Fur In The Paint

In case your doing the math, I have only been doing artfairs as a major part of my income for the past 10 years or so. But before that I usually did 1 or 2 a year for you know . . . like . . . fun. Actually I grew up doing a similar type event with my mother so it’s probably closer to 30 years of doing them. But let’s not quibble over reality, shall we.

As is my want I am breaking this up into two parts. The first is about people and selling. The following post will deal with travel and tents.

People and Selling

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Definition of a Vanity Gallery (A refresher)
A vanity gallery is one where you (the artist) pay rent for a space (wall, cubby) either on a montly contract or per show. It can be on-line or a brick and mortar building. Quality is less important than filling the space. If you can pay you are in.

As someone who has “been there” and worked harder than a rented mule to make a business from selling my art, I have a strangely maternal instinct in regards to artists taking the leap of faith by entering the sales arena.

So where’s the harm.
The harm is that the vanity gallery often earns it’s keep at the expense of emerging artists. That’s not to say that they can’t actually make some artists money. They can and do. But all too often it is the new artists that are lured into spending money by the promise of sales and exposure.

Because a gallery of this sort does not have to actively sell their artists, chances are it will be a losing proposition. And nothing crushes the spirit more than paying high prices for a space and selling very little or nothing at all.

It is also important to know that participating in a vanity gallery is not a resume’ builder. I do not live in a metropolitan place so this may have less consequence here than with those who do. But in places where the arts are . . . vanity galleries are in general looked down upon by the art community as a whole. They are seen as inclusion by purchase, not by skill.

I wish I could say that I am not interested in the vanity gallery because of my high moral standards. But sadly no. If I believed they could make the sales . . . I’d do it.

In Closing
As someone who has “been there” and worked harder than a rented mule to make a business from selling my art, I have a strangely maternal instinct in regards to artists taking the leap of faith by entering the sales arena. As always I wrote this post to provide information that will allow for an informed decision.

Though this may seem contrary to all that I have just written I am not saying you shouldn’t get involved with a vanity gallery. As previously stated, if I thought it would benefit me I would do it. But looking at the math and what I sell and where the gallery is located. It just isn’t logical for me to invest with them. Your situation may be completely different.

Note: I want to reiterate that the folks running the gallery from my prior post about vanity galleries, seem very nice and are not devious or dubious in their dealings with artists. In my opinion they just chose the wrong model for their business. They had no experience in the arts prior to opening the gallery (or so I’ve been told) and I’m sure the argument could be made that it only benefits the artists if the gallery remains open and so making sure their bills get paid is a justified priority.

Recently, at one of my local-ish art events I was approached by a gallery to sell my work with them. Now I was very aware of their gallery, (I had been in it several times) and they had approached me prior via email and snail mail and I know many of the artists they represent.

To be clear I have heard nothing but good things about the gallery. They work hard to advertise and create multiple special events to raise awareness of their business and the artists they represent. The gallery space itself is quite nice. And as I’ve said many of my artist friends are showing with them. So why have I not jumped on the bandwagon?

What is a Vanity Gallery Anyway?
A vanity gallery is one where you (the artist) pay rent for a wall or cubby. I suppose it is quite similar to an antique mall. Quality is less important than filling the space. The gallery makes it’s money through rentals not so much through sales. A traditional gallery takes on artists whose work they believe they can sell. It is from the sales that the gallery makes it’s money.

And why is this significant?
Because a vanity gallery earns it’s money whether you sell or not. (Passive Selling) While a traditional gallery has to work at selling your work in order to earn it’s money. (Active Selling) Obviously if the gallery earns it’s keep by commission only they will work much harder at promoting and selling your work.

. . . a vanity gallery earns it’s money whether you sell or not by charging you rent. While a traditional gallery has to work at selling your work in order to earn it’s money.

When this one opened they had incredibly steep monthly rental (like not too far away from my gallery mortgage) plus they wanted a commission on the sales. For me, that was an easy no. Later when artists weren’t stampeding to their door, they dropped their rental prices a little but increased their percentile taken. Still an easy no for me, but they had allot more interest from other artists.

At this point I have heard they are making deals almost on an individual basis. Though I find this a little off-putting, I see it more as their commitment to keep the gallery going than anything else.

Show me the money
I wish I could say that I am not interested in the vanity gallery because of my high moral standards. But sadly no. If I believed they could make the sales to make it worth my while, I’d do it. And when I was talking with them I told them so.

Readers Digest version here. The conversation probably lasted about 15 minutes.

