Once The Salute to the Arts show was over, I thought I would have nothing going on on the art front. Wrong! I'm not the kind who can sit still for long. In fact watching TV lasts for about 30 minutes, and then I have to get up and do something new. I think it's important to always have something on the horizon - something to look forward to, since anticipation is always half the joy. If I didn't have something in the works for after the show, there would be this huge letdown. True, there was a huge letdown, but at least there are more upward slopes in the near future.
One of them is the 2-man show which I will be part of at a local gallery in two weeks. Today after school, I took her 24 paintings for the upcoming show which starts with an open house on September 12 from 5 - 8 at Gallerie M in St. Louis. Photographer Dennis O'Malley and I will be sharing the spotlight. His photos are in black and white with subject matter from all over the world, a great complement to my pastels with subject matter from around the US. I was really great to see my paintings hanging on walls. Last weekend, they were on the panels of my display booth, but that's nothing to seeing them on well-lit walls! We discussed pricing, and agreed to bow to the market's downward turn and adjust them just a teensy bit. We agreed that it's better to move art than to keep stockpiling it! Goodness knows I don't need 24 paintings sitting around my house!
Speaking of paintings in my house, we almost bought a HUGE painting at the art show from a Florida artist named Rasa Saldaitis. Unfortunately, our downstairs refrigerator kicked the bucket a couple of days before the show, and so Martha went out and bought a new refrigerator. There goes our artwork money! I'm sure the poor artist thought I was lying when I gave her the whole new refrigerator story, but for once it's true! My son picked out one of her prints from the kids' art tent, so I guess we'll live with that one (for now!).
I also met another great artist, M. Shawn Cornell at the show. He's from St. Louis and does his paintings entirely en plein air. He and his father started the Missouri Plein Air Painters Association, and they meet every weekend at different locations in the area, no matter what the weather is! They invited me to join them on one of their paintouts, so I think I may take them up on it this weekend, since it's a three-day weekend here in the US. I'm sure there will be a later posting about that experience.
So, although the big show that has been consuming me and my family's life since April is over, I have several opportunities coming up soon, and that's what it's all about!
Keep your eye on the future!
PastelGuy
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
The Show Experience
Well, the show is over. It won't be hard to count my receipts because I only sold one painting. And that one sale was to a colleague who would have bought from me anyway. All the other artists around me said their sales were down, too. I would be interested to hear how other artists price their works. Do you go by size? Subject matter? Venue? I think my prices were a little high by this show's standards. But according to my research as other St. Louis art shows, my prices are right about in the middle.
Of course now it's hard to lower my prices since I have the gallery to consider. It would be very bad form to sell for lower than the gallery! I'll be delivering my paintings to her later this week, and I'll be sure to ask her advice about it then. My work will be featured at an upcoming show at her gallery in September entitled "Autumn Colors". I was able to hand out advertising materials which featured a painting of mine during the show this weekend. I hope to have good attendance there. I'm handing them out/sending them to anyone and everyone I can think of who would be interested (and able to) purchase original art.
A good factor about attending art shows is the contacts you make with the other artists. I talked with some from St. Louis and found a group who makes plein air outings monthly. they invited me to join them sometime, and I think I'm going to take them up on it. Keep an eye out for new work soon!
I would be interested in hearing of others' art show experiences, and how they price their works!
Until next time,
PastelGuy
Of course now it's hard to lower my prices since I have the gallery to consider. It would be very bad form to sell for lower than the gallery! I'll be delivering my paintings to her later this week, and I'll be sure to ask her advice about it then. My work will be featured at an upcoming show at her gallery in September entitled "Autumn Colors". I was able to hand out advertising materials which featured a painting of mine during the show this weekend. I hope to have good attendance there. I'm handing them out/sending them to anyone and everyone I can think of who would be interested (and able to) purchase original art.
A good factor about attending art shows is the contacts you make with the other artists. I talked with some from St. Louis and found a group who makes plein air outings monthly. they invited me to join them sometime, and I think I'm going to take them up on it. Keep an eye out for new work soon!
I would be interested in hearing of others' art show experiences, and how they price their works!
Until next time,
PastelGuy
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