According to John Ferrie selling your art in a gallery that carries "pottery and glass and cards and carvings" is same as selling your soul. It's interesting that all those forms of art can be found in most museums.

I see "Collapsing Floor Syndrome" in the desperate efforts of artists who offer reproductions and knick-knacks with their art images printed on them. This just gives potential buyers a cheaper thing to buy than original art. And I think it devalues their work, but they seem to think the higher sales volume makes it worthwhile. I'm sticking to the high ground: originals only, no reproductions. At least, no reproductions until the prices of my originals rise above the reach of most buyers. My sales may be fewer, but they are much more meaningful - both financially and artistically - when they do happen.

I believe we are still scratching our heads here. A few have aligned themselves with galleries that are excited about their work and have the clientel to move their work. Most of us are still searching, and the locations are getting slimmer. So I think that we start to get desperate and settle for what ever we can get. Not to mention the self doubts that plague our thoughts. In a perfect world we paint, take to a gallery and it sells the same week, for the price we are asking. If it was that easy, we would all be happy huh? I believe it's more than just selling your work, you have to be confident in yourself. Then get the galleries that your work fits in excited about you and your work. But of course this can leave you scratching your head again. LOL Good Luck!

So, I am asking, how does an artist price their work?

I've never seen so many Anonymous letters before in a Clickback with so much valuable info! Great topic.

Regarding Anonymous' question; here's how I do it. By the square inch. I'm able to work in a variety of sizes, from the very big to the very small. I have a base price for paintings...let's call that 5.00 per square inch (Ha! I wish) But let's use that as an example. All the medium sizes are 5.00 per square inch + gst. Anything over a certain size is 15% less, so 4.25 per square inch and anything really small is 15% more - or 5.75 /squ.inch. this keeps the big ones from being prohibitively expensive and keeps the little ones from being too cheap. Works great. And keep in mind RG Commandment #4: Thou shalt not lower thy prices.

Have tried to get into a gallery for the past year but have not been accepted. The latest one advised me to show my work to interior designers. Don't know if this is good advice or an insult. What is your opinion on this?

On reading Galleries that take advantage by Anonymous, I was reminded of a gallery that gave me problems. I am an emerging artist and was contacted by the gallery owner. I placed several pieces in the gallery. My website generated a sale on a piece that was in the gallery. In fairness to the gallery, I directed the purchaser to the gallery. The painting sold. I waited for payment. It was not forthcoming. I finally got a check in the mail that bounced. So I took the check, a truck and a burly friend to visit the gallery. I retrieved all my artwork and got a second check. It was a few days before the bank said the check was good, but when they did, I immediately went to cash the check at the bank. I have become a bit leary of "new" galleries since I cannot check with artists who have had work sold by the gallery. http://www.geneblack.com

I am both a painter and a gallery owner. I choose work for the gallery that I love and feel is well done. I also sell glass sculpture and wood sculpture and some hand made pottery. I do have an area we call our "gift shop" with less expensive paintings etc. We are not located in an "arty" area and our sales could definitely be better. We knew our risks when we chose our location. However, I realize fully now what a gallery has to manage beyond just painting. If we didn't provide framing I doubt we could continue the gallery. It is with interest that I have read some of the comments about what galleries should and shouldn't do. I love making paintings and I love other people's work, too. We all have our areas and I find it exciting to see how others create their own beautiful pieces. Perhaps I am not the best salesman. I try to let our clients know the background of the artist, explain something about his thought processes and help him discover the beauty of his technique. Certainly I wish I could do better by my artists. We have openings every other month and sponsor many events here at the gallery. By the way, we always pay by the tenth of the following month of the sale. We advertise nationally, hold classes and workshops by our artists and have parties so they can meet prospective buyers. On the other hand I expect the artist to do his part by meeting and greeting at these events. If any of you out there can suggest how I could do more, sell more or help promote our artists more I will certainly listen. Our gallery is only 3 years old and we are becoming well known in our area. However, our area has lots to learn about the value of art. I don't know if any of this is of help to others, but I want it known that I and most owners do the best we know to run our business and make our artists happy.

Regarding Beverly Harries' "Paintings On the Web:" Her gallery owner can take heart in a couple of things: Anyone who outright steals a work from the web is *never* going to buy, and never was in the market. Anybody else may or may not buy. I think good, sizable JPGs are a great selling tool. People use 'em for screen-savers and 'wallpaper' and print them out as posters and sometimes decide they want the real thing on the wall. Therefore, always include a web address as well as your copyright notice in the watermark. If a person likes a work enough to download a copy and learns to live with it, then that person is very likely to buy an original somewhere down the line. In the US, it is a federal crime to remove the copyright notice from a work in digital form. The DCMA provides very severe penalties for that sort of thing. And, it's a very good idea to register the copyright (it can be done for several works at once for 45 bucks) before posting to the web.

