Swapping your paintings or art with galleries?

A gallery buys a body of your work. Several years later there are a few pieces which remain unsold. The gallery decides they want new fresh art or in my case, paintings. However, during this time your work has increased in price, so your paintings are now worth more. Do you do a direct swap or do you ask for the difference in price between what you sold them the original work for, and the new work? I tried the first approach and the gallery went ballistic. What's your view?

Galleries loaning art out

An artist called me the other day very distressed. Appears that she had got an email from a client who wanted to buy one of her works. She called the gallery who had the work on consignment, only to be told that the work was out on loan. It appears the gallery was hiring work out to clients who whether for financial reasons or variety did not want to actually buy the work. This is common in New Zealand for instance and should benefit all parties except for this galleries 'omission' to inform the artist (and part with some of their loan fee.) Fees for hiring to film sets in particular, can be considerable, so make sure that you inform your gallery (preferably in writing), that should they loan your work out you want to be informed as well as receive a say 50% portion of the fee.

How much work do you need in the marketplace to make a viable income?

I've created a formula that works for me. Obviously its not cast in stone and will vary depending on the popularity of the artist, but I work with an average return factor of 10% of the consigned value of the work. So for instance if you have R100,000 rands worth of consigned work in the marketplace, I'd expect an average monthly return of R10,000. In summer that'll rise to 20-30% but decrease to maybe only 5% in the winter months. This formula excludes special exhibitions etc. Point is if you have R100,000 worth of work in galleries its unlikely that you'll be erning R50,000 a month. Seems obvious but many artists are afraid to have too much consigned work - they want everything to sell as its completed. If you want a R50,000 average monthly gross income and your work sells price to artist for say R5,000, then in order to achieve R50,000, you'll need R5000,000's worth of art in galleries which translates to 100 paintings. Try it and see if it works for you.

Rejection - the artists' lament

Receieved an email from an artist who was angry because of the numerous rejections she had received from galleries. The frustration caused her to sympathise with van Gogh's ear cutting escapade. Having experienced rejection first hand both through art and writing, rejection has become a familiar friend and one that pushes me out of my comfort zone to explore new directions. My reply to the artist: (abbreviated)

I understand your frustration and anger.

The art and the writing worlds are hard nuts to crack.

Commercial galleries, as mentioned in the book, are for the most part, business who sell art rather than art lovers who have a business.If they know the work has been proven to sell/be of commercial value, then they want to cash in on that success.There's less risk with known artists.

If the business has artists on board who are working for them, unless the art is really something completely new and exciting, the hassle of taking on another artist is not attractive. (Here I play Devil's advocate.) So to be accepted takes the 'Wow' factor.

The galleries are not the enemy. They are businesses. It's simply a matter of can this sell or not?

Sometimes they naturally do get it wrong, but most of them are still in business because they know what their market wants.

(It's no different in the writing world where there are thousands of books written about let's say yoga. To get a book published now on yoga means that your approach/content needs to be different from all the other yoga books. Even if your book is well written and researched, why would they want a repeat of what has already been said?

So, no chopping off of ears. Rather listen to the feedback galleries give you when you do manage to get through the door. And keep on exploring new directions with your art. Dig deep within yourself until you find the unique expression that is you.

To frame or not to frame?

Something I did not include in the book, was the issue of framing? Do you spend serious $$ and get your work framed, only to have the client request the painting sans frame. (Has happened to me several times and have been left with a frame that didn't really work on anything else.) To avoid the issue I, and many other artists, started using deeper frames - 5-10cms meaning that framing was not needed. Given the cost of framing this made sense. Lets say a frame cost you R500. The gallery would double that cost and add 14% meaning an additional R1,140 added to the cost of the work. The R500 you would have to carry until the work was sold. Fine if your work sells for R15,000 a pop but not fine if your work is in the below R5,000 region. The extra cost could be the difference between a sale and a no sale.
Many clients have strong views on framing, even if its only to match the decor. Your choice may not be their ideal. So they may ask for the painting sans the framing cost. Leaving you (as mentioned) with a frame you're going to have to match with another work.
If you are not going to frame do make your edges neat - either carry the painting around the sides, keep them clean (masking tapped wrapped around the edges while you paint works well for this), or paint a complimentary colour around the edges.
Occasionally galleries want to frame work at their cost. It can make certain work really look good and if they're carrying the cost I don't complain. Problem comes though, if the work doesn't sell and whilst you own the painting, the frame is theirs. Hasn't happened to date with us, but its a possibility. There are some more conservative galleries that won't take unframed work, so you may be forced to frame simply to get on the wall. many of them have a sideline framing business and may offer a discount for the job. (Just be careful not to frame all your work for their profit, rather than your promotion.)
For overseas clients framing is usually a big no as it adds considerably to transport costs and many not allow for the cheaper option of rolling your work.
Personally, apart from watercolours, I avoid if possible, leaving the client free to decide for themselves.

The comission that wasn't

I was asked to do a comission by a gallery, which I did. I sent the painting and also emailed the tracking number for collection. About 7 weeks later I received the painting back as "undelivered." So I called the gallery. It appears that the right hand knew-ith not what the left hand hath not done.So time, postage etc was lost.
As no sales have been reported for over 18 months, (after an initial good start), I am currently trying to get all my work back. Yet inspite of calls, emails etc nothing has been arrived. I suspect, as has been the case in the past work has sold and I've not been informed.
Its a problem dealing with galleries that are far from home. As there is no way of checking on what has sold or what is still there, and so you are in a position of trust. If a gallery breaks that trust, its a tricky situation. When speaking politely or begging results in getting no response, do you
a) Jump on a plane? (costly)
b) Get your buddy who is a lawyer to get heavy? (No doubt you are joining a long queue of other irate artists)
c) Name and shame the gallery?
d) Beg and grovel further? (Not good for self-esteem and seldom works)
e) Accept the loss and move on?
 P.S. Seems like they can only find 6 of the 10 paintings they had on consignment, which means four have sold....
Q) Why was I not told?
Q) Why was I not paid?
Sadly this scenario plays itself out all too often in the art world.

Beetles

The subject of beetles in stretchers has fortunately never occured in our artistic lives, until a few weeks ago, when I went to a well known gallery to swop a couple of works around. The gallery owner causually mentioned there had been a problem. (Obeechie wood is a partyicular favourite of these beetles.) Thought no more of it until I returned home and noticed ominous looking holes in the stretchers of the two paintings. Called the gallery owner who assured me they had been fumigated in a room specially constructed for the job. Problem is don't feel I can sell the works holes et al. So will have to restretch the canvases on new stretchers. (Did consider a sheep braai using the 'sheep' paintings as both lamb and wood, but perhaps the wine had taken its toll at this point...) What are your thoughts? Just an act of nature so no liability on the galleries part? Anyhow something to be aware of and maybe avoid obeechie stretchers in the future.