Me: I am familiar with your gallery and know many of the artists you represent well. But I just don’t think my work would sell well enough for you. (My nice way of saying they don’t sell enough for me to risk the rental costs.)

Them: (probably thinking I needed my ego stroked) I think your work would sell very well and it is so different it would be a nice complement to what we already have. And . . .

Me: (I may have come across a little arrogant here, but I was tired as it was almost the end of the day and I had been up since 5am) Oh, I am confident my work would sell. This is what we do to make our living. What I mean is, I’ve looked at your rental prices and factoring in cost of goods sold, the way I see it I would need to sell at least $1000 per month to make it worth my while. (not whoohoo happy, just worth the effort.) And I just don’t think that’s do-able.

Them: Surprised and nodding and mumbling in a way to indicate that yes, they could sell that amount. But not clearly stating it. His partner looking at him with the same surprise that was written all over my face.

Me: Doubtful expression. Thinking “Well if you really believe you can sell that amount let’s strike a deal. You can take 50% or everything sold with no monthly booth rent.” But what I said was “Thank you for inviting me. I really have only heard nothing but good things about your gallery”.

And that’s why I don’t do it.
If they really thought they could make the sales they wouldn’t need a booth fee. A couple of their artists are selling well enough to consider it a money earner. (They do local scenes) Several others that I’ve talked to, are paying their rent. (I can’t see the purpose to that at all) and one says she looks at it like renting storage space.

In the follow up Vanity Galleries - Where’s the harm?

In Art Fair Applications Part 1 I discussed the importance of using quality images in the application process. In this post I’ll briefly cover things to consider when communicating about who you are and what you do.

Perceptions of Art or Craft
There is usually a great debate around what should be considered “art.” Umm . . . I am definitely not going there. Instead I’ll comment on how the word “art” is perceived differently from the word “craft” and why that may be important to you when filling out applications.

…the word craft should be avoided completely except when talking about “craftmanship.”

The first thing is to be aware of what the connotations of the word “craft” are. In the December 08 issue of Art Calendar Magazine the article Art or Craft what’s in a name states that in their survey 87.2% felt that a finished creation was perceived as more valuable when classified as “art” rather than “craft.” 68.4% perceived “art” as having superior quality to that of a “craft.” The magazine suggests the word craft should be avoided completely except when talking about “craftmanship.

In regards to art fairs, with a very few exceptions I wouldn’t even consider an event if it has the word craft in the title. Now that doesn’t mean an event who calls itself an artfair can’t be crafty. (They can and often are) Or that a craft event can have great art. But when it is an “art & craft” fair it often attracts a different type of buyer..This is just one of the reasons that whenever possible you should attend the event as a patron before committing your cash for a booth whenever possible.

With the application process how you describe yourself plays an important role in how a jury perceives you. In the same article it tells how many artists are using broader words like “objects,” “creations” or “works” to replace more traditional descriptors like ceramics and sculptures.

The written word
It is important to be able to write (in brevity) a description of your work. The events I have applied to have requested this supporting information anywhere from under 100 words to just 3 words. (Thaaaat’s right 3. In case your curious “Equestrian & WIldlife Artist”) Something this brief is generally for inside the catalog or map information. Anywhere from 7-25 words is often read to the jury while viewing your work. The way you describe your artwork has a great impact on how it is perceived.

The way you describe your artwork has a great impact on how it is perceived.

Here’s an example: If there ever comes a time where I submit a watercolor pencil painting on suede matboard for jury consideration I would say it was “water soluble pencil on suede board” I will definitely omit the word “mat.” By doing this I am avoiding any negative associations the jury might have against matting. Suede matboard is acid free and archival (at least the kind I use is) and artists have been creating work on matboards for a very long time. Yet some may see it as not investing in proper materials.

The wrap up
The point of this post is just to get you thinking a bit about how you speak about yourself and your work. So often artists just wing it but being prepared with wordage that works helps you to come across as the professional you are.

I’m finally getting around to finishing up this post. As usual what started out as a small idea spun into something big and complicated. This time I chose to cut it back to two main ideas, instead of my usual half a dozen posts. Today’s post will deal with the first point which deals with image quality. The second point will be addressed in an upcoming post.

So what are the two most important thoughts (as in: what will get me approved) in regards to filling out art fair applications?
1. Submit good images. Scratch that. Submit the best darn images you can create, both artistically and in the reproducing true to the original.
2. Words have power. Be able to write a personal statement intelligently and succinctly, as well as describe your work to it’s best advantage.

That’s it. You manage to do those two little things well, your chances for acceptance just went way up. Remember, the bigger the event, the more important this becomes.

