This is in response to the recent posts,
Advice From A Gallery Manager by Scott Jones
and
Thoughts on Approaching Galleries by Keith Bond. I thought I would offer advice from my personal experiences on this subject. I keep reading advice on how to get into galleries and several artists asked when is it time to submit to galleries. I am not at the top of my game yet, bear with me, I plan on getting there although the times have been tough . The old phrase, Who, What, When, Where & Why popped into my head besides this, How to business. I put the cart before the horse years ago trying to get into a gallery when I really was not ready. I was born an artist and was just foolish enough to think I was professional enough too. Yes, I made art in my early years and sold some things, also did free-lance for small businesses. So, after my daughters were old enough, I put together a portfolio and went around my local area and another town I loved up north and walked right into the galleries asking the director to see my portfolio. I got lucky, they didn`t scream at me or tell me go away, you bother me kid, but I was also being polite and walking on rice paper. They all said no, I was hurt but not giving up. That`s until I kept getting too many no`s.
So, I decided to join an art association that had a co-op gallery. They had eight shows a year that allowed any member to submit their artwork and we had to do volunteer time at the gallery during the exhibition. These shows were juried by selected jurors who were esteemed artists in the area. They had a tally sheet with five categories to judge each work. The categories are Originality/Concept, Composition, Color, Values and Presentation. Other art show`s score sheets will vary. Scores were based from one being the lowest to ten being the highest. In the beginning, I received 1 to 5`s. I entered every show they had, I was so eager, you couldn`t snuff it out of me. I felt I was a great artist. Yes, that's what we all say when get cocky. I entered regional juried shows as I was brave also. I didn`t get into many, but the ones I did get into kept me traveling for awhile. At least I was getting into some juried shows, I felt I was getting on the right track. I wasn`t making too many sales, so I kept going to demonstrations of signature artists and seeing how they painted. I learned lots of new tips that way. I was too stubborn to do any workshops and also had a tight budget. I kept painting like there was no tomorrow. But I was in a fog as to where I stood, I wanted to feel recognized and that wasn`t happening.
So, I had my work critiqued by a few top artists and that set the ball rolling. I knew I needed to makes some changes in my values, colors and compositions. I had been going to museums all my life to study the old masters. I knew how to draw well, I got top awards when I was young and a third place award for one of my pencil portraits five years ago, then nothing again for awhile. So, I could draw like Michelangelo, but I wanted to paint in oils and do great things with that medium. I went back to that list from my art association and started to study each category on my own, learning from many resources. Too make a long story short, it took me years of joining several more art associations, going out on plein air paint-outs, entering countless exhibitions and looking at my scores before I started to notice I was beginning to look like I knew what I was doing.
My work started to sell, not for much, but it was selling consistently. I was getting honorable mentions too. I got into a good gallery and sold two paintings in two years, so that didn`t work. Then I did something stupid, I placed fifteen-twenty of my works in a restaurant that sold art, three sold and ten were stolen, I was pretty shook up and retreived all my art that was left there and anywhere else on exhibition. It took me awhile to want to part with any of my pieces for fear of them being stolen again. So, I gave up on trying to get into a gallery for several years and stick with my art associations and their scheduled shows. The recession hit and sales went way down even in those shows, but I managed to make some small sales and commissions.
The time I kept away from searching for a gallery was valid time for me to improve my craft and win more awards. I finally won a third place in the winter of 2009 in the oils/landscape category in my co-op gallery after winning more than half a dozen honorable mentions there in the past 2 years. I felt ready again to be looking for another gallery, it was a crystal clear vision, no more fog. I've seen and heard enough good things about my art, even a thief loved it. I feel just about there to be called professional. Do we ever feel 100% there? I do not think so unless we have over powerful egos. Monet never did, that is why he would not teach anyone.
I began at the end of 2009 to put myself forward and apply once again. Here is where the Who, What, When Where & Why come in. I am researching galleries on the interent to see Who is in that gallery? I have also visited some in person in my area. I look at their works and ask if I could fit in there. Be honest with yourself, look at their award list, collector`s list and exhibitions. When is the question we are talking about here, "When am I ready to get into a gallery?" Again, be honest and ask if you have comparable acheivements based on the other gallery artists. Where do I get into a gallery? Stay local unless you lived in other parts of the country and can afford to visit those galleries or have researched them enough on the internet. Ask other artists you know questions about the reputation of the gallery. You may be one of the lucky artists that get asked by gallery owners to join when they see you at a show. I hope for that someday, but I will research them first. Like Lori Woodward does, have a clear contract signed by both you and the director. Ask about theft insurance too. I hate to say it, but I lost two more paintings in another gallery I was in. I look at it now as I have gifted my art to a stranger and I hope they are enjoying it, even though that is not legally right what they did. Finally, ask yourself, Why do I want to get into that gallery? Vanity? Status? Monetary? Show the world who you are? Unveil your masterpieces? I`m a painting machine and need to release some of my inventory? I fall into several of these reasons. For vanity, watchout, it can get you into some messes like I did. Check out the restaurant and ask if they cover theft. If you get emails asking for $600 to $2,000 to show your work in NYC or Europe, it`s a vanity art show and most likely your money just went out the window. Lastly, before hooking up with a gallery, read your contract, have your lawyer read it, research the gallery and keep updated contracts each year of your inventory. Galleries are here to stay, I am in support of getting into them, do not get me wrong. I haven`t burned my bridges, I`ve made peace with my mistakes. I have more to say about when you feel ready, but that will go into another blog.
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