I have just discovered this forum. I think it's good reading. So helpful and friendly for unsociable hermits. How do you put a watermark or copyright on your images? Is it just typed in?

Recently a client arrived at my studio/gallery with a painting she had purchased from me about 8 years ago. She wanted to "trade it in" for a new piece I was displaying. I declined, telling her that my style had changed in those 8 years and I wouldn't be able to show it. (In fact my work has improved since I painted her piece.) After reading today's clickbacks, I wonder if I made a mistake. Any thoughts?

No, you didn't make a mistake. The client made a mistake by asking such a question.

Robert, I am represented by a gallery in the town in which I live. I am about to build a studio /gallery on my property which is very visible from a busy tourist road. Am I going down the wrong path by pulling out of an established gallery to go it on my own, hence having the opportunity to avoid the 50% commission?

I read all these posts with great interest. I live in east central Florida and my husband and I are in the process of building two commerical buildings one for him and one for me. My goal is to have a studio upstairs and have lease spaces below. I thought of having a gallery downstairs for my self and others to show their work. The last meeting with the architect filled me in on the restrictions as far as calling this space a 'gallery'. They have to do with parking, bathrooms, sprinklers, and how many people can be in the space at one time. If I call it a store, all these restrictions are relaxed. In my mind, all I want is to make art, and to have a place to hang it and display it. Does it matter if it is called a gallery or a store?

After being in a gallery that is owned by 2 very active artists who are never there, I learned quite a bit. Not a good idea to be in a gallery where the featured artists are the owners. Being told to paint my image around the sides of a museum wrap, like the owner does didn't set too well. (I usually paint the local color around the entire wrapped edge.) They wanted to make sure my pieces were all the same size, and any new pieces I was supposed to make the tag myself. So tell me, what does the commission cover? Here's the kicker, they are open 15 hours a week. I jumped too fast, thank goodness there was no contract involved. I picked up my paintings and emailed the owner thanking her for the opportunity to show in the gallery and never heard anything from this person.

I too was once represented by a gallery owned by an artist. I found that the owner's work was ALWAYS featured even in exhibitions and everyone else in that exhibition was just there to share the cost of the shows.

Back to Max's question of October (take your work to an interior designer). I think this good advice and an insult if that's the way you want to take it. 1. You create because you love to. 2. You sell because you want to/need to. Selling turns our work into a product when speaking in terms of a transaction. Are all products appropriate for all markets? No, of course not. Your love of creation has not been compromised but you have been shown where your market is (in his opinion only). If you don't want to be in this market, find out what your work has to look like to be in the market you want. But do you want to do this? If this will kill all the joy in creation then the answer is obvious. Mind you, was he telling you that you haven't got the chops? Examine your own skill level. We can all be better at what we do. Take a hard look at what you are showing around. Good luck with this one.

According to John Ferrie selling your art in a gallery that carries "pottery and glass and cards and carvings" is same as selling your soul. It's interesting that all those forms of art can be found in most museums.

I see "Collapsing Floor Syndrome" in the desperate efforts of artists who offer reproductions and knick-knacks with their art images printed on them. This just gives potential buyers a cheaper thing to buy than original art. And I think it devalues their work, but they seem to think the higher sales volume makes it worthwhile. I'm sticking to the high ground: originals only, no reproductions. At least, no reproductions until the prices of my originals rise above the reach of most buyers. My sales may be fewer, but they are much more meaningful - both financially and artistically - when they do happen.

I believe we are still scratching our heads here. A few have aligned themselves with galleries that are excited about their work and have the clientel to move their work. Most of us are still searching, and the locations are getting slimmer. So I think that we start to get desperate and settle for what ever we can get. Not to mention the self doubts that plague our thoughts. In a perfect world we paint, take to a gallery and it sells the same week, for the price we are asking. If it was that easy, we would all be happy huh? I believe it's more than just selling your work, you have to be confident in yourself. Then get the galleries that your work fits in excited about you and your work. But of course this can leave you scratching your head again. LOL Good Luck!

So, I am asking, how does an artist price their work?

I've never seen so many Anonymous letters before in a Clickback with so much valuable info! Great topic.