“You may well say to yourself This is good enough to give them an idea of my work. Sure it’s a little blurry, but surely they can see that I have talent.” While this may be true, you are competing against other artists . . . So in the end, the jury will go with the ones who put in the effort.

Submit quality images
Most applications have gone digital either with Zapplication or just by taking digital files via cd. I think I had only one event this year who wanted slides only. Many will take slides yet, but charge you an additional fee to transfer them into a digital file.

It seems to me that this is a bad idea. Being an artist, I understand that most of us really don’t want to be bothered and hey, the event is offering to do that pesky chore for us. But here’s the thing, you are relying on someone else to copy your image, who really doesn’t care if the scan they took off your slide looks anything like your slide color-wise. They have perhaps hundreds more to do and just want to finish up on this task. Most raw scans need color correction and I’d bet dollars to donuts, no one does that part for the nominal fee they charge. So do it yourself if at all possible.

What constitutes a good quality image.
1. Clarity. No fuzziness or blurry areas. Also no shadows or glare.
2. Color is true to the original. Too light or dark is not acceptable.
3. Image Only. No framing, matting, glazing. (or fingers, grass, carpeting. You get the idea.)The nice thing about digital files is this is easy to crop out.
4. Image is square. This means the image is not crooked or fading off into the distance on one end.
5.Your best work only. You will be judged on your weakest work guaranteed. Most applications take 3-4 images. If you have 3 outstanding pieces and one so-so piece. It is the so-so piece that will determine your entrance into the event.

When done, these 5 things show the jury that you are a professional and care about your art. You may well say to yourself “This is good enough to give them an idea of my work. Sure it’s a little blurry, but surely they can see that I have talent.” While this may be true, you are competing against other artists who have done all 5 things to create a great representation of their work. So in the end, the jury will go with the ones who put in the effort.

In the end
It is understandable if creating good digital images is not your thing. But if you want to get into bigger and better events you need to either take on the challenge and learn it, or hire a good photographer. Much like framing, this is all about you showing your work to it’s best advantage.Which in turn speaks to your professionalism.

Still a WIP
Nope I’m not done yet but getting closer. Which is good because I’m getting a little tired of working on it. I’ve got to figure out where I want my grassy shadows and make them stand out a little more. Also I have a line in the grass that needs to be worked with. Other than that it is pretty much finished.

The grass has been mind numbingly slow, which reminds me why I developed my style so long ago. I got bored doing the background part so I kept cropping and cropping. When I do a painting like this, I say “Oh yeah, that’s right. I hate doing backgrounds with no contrasting elements” You’d think I would remember that.

Too real, too common
I sent a jpeg to my equine artist friend Barb McGee. She said she loved it, and it was the best that I’ve done (her work leans heavily toward realism) and then added her suggestions for improvement.

I emailed back, thanked her for her suggestions, told her I agreed with much of it. But then said that this isn’t my best work, nor is it my most realistic (though it’s in the running.) I hope it sells well and I am overall pretty pleased with it so far.

But this piece’s major flaw is, it is too common an image and too realistic. By too realistic I mean for judges. I won’t ever use this piece for competition or jury selection for any artfair I do. Not because I think it is weak or less a piece of “Art” than say Cowgirl. But because most judges will think that it is. Right or wrong that is how it works in my little section of the map. (This was the subject on which I have so many cranky stories that I mentioned in yesterdays post. Oh yes, I could tell you stories.)

I may strive for realism on one piece and then embrace color and impressionism on the next because I like challenging myself. I try to see how far I can push my personal boundaries with color usage and then again with hyper realism. I use images like Cowgirl for judging and images like my colt for making money. Cowgirl will sell but chances are not as well as the colt. (I am speaking about volume numbers of print sales. Both originals should sell easily. In fact already had someone want to buy Cowgirl out of the gallery but I’m holding on to her for a little while.)

A story I will tell
So much of the animosity from the income study comments came from the differences between art elitists who would like to sell their work, but struggle because it doesn’t connect with the majority of the public. And the sellers of traditional work (like myself) who receive derision from those who can’t. (Why is that anyway? Elephant dung on canvas is avant garde while a floral is fodder for the unenlightened. Oops there I go.)

In the end, I think it often depends on which side of the fence you’re sitting on. Here’s my favorite example.

We have a college in the area that offers art instruction. A long time, much loved and much respected teacher of this college recently retired from teaching. (He has taught many of the artists in the area) And so now has time to work on selling his art. (which is quite good) He does art fairs and a few gallery shows. At a reception for a gallery show he said . . . (again paraphrasing here) “I know I always told you that your art should not be a reflection of what the public thinks it wants. (long pause) I was wrong.” He didn’t explain it much other than now that he is trying to sell it, he understands.

