The Oil Painting Blog : Art Business

Your Online Portfolio--What Not to Do with It

Carolyn Henderson — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 05:35:00 GMT

Your website can be a terrific online portfolio. But there are definitely ways to not use your website when marketing art. An initial temptation for many artists is to find as many gallery e-mail addresses as they can and send out their website information out to all of them via e-mail. Sounds great! Easy, fast, convenient, free--they write an innocuous little note along the lines of "Dear Gallery Director, attached please find the address to my website," and just wait for the responses to roll in.


Galleries are awash with unsolicited requests from artists who want to be represented. Your time is precious, and it's not worth sending out mass e-mailings that will be lost in the waters. Opalescent Sea by Steve Henderson, oil on canvas. Courtesy Steve Henderson Fine Art.

It's a long wait. Steve and I have always joked that by the time we figure out a way to do something, millions of people have already been doing it, and they're on their way to doing something else. That's why you don't find on us on the floors of the New York Stock Exchange.

On face value, sending your web address of your oil paintings or drawings to a series of unknown gallery directors does sound easy, fast, convenient, and free. But how many other artists do you think are doing this as well? Galleries and art business representatives get a lot of unsolicited submissions, via e-mail, mail, phone, or in person, and there is only so much room on their walls. They can also spot a "mass mailing" and like it about as much as you do in your own e-mail inbox.

Before you waste your time, or theirs, look up the gallery's website and see if they have a submission process. If there is no Submissions or For Artists section, look under Contact or Frequently Asked Questions. It is highly likely that somewhere they will address this issue, if only to say, "We are not accepting submissions at this time."

If this little sentence is there, have a cup of tea and a cookie with the time you save by not contacting the gallery. If it isn't, and there is a gallery submission process, then it is probably a good idea to follow it exactly.

--Carolyn

A Simple But Crucial First Step to Marketing Your Art

Carolyn Henderson — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 04:37:00 GMT

Get a website.

If you're not a tech genius, you can still do this because there are numerous options. Some are free; some are not. Realistically speaking, the free ones severely limit what you can do and you'll find yourself outgrowing them in no time, but if they get you jumping into the website world, then they're worth it.

Some things--like food, water, and air--are crucial to life. When it comes to your marketing life, things like websites are becoming increasingly vital. Tropical Medley by Steve Henderson of Steve Henderson Fine Art.

We pay a monthly fee to Fine Art Studio Online for a flexible, easy-to-use website that showcases the Norwegian Artist's painting art and enables either Steve or me to add, drop, change, alter, play with, modify, or amend our information or images, as well as take advantage of the Search Engine Optimization skills of the technical staff.

On Google, search for "Artist Websites" and look through the various options for marketing your painting art, learning how to sell art online, comparing price, appearance, options, ease of use, and--most importantly for non-techies--support services, and when you find one that you like, see if they have a free trial period and if they do then schedule the time you need out of your life for that free trial period and use it.

This trial period--which is kind of like an engagement--will show you just how easy the site is to use, and just how supportive the tech support staff is, and just how classy your fine art painting work will look online. The proof will be there for you about whether the site's company and service is right for you and your art business.

If you've never done this kind of thing before, there's a learning curve, but as with any new project, you'll get better with practice. But do practice, do keep at it, and don't waste time telling yourself that everyone else can do this but you can't.

If you have a website, how did you settle on it? Are you happy with it? Do you wish for more or different applications? Leave a comment and let us know.

--Carolyn

Making Money with Your Art

Carolyn Henderson — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 04:06:00 GMT

It's not an unreal aspiration to make money by selling your oil painting artwork or watercolors, but it will take a significant amount of work in two areas:

1) Your art. While it is possible to make money off of art that isn't particularly good--we live in a society, remember, that paid actual money for "pet rocks" in the 1970s--it is easier on your conscience and your marketing plan if you start with a product that you know is really, really good and that you believe in. Do whatever it takes to become really, really good, while still recognizing that this is a process that never ends.


The first part of selling your art is ensuring that the art you make is really, really good. Eyrie by Steve Henderson of Steve Henderson Fine Art.

Does this sound obvious? It is, but that doesn't make it easy to see. I have talked to far too many artists who think they are better than they are, and who have huge gaps in basic skills on how to paint that they compensate for, but never admit that they have them or take the necessary steps to address the lacks.

2) Your marketing. I know. You're an artist, not a marketer. But if you are going to get your work out in the arena where people will see it and purchase it, you will have to think about marketing. The good news is, you don't have to start out as a genius in this area and you'll get better as you go along.

As with any project that seems overwhelming upon first view, break your marketing plan down into little pieces, and start local where you know people and have contacts. Our very first marketing move--after we were sure that we had something really, really good to offer--was approaching the gallery in our small town where we knew the gallery staff, because we ran into them all the time in the grocery store (in a small town, this is a central meeting place).

I called the head staff member, made an appointment to bring by some of the Norwegian Artist's work, and answered her various questions. Because she wasn't a total stranger, I didn't feel nervous, and this one small move, in addition to securing our first gallery location, was great "practice" for the next move.

What was your first marketing move for your art? Leave a comment and let me know.

--Carolyn