Regarding Anonymous' question; here's how I do it. By the square inch. I'm able to work in a variety of sizes, from the very big to the very small. I have a base price for paintings...let's call that 5.00 per square inch (Ha! I wish) But let's use that as an example. All the medium sizes are 5.00 per square inch + gst. Anything over a certain size is 15% less, so 4.25 per square inch and anything really small is 15% more - or 5.75 /squ.inch. this keeps the big ones from being prohibitively expensive and keeps the little ones from being too cheap. Works great. And keep in mind RG Commandment #4: Thou shalt not lower thy prices.

Have tried to get into a gallery for the past year but have not been accepted. The latest one advised me to show my work to interior designers. Don't know if this is good advice or an insult. What is your opinion on this?

On reading Galleries that take advantage by Anonymous, I was reminded of a gallery that gave me problems. I am an emerging artist and was contacted by the gallery owner. I placed several pieces in the gallery. My website generated a sale on a piece that was in the gallery. In fairness to the gallery, I directed the purchaser to the gallery. The painting sold. I waited for payment. It was not forthcoming. I finally got a check in the mail that bounced. So I took the check, a truck and a burly friend to visit the gallery. I retrieved all my artwork and got a second check. It was a few days before the bank said the check was good, but when they did, I immediately went to cash the check at the bank. I have become a bit leary of "new" galleries since I cannot check with artists who have had work sold by the gallery. http://www.geneblack.com

I am both a painter and a gallery owner. I choose work for the gallery that I love and feel is well done. I also sell glass sculpture and wood sculpture and some hand made pottery. I do have an area we call our "gift shop" with less expensive paintings etc. We are not located in an "arty" area and our sales could definitely be better. We knew our risks when we chose our location. However, I realize fully now what a gallery has to manage beyond just painting. If we didn't provide framing I doubt we could continue the gallery. It is with interest that I have read some of the comments about what galleries should and shouldn't do. I love making paintings and I love other people's work, too. We all have our areas and I find it exciting to see how others create their own beautiful pieces. Perhaps I am not the best salesman. I try to let our clients know the background of the artist, explain something about his thought processes and help him discover the beauty of his technique. Certainly I wish I could do better by my artists. We have openings every other month and sponsor many events here at the gallery. By the way, we always pay by the tenth of the following month of the sale. We advertise nationally, hold classes and workshops by our artists and have parties so they can meet prospective buyers. On the other hand I expect the artist to do his part by meeting and greeting at these events. If any of you out there can suggest how I could do more, sell more or help promote our artists more I will certainly listen. Our gallery is only 3 years old and we are becoming well known in our area. However, our area has lots to learn about the value of art. I don't know if any of this is of help to others, but I want it known that I and most owners do the best we know to run our business and make our artists happy.

Regarding Beverly Harries' "Paintings On the Web:" Her gallery owner can take heart in a couple of things: Anyone who outright steals a work from the web is *never* going to buy, and never was in the market. Anybody else may or may not buy. I think good, sizable JPGs are a great selling tool. People use 'em for screen-savers and 'wallpaper' and print them out as posters and sometimes decide they want the real thing on the wall. Therefore, always include a web address as well as your copyright notice in the watermark. If a person likes a work enough to download a copy and learns to live with it, then that person is very likely to buy an original somewhere down the line. In the US, it is a federal crime to remove the copyright notice from a work in digital form. The DCMA provides very severe penalties for that sort of thing. And, it's a very good idea to register the copyright (it can be done for several works at once for 45 bucks) before posting to the web.

I have just discovered this forum. I think it's good reading. So helpful and friendly for unsociable hermits. How do you put a watermark or copyright on your images? Is it just typed in?

Recently a client arrived at my studio/gallery with a painting she had purchased from me about 8 years ago. She wanted to "trade it in" for a new piece I was displaying. I declined, telling her that my style had changed in those 8 years and I wouldn't be able to show it. (In fact my work has improved since I painted her piece.) After reading today's clickbacks, I wonder if I made a mistake. Any thoughts?

No, you didn't make a mistake. The client made a mistake by asking such a question.

Robert, I am represented by a gallery in the town in which I live. I am about to build a studio /gallery on my property which is very visible from a busy tourist road. Am I going down the wrong path by pulling out of an established gallery to go it on my own, hence having the opportunity to avoid the 50% commission?

I read all these posts with great interest. I live in east central Florida and my husband and I are in the process of building two commerical buildings one for him and one for me. My goal is to have a studio upstairs and have lease spaces below. I thought of having a gallery downstairs for my self and others to show their work. The last meeting with the architect filled me in on the restrictions as far as calling this space a 'gallery'. They have to do with parking, bathrooms, sprinklers, and how many people can be in the space at one time. If I call it a store, all these restrictions are relaxed. In my mind, all I want is to make art, and to have a place to hang it and display it. Does it matter if it is called a gallery or a store?

