section that’s just about you and keep it updated. This section can contain your artist resume or bio, personal info, info about your imagery and upcoming events.
-If you have a links page, you may want to check each link periodically to make sure that they’re all good and remove the ones that may not be working.
-Don’t forget to list your contact info on your website, such as an email address or cell number, but for safety purposes, please don’t list your home address.
-Web Crawlers (aka "spiders") are sent out by search engines over the internet. A web crawler is an automated computer program that browses the world wide web for the purpose of indexing websites to include in their search results. Make sure your home page includes a brief description of yourself and your business, so it will be easier for your website to be categorized. The text on your home page is where the crawlers look for relevant keywords - and how they come up with a description of your website to place under the link on the search results page. Your web designer can add "meta tags", which are search keywords that are hidden in the HTML code - but, the web crawlers are smart... if the "meta tags" don't match any of the text on your home page, the keywords will most likely be ignored and won't help to improve your search ranking.
-Improve your website's search ranking by getting other quality websites to link to your website. Your website will get visited more often and the web crawlers will take notice. Ask other artists or art organizations to form partnership links with you (I'll link to your website if you'll link to mine...).
-If you have a "links" page on your site, ask your web designer to program those links to open a new browser window. That way, when your visitor is finished looking at the other website, yours will still be open on their computer desktop, enticing them to go back and browse some more.
-Make sure your navigation buttons are on every page. Don't force your customers to hit the "back" button multiple times trying to find a link that will take them to another page! (More often than not, they will simply give up and try another website that's easier to use.)
-Any elements on your web pages that are in constant movement (animated buttons, blinking text, etc) will draw the visitor's eye away from what's really important: your artwork.

Do you need a website, but don’t have a big budget?
You could hook up with graphic designer friend that would be willing to take monthly payments or exchange artwork for services rendered.

OR

Create a Myspace or Facebook account especially for your artwork. Keep the layout design neutral/not busy and make sure that your artwork photos are good (in focus and cropped) and include the art info. Example: “Oak Tree” 16x20, Oil on canvas $325.00

Art Marketing - Part 1

Since marketing is such a crucial element in building up any business, we’re going to explore a lot of ideas, so grab a cup of java and prop up your feet…this is a long post!

In order to sell your art, it has to be seen. (It’s all about Exposure!!)

Now is a good time to start thinking about what steps you can take to draw attention to your work. Here are some marketing ideas to help get the word out that you have unique art for sale.

Business Cards – this is the first marketing tool you need to get. You can start out with a simple business card if that is what your budget allows, or you can get more extravagant and incorporate images and fancier cardstock. You can go to Kinko’s, hire a graphic artist, or design your business card yourself. The business card has many uses beyond attracting prospective clientele…it can be used as price tag if you have pieces in an art show/festival OR you can throw it in business card bowls at restaurants around town and win free meals so that you won’t be mistaken as a starving artist. When you start planning a design for your card, think outside the box and create something that will standout. When I got my first business cards, money was a little tight and I opted for a simple and cheap design. Do what you can afford to do for now; and when you’re financially able, upgrade!!

(If you’re unable to buy business cards at this time, you can make half page flyers for yourself that contain all of your contact info, website info, etc., to hand out to people.)

Bookmarks are another creative way to get your name and images seen and into the hands of people. You can do this by getting bookmarks made with 2 or more images of your work on them. Bookmarks are a great way for people to continually see your artwork as they’re reading their books, looking through their planner, etc. You can hand them out to your friends, new people you meet and even leave them around town for people to pick up. (Everyone loves free stuff they can use.)

Make a brochure. This is another way to get examples of your imagery into the hands of prospective patrons. Your brochure should contain 6-8 good quality, full color images, and info about your work, you and your creative process.

Make some postcards. You can have the postcard made with one image, divided for two images or have a quadrant. Please be sure to put all of your contact info on the back of the postcard.

If you don’t know what images to use for bookmarks, brochures, or postcards, you can host a little art dessert party for some of your closest friends and present them with several images to choose from and ask them to pick their top 3-4 choices. This will help you to get some feedback and help make your decision making process a little easier.

Create your artist statement – which is a written statement by you about what your artwork represents and/or why you do it. This should be 1-2 paragraphs long.
Create your artist bio – it should contain the year, date and city of your birth, your education or who you have studied with and your history in art.
Create your artist resume – this is a chronological list of where you have displayed works previously, awards that you’ve won, and who you’ve studied with.