You might even say, he is now “enlightened.”

First of all I wanted to thank all of you who commented (both on and off blog) on the Artist Income Study post. It is always interesting to me about what artists have to say about money. So thank you!

Secondly, I decided to break this follow up into two posts because as usual it just keeps expanding even though when I started out it felt like there wasn’t that much I needed to say. Apparently there is.

Artist Income
I was working on the follow up post to the Artist Income Study of earlier this month. (which was spawned from reading a Robert Genn newsletter about artists tending to fall into poverty income brackets and that those with artistic degrees tend to earn less than those without,) when I ran into a little trouble. My opinions and stories started to lean a little onto the cranky side. This is not the tone I wanted to set, so I quit working on it and decided to read the latest comments to the initial newsletter instead.

“However, by creating art that connects with people I get to have a small but positive impact on their lives through my art. Not a bad gig when I really think about.”

I was a little surprised at how angry so many of the people got. (apparently I’m not the only one with issues) I believe one commenter said something like “you would have thought Robert Genn had stood up and told them all their work sucked.” (completely paraphrasing there.)

This is a very sensitive issue for most artists. It not only hits close to something they love to do, but also to a core belief in how they perceive what they do affects the world.

Personally I’ve experienced bias for my work which I took personally for a day or two and then let it go. Mostly I try to learn from it so I can better succeed at my desired goals. Which are: sell enough artwork to keep my bills paid. In doing so I can improve my artistic skill plus get the satisfaction of doing something which is personally rewarding. I have no illusions of grandeur. (none) I don’t want to be famous, (I really do hate the spotlight) nor do I believe that my work will immortalise me. However, by creating art that connects with people I get to have a small but positive impact on their lives through my art. Not a bad gig when I really think about.

For those who seek something greater . . . good on you and go for it.

In regards to money
I have never really thought of making money at art as hard. Well . . . not harder than making money doing anything else. Perhaps it is because I do so many artfairs that every year I am surrounded by artists successfully selling their goods. Many do these events for fun or hobby. But many others earn enough to live on and some to live on it very well. (Second homes, put their kids through college. That sort of thing.) Mind you it would be exponentially harder, if the art I was trying to sell was of an elitist nature. At least at art fair venues.

There are also plenty of artists making a good living selling through galleries or doing commission work. I think it is just the fact that anyone with a pencil in hand can claim to be an artist. I read a few years back that more people claimed themselves as artists on their taxes than lawyers, doctors and teachers combined. This is surely going to bring down the economic average as many of them are hobbyists.

Two Kinds of Artists
I think when broken down to it’s most simple form, there are two kinds of artists. Those who create work to sell and therefor must take into consideration what the public wants. And those who, for whatever reason can create art that needs not give an economic return.

For me the fact that what I do has public appeal in no way makes what I do less. My art is still an emotional and spiritual undertaking. Perhaps I am just fortunate that what I love to create has an audience. If the only thing the public wanted was say . . . abstract art, I would be screwed. There is nothing wrong with abstract art, it is just not me. I couldn’t create it or sell it and feel rewarded in any way. So by doing what I do, I am not pandering, I am simply connecting with the critter people of the world who want critter images on their walls.

Perhaps if everyone did want abstract art, I too would be wailing at the unenlightened public. Um . . . perhaps not.

Next Post
I will continue this discussion in Part 2. As well as show my latest colt wip as it actually relates to what we’re talking about here. (Anybody getting sick of looking at this little horse yet?)

I was recently reading Robert Genn’s twice-weekly newsletter titled The Art Income Shock. I found it intriguing and thought I would share.

A recent Canadian study by Michael Maranda, assistant curator at the Art Gallery of York University in Canada had some surprising results. It suggested that Canadian artists earn less than the median income.

The average visual artist works 26 hours a week doing studio work, supplemented by 14.5 hours on art-related jobs, and 7.6 hours doing something not related to art.

Okay that is probably not so surprising. But this is.

Maranda’s study finds artists as a group to be older and better educated than they were a few years ago, having an average of six years of post-secondary education. The real shocker comes with the revelation that the higher their education level, the less artists earn from their art.

At the risk of being taken out and shot, I’m offering a couple of possible reasons for this. Highly educated artists may make art that is too sophisticated or esoteric for people to buy. Further, a formal education often gives artists a sense of entitlement that may hamper their access to or interest in the commercial gallery system. In my experience, the higher incomes are enjoyed by workers with previous design experience–ex-sign painters, illustrators, ad-agency people, etc. Further, immigrants with traditional art experience and the benefit of prior poverty frequently thrive.