After being in a gallery that is owned by 2 very active artists who are never there, I learned quite a bit. Not a good idea to be in a gallery where the featured artists are the owners. Being told to paint my image around the sides of a museum wrap, like the owner does didn't set too well. (I usually paint the local color around the entire wrapped edge.) They wanted to make sure my pieces were all the same size, and any new pieces I was supposed to make the tag myself. So tell me, what does the commission cover? Here's the kicker, they are open 15 hours a week. I jumped too fast, thank goodness there was no contract involved. I picked up my paintings and emailed the owner thanking her for the opportunity to show in the gallery and never heard anything from this person.

I too was once represented by a gallery owned by an artist. I found that the owner's work was ALWAYS featured even in exhibitions and everyone else in that exhibition was just there to share the cost of the shows.

Back to Max's question of October (take your work to an interior designer). I think this good advice and an insult if that's the way you want to take it. 1. You create because you love to. 2. You sell because you want to/need to. Selling turns our work into a product when speaking in terms of a transaction. Are all products appropriate for all markets? No, of course not. Your love of creation has not been compromised but you have been shown where your market is (in his opinion only). If you don't want to be in this market, find out what your work has to look like to be in the market you want. But do you want to do this? If this will kill all the joy in creation then the answer is obvious. Mind you, was he telling you that you haven't got the chops? Examine your own skill level. We can all be better at what we do. Take a hard look at what you are showing around. Good luck with this one.

According to John Ferrie selling your art in a gallery that carries "pottery and glass and cards and carvings" is same as selling your soul. It's interesting that all those forms of art can be found in most museums.

I see "Collapsing Floor Syndrome" in the desperate efforts of artists who offer reproductions and knick-knacks with their art images printed on them. This just gives potential buyers a cheaper thing to buy than original art. And I think it devalues their work, but they seem to think the higher sales volume makes it worthwhile. I'm sticking to the high ground: originals only, no reproductions. At least, no reproductions until the prices of my originals rise above the reach of most buyers. My sales may be fewer, but they are much more meaningful - both financially and artistically - when they do happen.

I believe we are still scratching our heads here. A few have aligned themselves with galleries that are excited about their work and have the clientel to move their work. Most of us are still searching, and the locations are getting slimmer. So I think that we start to get desperate and settle for what ever we can get. Not to mention the self doubts that plague our thoughts. In a perfect world we paint, take to a gallery and it sells the same week, for the price we are asking. If it was that easy, we would all be happy huh? I believe it's more than just selling your work, you have to be confident in yourself. Then get the galleries that your work fits in excited about you and your work. But of course this can leave you scratching your head again. LOL Good Luck!

So, I am asking, how does an artist price their work?

I've never seen so many Anonymous letters before in a Clickback with so much valuable info! Great topic.

Regarding Anonymous' question; here's how I do it. By the square inch. I'm able to work in a variety of sizes, from the very big to the very small. I have a base price for paintings...let's call that 5.00 per square inch (Ha! I wish) But let's use that as an example. All the medium sizes are 5.00 per square inch + gst. Anything over a certain size is 15% less, so 4.25 per square inch and anything really small is 15% more - or 5.75 /squ.inch. this keeps the big ones from being prohibitively expensive and keeps the little ones from being too cheap. Works great. And keep in mind RG Commandment #4: Thou shalt not lower thy prices.

Have tried to get into a gallery for the past year but have not been accepted. The latest one advised me to show my work to interior designers. Don't know if this is good advice or an insult. What is your opinion on this?

On reading Galleries that take advantage by Anonymous, I was reminded of a gallery that gave me problems. I am an emerging artist and was contacted by the gallery owner. I placed several pieces in the gallery. My website generated a sale on a piece that was in the gallery. In fairness to the gallery, I directed the purchaser to the gallery. The painting sold. I waited for payment. It was not forthcoming. I finally got a check in the mail that bounced. So I took the check, a truck and a burly friend to visit the gallery. I retrieved all my artwork and got a second check. It was a few days before the bank said the check was good, but when they did, I immediately went to cash the check at the bank. I have become a bit leary of "new" galleries since I cannot check with artists who have had work sold by the gallery. http://www.geneblack.com