(You can google artist statement, artist bio and artist resume to get some examples. Once you have these docs set up, all you need to do is update them periodically to reflect any changes in your art career. These docs are important for you to have in your portfolio and on your website.)

Write about your art.
Did you know that you can raise the value and interest of your art by simply writing about it? When somebody is viewing a piece of art, they are bringing all of themselves into it….maybe they’ve had a horrible day or maybe they just won the lottery, but as the saying goes: ”wherever you go, there you are.” Viewers can easily misinterpret your intentions so if you have additional info about your work it can build a deeper connection with your viewers as you invite them to experience the art through your eyes and heart. (Any compositions you write about your work need to be posted on your website, myspace, or blog or wherever you happen to have your work.)

Get a website started.
I’ve sold several paintings with the help of my website and every year it pays for itself. It’s an excellent and easy way to show your work AND you can add personal info about yourself, creative inspiration, future plans, etc. (More info about websites coming soon!)

Advertise your upcoming shows and new artwork.
Keeping your family, friends & customers (patrons) informed about your upcoming shows or new artwork should be a vital part of your marketing strategy. You may decide that you want to inform your patrons monthly, quarterly or bi-annually to keep them updated on all the new things you have going on. You could do this by starting a small e-newsletter to send out, or it could be a postcard or a personal letter. This will help you to foster future business relationships and opportunities as your patrons may be inclined to spread the word about your work and invite others to your upcoming shows. Keep your communications with your patrons short and sweet (2-4 paragraphs) and always offer to answer any questions they may have. Please be careful to not to contact your patrons too much…it may cause them ignore your communications if they feel like they're being hounded by you.

Offer Incentives
Another thing you can do to encourage future sales from your patrons is to offer a discount on future purchases. Example: Patron X buys their first piece from you and as a “thank you” to them you offer 10-15% off their next purchase. OR You offer a free small print with their next purchase. Look for creative ways to offer your customers incentives to continue buying from you in the future.

Keep in mind that your marketing costs, which may be from business cards, bookmarks, brochures, postcards, website design fees, yearly domain registration and hosting fees, etc., are all tax deductible, so please keep your receipts.

Marketing Part 2 next week will focus on how to create a successful website on ANY budget!

-Michelle McSpadden

Getting Into A Gallery

Do you dream about getting into a gallery, but are unsure of the steps you need to take to reach your goal? The information below is from an interview with Art Professor Barry Benton on how artists can get their work shown in galleries.


Your 1st Visit To A Prospective Gallery
Visit galleries and scope them out. When you're going from gallery to gallery, keep the following in mind:
- Dress for success – think of this as a pre-interview of the gallery. Have you ever visited a gallery wearing shorts or jeans and sandals? Were you ignored a little? Have you visited a gallery when you were dressed up? Were you engaged by the gallery reps? Unfortunately, people size us up by our wardrobe choices, so you may want to do a wardrobe check before setting out to explore potential galleries.
- During your first visit to each gallery, try not to mention anything about showing your work, but feel free to engage them about the artwork on display and their artists. This is a pre-interview process and you need to check the gallery out and see if it's suitable for you to show in.
- Would your artwork "fit" in with the other work there?
- Do you like the gallery space and atmosphere? Is it welcoming?
- Notice the size of the artwork currently being displayed. How is it in relation to yours?
- What is the price range of the pieces on display? Are they comparable to yours?
- Are all of the artworks framed?
- Is there a predominant subject matter throughout the gallery? Would the subject matter add or take away from your artwork?
- Is the gallery rep nice and pleasant? Do you think you would be able to work with them well? Your relationship with whatever gallery takes in your work is a business relationship, so it's important to feel at ease with the gallery, since the two of you will be working to sell your artwork. If someone brushes you off or ignores you, chances are you don't want to show your work there.
- Take a trusted artist friend along with you for additional feedback. They may notice things that you overlook and be able to give you a different perspective about the gallery. (Make sure they dress up a little too!)
- Weed out the galleries that you know you don't want to show in and start preparing for a 2nd visit to the galleries that looked promising.

