Watercolor Painting for Dummies (65 page)

Almost every community has a local art club, association, or guild. Go visit the group and maybe even join. Even better, volunteer to help with a show the group is sponsoring. Actually working at such an event gives you tremendous insight to what goes on and what you can do to make the process easier for yourself. Most shows have an entry form. Read and follow the rules. Sounds easy, but many artists don’t do either. By preparing your work ahead of time as the show rules dictate, you can deliver work to the show in a minimum amount of time and make the show committee grateful.

Associations have field trips, workshops, classes, and programs to inspire you to be your best. And the people who run these organizations have the best leads on shows to enter.

Decide whether you have enough work to hang a show by yourself or whether you’re better off working with other artists to share the event. Others can help share publicity, hanging, reception catering, expenses, and framing for enough artwork to cover the walls.

My advice is to work your way up to a solo show. Start by entering group shows. If you want more opportunities for the public to see your work, organize a group show. When you’re ready and have enough framed work, have a solo show.

Invite your friends and relatives and their friends and relatives to a cozy evening with the artist where you can talk about your art and sell a few pieces.

It doesn’t even have to be your home! Do you have a friend who wants to support the arts and has a nice house? Ask him to host an at-home exhibition of your work.

At some point, you may just need to clean out the clutter, and an outdoor sale in your own yard can be just the ticket (or tag, if you’re having a tag sale). I know an artist who had a quick sale on the lawn and sold quite a few paintings. You can share your work for a bargain price and spread art to those who may not be able to afford big prices. That doesn’t mean that your painting is valued less by an owner. Art patrons know they have received a gift and may appreciate the opportunity to own original art.

You can send a press release to the local news media about a business-related exhibition. I just had a show at the local auto dealership because I recently finished a series of car paintings. The business got a newsworthy item to promote and bring in more customers, and I got to sell some paintings to appreciative buyers.

Some businesspeople are very good at this sort of joint venture on a more intimate scale. For example, your friendly real estate agent wants to thank clients in a social setting. You and the agent send out private invitations, you hang your art around her office, and new homeowners snatch it up for their new walls!

The big buildings that abound in your community have a lot of wall space and often attract large numbers of people. Some places to think about include:

Institutions are always looking for newsworthy events to bring in more people. An art show can do this.

Coffee shops usually need some nice work and are great social hangouts where people can see your art. Locally owned java joints are often especially friendly to local artists and often schedule rotating exhibitions of artwork for customers to enjoy and purchase.

Likewise, restaurants are a good place to be seen. If you don’t mind some occasional ketchup splashed on your work, these can be a good venue. And to prevent the ketchup from doing serious harm, make sure your paintings are protected with proper frames and glass. You can do a themed show and paint still lifes of food.

Many cities across the country host an outdoor art festival. I spend many weekends at such events. They take a tremendous amount of work, but after doing them for a number of years, they’ve become one of my best sources of income.

It may take a few shows to get established. I think the only thing that really pays off is persistence. Don’t give up, even though you may want to often.

At an art show, an organizing group hosts it, charges the artists an entry fee, and provides the space to show your work. Anyone can host a show: art clubs, schools and universities, towns, housing developments, businesses.

Some shows are
juried,
which means that someone, or a group of someones, decides on the artists accepted for the show. If they don’t choose you, you can’t sell your masterpieces there. Juried shows usually judge for prizes as well.

Because of the large number of artists trying to get included in the big-deal shows, it can be almost a lottery to get accepted. But keep playing and one day you’ll win this lottery! To increase your chances, go to shows and see what the jury picks. Remember the juror is only human, has moods, and has an impossible job of narrowing a field of 500 artists to just 100. Tough choices have to be made.

To enter a juried show, you usually have to send 35mm slides or digital images of your work or hand deliver your work itself. Shows often have size minimums and maximums, framing restrictions, and media or subject restrictions (no nudes for example). It all depends on the show. Read the entry form closely and follow all the rules to the letter. Some artists are rejected simply because they don’t follow the rules.

When you think of selling art, you may immediately think of an art gallery. But before you approach a gallery, you must be prepared. You need a collection of work that embodies a style. You need to be marketable in that the gallery owner thinks he can sell your work.

The gallery may promote your work. In return, the gallery keeps a percentage of the sales, anywhere from 25 percent to 60 percent. Galleries have tremendous overhead, and the cut they take helps keep their doors open. They also have access to buyers, usually lots and lots of buyers.

Co-op galleries,
or cooperative galleries, are usually run by a group of artists who share the expenses and work of running a gallery.