Estimating the average incomes of artists is like estimating the average incomes of golfers. Many at the low end don’t collect a plug nickel, no matter how many birdies they sink. The Tiger Woodses at the other end nicely pull the statistics up to $800 a year. . . According to a study done by Grumbacher a few years ago, four percent of the population have paints and call themselves painters. That would make 900,000 painters in Canada. Maranda’s respondent-driven sampling appears to include a high percentage of sophisticated duffers.

I would like to add an additional thought as to why some with a high degree of learning, sell less. Art schools teach how to create art, but they completely neglect to teach anything about how to sell it.

The real shocker comes with the revelation that the higher their education level, the less artists earn from their art.

One last thought from Robert Genn.

A key to the lousy fiscal performance of artists could be the low number of hours they apparently spend alone in the studio. A twenty-six-hour week is not enough. Forty is more like it. Sixty is better because you can start to get good at sixty. Show me artists who have put in ten thousand hours and I’ll show you a chicken in every pot.

You can read the whole article and what artists have to say about the subject on Robert Genn’s Painter’s Keys clickback. The comments were almost more interesting than the article itself.

Clearly their is a big division of thought on this topic. I’d love to hear what you guys think.

I have been staring bleary eyed at the computer screen for the past couple of days. Going over every single gallery transaction (all 8 million of them . . . tiny exageration) looking for errors. Tomorrow is the annual sojourn to our accountant, which is about an hour away. That’s the thing about living in the boonies, you have to drive for everything.

As I sit here trying to think of something clever to write I realize nothing sums up my experience with the accountant better than last years post.

So I’m reposting it, (with some minor tweaking.)

Now, I am a woman who is all about the numbers. Since knowing where we really stand business-wise can mean the difference between eating or not. Plus, I love statistics and inventories and records of what sells, when and where. I also track both my website and blog statistics eagerly.

That being said, I really (really, really) dislike going to the accountant. Not so much because I am worried or nervous. Its just because my business is … well … my business. This is my life and my passion. It is my blood, sweat and tears laid out before me, in all its numerical black and white glory. So then, to have a relatively complete stranger rifling through my private affairs, looking at it with cool impassionate eyes and making judgments, is hugely disturbing.

It kinda reminds me of those TV fashion police shows where the fashion experts rummage through their victim’s . . . urm I mean fashion awkward woman’s . . . underwear drawers. All the while making derisive comments. Until inevitably they pull out a pair of granny panties. And holding them up high, they exclaim in horror. “What is this!”

Yeah, it’s exactly like that.

In this economy (are you guys getting as tired of hearing that phrase as I am?) it forces people to rethink how they can better save money in areas where they won’t feel the pinch. Shipping your artwork is one of those areas. I pack and ship a fair amount of stuff, (about 100 good sized boxes a year) which could potentially be a huge expense.

Anyone who has ever bought a role of bubble-wrap at your favorite business supply store knows that boxes, and bubble-wrap can add big costs to your bottom line. So I’m going to share a little secret (well . . . it’s not really a secret, just no one ever asked me) I get all my packing and shipping stuffs free.

So I’m going to share a little secret (well . . . it’s not really a secret, just no one ever asked me.)

Some of what I use, comes in from my framing orders. But most comes from other businesses. At one time I had an artist friend who worked at a furniture store and when he was doing a delivery in my home town, he’d pull the truck around and drop off a truckload (literally) of huge sheets of bubble-wrap and foam. Most furniture stores throw tons of it away and it just sits in our landfills. The furniture store was thrilled because that was a little less that they had to pay to get hauled to the landfill, and I was thrilled because it saved me fortunes (the savings of which I passed on to my customer.) And frankly, I have no way of buying huge sheets of wrap like that. (Picture blanket sized for wrapping up beds and couches. Lovely, glorious packing stuffs.)

Also, our local vet clinic is very green oriented. They get in heavy duty air packing pillows and sheets (usually a garbage bag a week.) that they save for me (or anyone else who asks.) These tend to be smaller bits which work well for shipping smaller works. I also collect this kind of packing material for Carol Herden, my sculptor friend, who uses pillows for shipping her dimensional stuffs.

So I guess the point of this is, to think out side of the box a bit (there’s another phrase I really hate) and see if you can’t get some of the supplies you need from local business’s who would just be tossing it away anyhow. Because this way the landfills, the furniture store, my customers and I, all win.