Your 2nd Visit To A Prospective Gallery
The pre-interview process is over…you're interviewing the gallery and they'll be interviewing you for future business potential, so you'll need to go alone.
Since you're selling yourself, please consider the following:
- Dress for success – like you would if you were going on a corporate job interview.
- Smile often
- Make and keep eye contact
- Be mindful of your posture – don't twitch, slouch or twiddle your thumbs
- Pop in a couple of Tic Tacs when you're on the way there to make sure that your breath isn't offensive.
- Take a small notebook or planner with you to take notes
- Introduce yourself and ask the gallery rep "How do you like to have artwork submitted to your gallery for review?" This question will get the ball rolling and they'll start telling you what you need to do or bring. Take notes.
- If they don't mention the commission rate, you'll need to ask. (For most galleries, it's a 50/50 ratio.)
- Ask them how they go about promoting shows and the artwork of their artists. THIS IS IMPORTANT!! You want your artwork to sell and if the gallery isn't into heavy promos, your sale success rate decreases considerably.
- If you're comfortable with the interaction of the gallery rep and think that this gallery is a place that you want to show in, ask them if you can schedule an appointment for the review of your work. (Keep it within a couple of weeks of this 2nd visit so that they don't forget you before they see you again.)
- If you have any marketing/promotional items such as a business card, postcard, or brochure that contains some of your images, you'll want to give it to them before you leave, but only after you've engaged in conversation with them.

Your 3rd Visit To The Gallery – Presentation/Submission of Artwork

Make sure that you've had time to prepare everything that you need. Some galleries require that you bring examples of your artwork in a portfolio, on slides, or on a CD. A selection of 15-20 pieces is a good number of works for them to review.

The gallery may require an artist statement – which is a written statement by you about what your artwork represents and/or why you do it.
The gallery may require an artist bio – it should contain the year, date and city of your birth, your education or who you have studied with and your history in art.
The gallery may require an artist resume – this is a chronological list of where you have displayed works previously, awards that you've won, and who you've studied with.

Make sure that you keep all the originals of anything the gallery requests for reviewing your work…just in case you don't get it back, you don't want to have to do everything all over again.
- Dress for success and don't forget your Tic Tacs!
- Arrive 3-5 minutes before your appointment
- Smile often
- Make and maintain eye contact
- Pay attention to your posture
- Hand them the materials they have requested
- If the gallery rep starts to review your work in your presence, try not to talk too much, if at all. Let your work talk for itself a little. They are trying to decide if your work would "fit" in their gallery.
- Let them take time to go through your work. If they ask you questions, answer them as precisely as possible without being too wordy.
- If you have any questions, wait till they're done reviewing your work.
- If they make a decision to show your work or to review it later, don't forget to thank them for their time and make sure that they have your contact info so that the preparations can begin.
- If they decide not to show your work at that particular time, thank them for their time and consideration and make sure they have your contact info for future reference if they need it. Don't take it too hard or too personal if a gallery decides not to show your work. There's a reason for everything and perhaps this gallery isn't the place for you to be right now. The thing is to keep on trying until you find that perfect venue where you should be showing your art.

Increasing Your Profit Margin

As an artist, did you know that one of the best ways to increase your profitability is to cut your business spending? Here are some easy ways to decrease your business expenditures:

Buy in bulk when you can.
Office supplies, art supplies, marketing materials such as: business cards, brochures, postcards, etc., are always cheaper when you purchase them in large quantities. You can lower your costs even more by starting an Artist Co-op and dividing up supplies and costs with your artist friends.

Get art supplies online.
Most artists work with a preferred medium and buying online or from a catalog is much cheaper than going to an art supply store. This could save you 20-40%. PLUS, some online art supply stores offer free shipping for orders over a certain amount. This can also save you travel time and fuel expenses.

Consider your consumption of supplies.
Recycle old paintings, drawings, and supplies whenever you can.Old paintings & drawings can be cut up and used for collage.Old paintings can be taken off the stretcher and you can stretch a new canvas on the frame.

Stop your compulsive art supply spending – Don’t buy supplies just because they are cheap, but then you never get around to using them anyway. You just end up losing money if you throw them away.

Stop using cheap art tools that have to be constantly replaced due to their poor integrity. A good paintbrush may cost $35.00, but if you take care of it well, it may last you 10 years.

Store your art supplies well.
Use Ziploc freezer bags to keep oil pastels from drying out too quickly.Use Ziploc freezer bags to store chalk pastels and charcoal. This will keep them from getting other art materials messy and/or unusable.

Store paint that you’ve mixed in small air tight containers in the refrigerator; this will keep mixed paint fresh for a long time. OH…don’t forget to label your paints…nobody wants that super cool red you mixed for your masterpiece on their French fries…they want ketchup!

