Competing With A Billion Other Artists In The World 🎨

[Artyczar]

Well, I will shut up about it all Bart. I now feel bad for being so pushy. It seems you know a lot of artists where it's not working out for them at all if they are getting no or little return for their efforts. I do know some artists like that, but I probably know more where that is not the case, but then again, their art might be less competitive, I don't know. I suppose it depends on what kind of art you're "marketing" like a business. Maybe you're looking for a commercial market, but I don't know the details of your wishes, but in any case, I am going to back down now. I'm sorry if I have overstepped. I was just trying to be encouraging, and I was repeating myself a lot too. Sorry about that.

 

[Bartc]

Well, I will shut up about it all Bart. I now feel bad for being so pushy. It seems you know a lot of artists where it's not working out for them at all if they are getting no or little return for their efforts. I do know some artists like that, but I probably know more where that is not the case, but then again, their art might be less competitive, I don't know. I suppose it depends on what kind of art you're "marketing" like a business. Maybe you're looking for a commercial market, but I don't know the details of your wishes, but in any case, I am going to back down now. I'm sorry if I have overstepped. I was just trying to be encouraging, and I was repeating myself a lot too. Sorry about that.

Ayin, don't back down! I take your comments as both helpful and encouraging.

As you can tell or I've told too often, I'm struggling internally. Not with my art at all, but with what to do with it externally.
It is helpful to hear from you because you have been at it in marketing for so long, where I'm just beginning. And it is also helpful to hear what works or doesn't for others.

Yes, I know a lot of artists for whom it isn't quite "working" for selling or showing. But they still enjoy the art experience. My concern is watching those who are working so hard at marketing - some I do know who do quite well indeed - and seeing the ratio. Plus, of course, taste is in the eye of the beholder, so what I like and like to do isn't what's selling and that is admittedly frustrating, when watching the few "successful" artists get the funds and attention for stuff that is really just meh to my eyes. But that's my problem, not anyone else's.

BTW, a lot of what I'm seeing sell among those I know personally is what I would call at best "decorative". It seems there's a large market for stuff big enough, colorful enough, and bold enough to be desirable to folks with disposable income who want to decorate a living room. Plus a lot of it is semi or fully abstract, a style that I don't particularly love nor do I create. It's not what I would want on my walls nor to produce, nor do I see why it makes it into so much of the art market. That's just the peculiarities of taste.

My next "exploration" would be to contact someone I know from work who actually places art in private homes. More, I suspect, places art on speculation into real estate showings. If she thinks any of my stuff has a chance, that would open up one of the markets you have suggested for reaching collectors. And if she doesn't I'm STILL going to paint what I want anyway!

 

[Artyczar]

A lot of the stuff I see in those real estate staging companies (if that's what you're speaking of) is the decorative work you are speaking of. I know a lot of artists that are doing well in that market. It has helped them sell a bit, but it isn't connected to the gallery market at all that I can tell. My abstract art friends do a lot of that staging stuff. They are connected into it. It's not my audience, so I don't know too much about how to contact those companies. Do you have a website and social media? I know you're in Northern California and your work addresses a lot of the coast. I'd think there'd be a lot of galleries and sites that represent this genre. There's also places like Saatchi to list work for sale, and a ton more that are probably more geared to Plein air, etc. Just thinking off the top of my head.

 

[Bartc]

Ayin, unfortunately, there no longer seem to be many galleries around my area. The SF galleries carry the expensive stuff they sell to tourists. A few years ago I did know a locally well-respected gallerist, but she's died, and who knows if she would have carried my work. Should have tried that when she was alive. Shoulda woulda coulda.

I do now have a website (bartsart.weebly.com), which I may upgrade to a commercial site this coming year, if for nothing else than the taxes and tracking. I've reserved a domain and matching handles on some key social sites, but have not pursued those as yet. As you know, pumping those is a lot of work, and until at least February I'm still working more than full time at my job.

You're probably right about the staging companies. Since I have that contact, and I have been told she may sell to collectors on some level, I'm going to take a shot at that. Nothing to lose, something possible to gain. Ya gotta start somewhere, right?

Combing through posts here and elsewhere, it is rather uncertain as to which - if any - art sale sites are actually producing much for their artists. It's a tough place to break in at a level that makes the effort worth it.

 

[ErikRak]

Was thinking to you Bart ... Keep going !

Nicolas Coleman
The Business of Selling Art, 2022

 

[Artyczar]

Ayin, unfortunately, there no longer seem to be many galleries around my area. The SF galleries carry the expensive stuff they sell to tourists. A few years ago I did know a locally well-respected gallerist, but she's died, and who knows if she would have carried my work. Should have tried that when she was alive. Shoulda woulda coulda.

I do now have a website (bartsart.weebly.com), which I may upgrade to a commercial site this coming year, if for nothing else than the taxes and tracking. I've reserved a domain and matching handles on some key social sites, but have not pursued those as yet. As you know, pumping those is a lot of work, and until at least February I'm still working more than full time at my job.

You're probably right about the staging companies. Since I have that contact, and I have been told she may sell to collectors on some level, I'm going to take a shot at that. Nothing to lose, something possible to gain. Ya gotta start somewhere, right?

Combing through posts here and elsewhere, it is rather uncertain as to which - if any - art sale sites are actually producing much for their artists. It's a tough place to break in at a level that makes the effort worth it.