I am both a painter and a gallery owner. I choose work for the gallery that I love and feel is well done. I also sell glass sculpture and wood sculpture and some hand made pottery. I do have an area we call our "gift shop" with less expensive paintings etc. We are not located in an "arty" area and our sales could definitely be better. We knew our risks when we chose our location. However, I realize fully now what a gallery has to manage beyond just painting. If we didn't provide framing I doubt we could continue the gallery. It is with interest that I have read some of the comments about what galleries should and shouldn't do. I love making paintings and I love other people's work, too. We all have our areas and I find it exciting to see how others create their own beautiful pieces. Perhaps I am not the best salesman. I try to let our clients know the background of the artist, explain something about his thought processes and help him discover the beauty of his technique. Certainly I wish I could do better by my artists. We have openings every other month and sponsor many events here at the gallery. By the way, we always pay by the tenth of the following month of the sale. We advertise nationally, hold classes and workshops by our artists and have parties so they can meet prospective buyers. On the other hand I expect the artist to do his part by meeting and greeting at these events. If any of you out there can suggest how I could do more, sell more or help promote our artists more I will certainly listen. Our gallery is only 3 years old and we are becoming well known in our area. However, our area has lots to learn about the value of art. I don't know if any of this is of help to others, but I want it known that I and most owners do the best we know to run our business and make our artists happy.

Regarding Beverly Harries' "Paintings On the Web:" Her gallery owner can take heart in a couple of things: Anyone who outright steals a work from the web is *never* going to buy, and never was in the market. Anybody else may or may not buy. I think good, sizable JPGs are a great selling tool. People use 'em for screen-savers and 'wallpaper' and print them out as posters and sometimes decide they want the real thing on the wall. Therefore, always include a web address as well as your copyright notice in the watermark. If a person likes a work enough to download a copy and learns to live with it, then that person is very likely to buy an original somewhere down the line. In the US, it is a federal crime to remove the copyright notice from a work in digital form. The DCMA provides very severe penalties for that sort of thing. And, it's a very good idea to register the copyright (it can be done for several works at once for 45 bucks) before posting to the web.

I have just discovered this forum. I think it's good reading. So helpful and friendly for unsociable hermits. How do you put a watermark or copyright on your images? Is it just typed in?

Recently a client arrived at my studio/gallery with a painting she had purchased from me about 8 years ago. She wanted to "trade it in" for a new piece I was displaying. I declined, telling her that my style had changed in those 8 years and I wouldn't be able to show it. (In fact my work has improved since I painted her piece.) After reading today's clickbacks, I wonder if I made a mistake. Any thoughts?

No, you didn't make a mistake. The client made a mistake by asking such a question.

Robert, I am represented by a gallery in the town in which I live. I am about to build a studio /gallery on my property which is very visible from a busy tourist road. Am I going down the wrong path by pulling out of an established gallery to go it on my own, hence having the opportunity to avoid the 50% commission?

I read all these posts with great interest. I live in east central Florida and my husband and I are in the process of building two commerical buildings one for him and one for me. My goal is to have a studio upstairs and have lease spaces below. I thought of having a gallery downstairs for my self and others to show their work. The last meeting with the architect filled me in on the restrictions as far as calling this space a 'gallery'. They have to do with parking, bathrooms, sprinklers, and how many people can be in the space at one time. If I call it a store, all these restrictions are relaxed. In my mind, all I want is to make art, and to have a place to hang it and display it. Does it matter if it is called a gallery or a store?

After being in a gallery that is owned by 2 very active artists who are never there, I learned quite a bit. Not a good idea to be in a gallery where the featured artists are the owners. Being told to paint my image around the sides of a museum wrap, like the owner does didn't set too well. (I usually paint the local color around the entire wrapped edge.) They wanted to make sure my pieces were all the same size, and any new pieces I was supposed to make the tag myself. So tell me, what does the commission cover? Here's the kicker, they are open 15 hours a week. I jumped too fast, thank goodness there was no contract involved. I picked up my paintings and emailed the owner thanking her for the opportunity to show in the gallery and never heard anything from this person.

I too was once represented by a gallery owned by an artist. I found that the owner's work was ALWAYS featured even in exhibitions and everyone else in that exhibition was just there to share the cost of the shows.

Back to Max's question of October (take your work to an interior designer). I think this good advice and an insult if that's the way you want to take it. 1. You create because you love to. 2. You sell because you want to/need to. Selling turns our work into a product when speaking in terms of a transaction. Are all products appropriate for all markets? No, of course not. Your love of creation has not been compromised but you have been shown where your market is (in his opinion only). If you don't want to be in this market, find out what your work has to look like to be in the market you want. But do you want to do this? If this will kill all the joy in creation then the answer is obvious. Mind you, was he telling you that you haven't got the chops? Examine your own skill level. We can all be better at what we do. Take a hard look at what you are showing around. Good luck with this one.