Keep your art supplies between 50-85 degrees and out of direct sunlight. This will promote a long shelf life.

Go GREEN
Watch your consumption of resources.

When you work, do you have a lot of unnecessary appliances or electronics on during your creative time? Do you have more lights on than what is really needed? Are you using long lasting light bulbs? Are you utilizing natural light?

Are you using too much water to wash brushes?

Do you use too many paper towels?

Be a good steward of the environment and think of ways that you can be a GREENer Artist.

A few more suggestions to save you some $$$

When purchasing business supplies and art supplies, go when there’s less traffic and plan your business errands/shopping so that everywhere you need to go is in close proximity. This will save you time and gas…and maybe some Advil.

Keep an eye and ear open for sales, but buy what you NEED. Before you get to the checkout counter, look in your basket and ask yourself: “Do I really need this, or do I just want it?” Remember to keep your impulse art supply spending in check. (I say this because I am THE WORST about buying cutesy art stuff and then it sits on a shelf for 5 years.)

Learn how to build your own painting supports, this will save you money, but will cost you some time.

When you want to experiment with mediums, check and see if one of your artist friends will let you try a little bit of theirs, or buy the smallest product available in 2-3 colors. After you have experimented with the new medium and have gotten a “feel” for it, you’ll know if you want to make a larger investment and purchase more.

More art business ideas next week!!

Michelle :)

Pricing Your Artwork

Determining your prices can be one of the most critical aspects of your art business planning. To make this task a little easier, you may want to take off the artist hat and start to think of yourself as a producer/manufacturer…. Once you have completed a new work of art, you have produced something that can be taken to market, but before you can do that, a price/value has to be set. Pricing artwork can be tricky for artists at first. If they charge too much, buyers may recoil, which can negatively affect the growth of their patron base. If they charge too little, it implies that the work itself is not worth that much, and therefore not worth buying. Artists need to strike the pricing chord just right so that the artwork is deemed valuable by the patron and well worth the price.

As a general rule, when most artists are just starting out, they price on the lower end of the spectrum. They charge enough to cover the supply and marketing costs that they incur while producing and selling their work. The lower prices at the start of an artist’s career encourages business and grows the patron base while the artist is establishing themselves and advancing their technical skills. As the patron base grows, more demand is created for the artist’s work. This initiates the business truth of supply and demand, which drives up the art prices. As the art prices go up for newer works, the older works start to appreciate in value. This trend in price increase can continue for the artist throughout their working career and especially post mortem. Look at how much Sotheby’s gets for an original Picasso or Van Gogh: millions. The artists are dead, yet the demand for their work is still very high and since they are no longer able to produce, the price continues to increase year after year.

Other things that affect art prices:

• The artist’s reputation, which has to do with where the artist has studied and/or with whom, exhibition experience and sales history.
• Time – All art takes time to create.
• Materials – Good art supplies that are archival can be quite costly for artists, so if you’re using the best medium available, that can be a great point to highlight in your marketing. (People like to know that what they’re buying is going to last and not fall apart in 5 years.)
• Complexity – A more complicated piece of work will take longer to create and this is often reflected in the pricing of the piece.
• Size – Two pieces of artwork created by the same artist that are the same size may not be the same price based off of the time and materials it took to create one work vs. another.
• Marketing – Artists use business cards, brochures, postcards, and websites to help promote their work, which are considered overhead/business expenses.
• Commission Fees – If an artist is showing at a gallery or retail space, they are charged a commission of 30% – 50% for each work sold, so this needs to be factored into the pricing as well.

Using Pricing calculations

I use a formula/calculation as a guideline to help me set my prices. If a painting came together really fast, I may charge less, if a painting took a long time to complete, I may charge more.

Length x Width x price per square inch = price of painting.

Example: 18 x 24 x $.55 = 237.60 or 18 x 24 x $.70 = 302.40 or 18 x 24 x $.85 = 367.20 or 18 x 24 x $1.00 = 432.00

Other Pricing Points To Ponder…

Is my work priced too high? Have people commented that they can’t afford my work? Have I sold anything in the last year? – If nobody is buying your work, that may indicate that it’s a little overpriced right now. Try going a little lower and see if you start to sell.

Is my work priced too low? Do I have trouble keeping up with the demand for new work? If you’re selling faster than you can produce, you may be priced a little lower than what you should be for your current market right now. Try going up a little on your prices now that you’re in demand.