I haven't looked into SF galleries in quite a long time, but I know two contemporary ones off the top of my head. Maybe those are not for you however. I don't know how much research you've done. I'm not going to do it for you. I just think there must be more than one that is no longer in existence. But hell, what do I know? You live there and probably know more than I do. And I understand if you don't want to pursue the art selling sites. Saatchi was just one I knew of that wasn't like DailyArtWorks or FineArtAmerica and sell work for more than a dollar. I just saw a list on this website after a quickie search. It doesn't mention Society6 which is another platform too. I tried a couple piece on there, but never tried to promote it. ...I know there are more places than what's on that list, but you know, it is what it is. It's your dime. And yes, you do have to promote/participate a bit on social media and these sites a bit. Maybe once you retire. I didn't realize you were still working full-time.

 

[Artyczar]

I just looked at your website Bart. Good that you have one. Interesting layout. You did that? Did you write the bio? I especially like the painting that's on your "About" page.

 

[Bartc]

I just looked at your website Bart. Good that you have one. Interesting layout. You did that? Did you write the bio? I especially like the painting that's on your "About" page.

Thanks, Ayin. Yes, I did the layout simply in Weebly; an easy enough program to manage. I don't code sites anymore.
Yes, I wrote the bio and it's all true.
Glad you like "Bower". Bower is a play on words and a literal reference to the reverence of the tree to wind and sun. It was painted somewhat from a reference photo I took out at Mori Point in Pacifica. I don't like to copy from photos, but since Covid had me housebound at that time and I was sorely needing to paint, one of my own photos seemed fair game.

 

[john]

BTW, a lot of what I'm seeing sell among those I know personally is what I would call at best "decorative". It seems there's a large market for stuff big enough, colorful enough, and bold enough to be desirable to folks with disposable income who want to decorate a living room. Plus a lot of it is semi or fully abstract, a style that I don't particularly love nor do I create. It's not what I would want on my walls nor to produce, nor do I see why it makes it into so much of the art market. That's just the peculiarities of taste.

I've noticed that also Bart. One well to do lady really liked my painting at the gallery but then said she was looking for something else and then she showed me a large colorful rather conventional, non-representational abstract as an example of what she was looking her.

Then I went to a gallery opening a few days ago at the invite of one of the artists there. His paintings are large surrealistic cool "weird" professionally done paintings that go for prices like 40 grand and they haven't sold in 15 years. It seemed like only the artists were there, we all loved the works but they were not pop art type pieces. It seems to me that artists and the general public have somewhat different tastes. I guess the key is to find where those tastes overlap. Assuming we are doing it to sell and all the artists and gallery owners I've talked to recently have told me to just follow my heart. I also suspect that none of them are worried about paying for their next meal.

 

[Artyczar]

Yes, some artists come from wealthy backgrounds. I know a lot of those types that spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on their education on ivy league schools and have families that just support them. They do price their work at ridiculous prices without much justification. How???? No idea. I don't think they sell often. $40K is really up there. Maybe one day I can fetch that much.

 

[Artyczar]

Bart, I didn't know you coded. I built my site from scratch, but everyone thinks it's a template. It's in php/dhtml and MySQL, being queried from a database, so there's a whole backend I use to keep track of all my art. I used a lot of Bootstrap as well for the interface.

 

[Artyczar]

One more thing, Bart. Have you ever looked into ArtSpan?

 

[ErikRak]

Bart, a website worth the visit is https://www.catawiki.com/en/
You can organize auctions for your works and the website is pretty well organized.

Another address: https://www.artsy.net/sell

 

[Bartc]

Bart, I didn't know you coded. I built my site from scratch, but everyone thinks it's a template. It's in php/dhtml and MySQL, being queried from a database, so there's a whole backend I use to keep track of all my art. I used a lot of Bootstrap as well for the interface.

More coding than I would ever want to do anymore! LOL

 

[Bartc]

One more thing, Bart. Have you ever looked into ArtSpan?

Not lately. I remember Artspan was one of those that artists talked about compared with another and it seemed to be a matter of personal goals as to which was better (or worse.) I'll look again, but have no desire to start up with a dozen sites. Artsy I think may have been the other.

 

[Artyczar]

ArtSpan is an artist's organization in SF.

EDIT: ArtSpan

 

[mill]

It's interesting that this discussin starts with the word "Competing". I have the opinion that most of the true evils of the world start with the concept of Competition. That's what wars are about.
People paint or make things because of the satisfaction they get from just doing it.
Introducing competition into the mix just makes comparisons inevitable and subsequently kills any satisfaction that is gained. Competition ensures that there are winners and losers. In other words the greatest misery for the greatest number.
I hope we can aspire to something better.
John

 

[Artyczar]

I also wrote a whole article about the myth of competition on my blog (not too long ago) here.

 

[OleKobe]

"The material mind sees as the principal use of any art only a means to bring money, and not in such art a means for giving variety to life, dispelling weariness, resting that portion of the mind devoted to other business, improving health and increasing vigour of mind and body." Prentice Mulford

 

[Terri]

Ayin, I just followed your link and read the article you're referring to.

You nail it when you write:

"To be honest, I have found it hard to see this same sense of camaraderie among visual artists because they don’t have the same sense of “team” that musicians do. That’s just an observation of mine. There is a lot of jealousy and a lot of false win-lose mentality that should not be there…"

Terrific observation.