Be consistent…

Your prices need to be the same across the board. It’s considered “good business” to have your prices the same no matter where your work is displayed, unless you’re having a sale. In that case, the sale needs to be advertised well with every venue that displays your work….you don’t want them to hear about it through the grapevine. Example: Let’s say that you have the painting ‘Oak Tree’ in Gallery A and have it available on your website as well. Your prices need to be the same at Gallery A and online. If you offer your artwork cheaper at your website or somewhere else, you will appear to be competing with the Gallery A and if/when word gets around to them, they could stop doing business with you. It’s best to play it safe and stay consistent with your pricing.

More art business tips coming next week :)

Building A Body Of Artwork

Over the next couple of months, I will be sharing some art business ideas to help you get your Artrepreneurship up and going. We’ll be looking at your art inventory, keeping costs down, marketing, accounting, effective websites, getting into a gallery, etc. The first step to selling your art is actually taking the time to make your art and developing an inventory.

Speaking of inventory, do you have a body of artwork? Did you have one 3 years ago, but feel that it doesn’t fully represent your technical and personal advancement as an artist now that you’re at a different level? Here’s some good news…you can start building a new body of work today! Having an art inventory to sell from is very important. What would you do if you went to the grocery store to get bread and they said they were sold out and didn’t know when they might have it in stock again? You would go to another store and purchase from someone else and probably think twice before returning to that other store in the future. Your patrons could very well think the same way. Keeping your inventory refreshed with new work will definitely increase your Artrepreneurial success.

How many pieces of artwork constitute a body of work? Well, that all depends on who you ask…it could be 15-30 pieces of art or more. They can be all related or as different as day and night…

Here are a few ideas on how to start a body of work:

-Start a series of 5, 10, or 15 pieces over a period of 2-3 months on one subject (hands, leaves, dogs, etc), using various art techniques & styles.
-Do quick gesture studies
-Do an evolution study (a seed that grows into a sapling and then into a mighty tree)
-Do a small monochromatic series on your favorite subject
-Do a portrait series using famous people
-Do an abstract series
-Do some still-life studies

You don’t have the time? We live in a very busy society that’s pulling us in 400 different directions all at once, so setting aside time and prioritizing is essential for us to continue developing our creative gifts. I realize that we all have different demands on our lives…you may have a spouse & children, a 9 to 5 job, be in school, involved with the PTA, or caring for family members, etc., but it’s amazing how much we can get done in 4 hours if we set it aside and turn off the cell phone and TV. 4 hours a week…that’s a great starting point. What can be accomplished over a few months with 4 hours a week devoted to creating art? A nice body of artwork.

The Art Of Buying Art

Purchasing art can be a difficult process for some people. They don't how reputable an artist is, if the artwork is worth the price, or what medium the artist uses. This causes some consumers to get confused or frustrated and shy away from purchasing fine art. At the other end of the spectrum, some people purchase art on a regular basis and have even started collecting artwork as an investment. Those who collected original art from Warhol, Pollock, Dali, Picasso, etc., have benefited extremely well compared to their original investment. When someone is contemplating starting an art collection or purchasing art for the home or office, what should they be looking for? T he following information has been provided to assist you on your art journey.

When you're contemplating an art purchase, do you really like the artwork and what it communicates? You're going to see it a lot, so this is the most important point. Buy what YOU like - not what your mom or best friend likes.

Does the artist use archival materials/mediums that will hold up over time? When you purchase an original painting or giclee print, you are truly making an investment, so make sure that the artist you're purchasing from uses good materials. If they do not provide the information up front, don't be afraid to ask. As a consumer, you deserve to know what you're buying, regardless of what it is.

Does the artist offer proper documentation at the time of sale? This is crucial; if you can't prove who did the work with a receipt or certificate of authenticity, in addition to the artist signing the actual artwork, your ability to profit above your initial investment can decrease.

Does the artist have proper image documentation? Artists who have their work photographed and available to the public are able to show viewers/patrons how their style has developed through the years and their potential for future creative works.

Does the artist provide details about how a work of art was created? What were the materials? Why were those materials used? When artists share a bit of themselves, their working methods and offer educational information, it boosts consumer confidence.

Does the artist offer any documented explanation about their artwork? This not only helps the patron understand the artist's motive and perspective, but it also connects them with the artist and assists in developing a very unique business relationship.