Pricing Advice

Pricing artwork seems to be a major concern to most artists. We want the work to sell, but we don't want to give it away. Paul Dorrell is a gallery dealer and blogger who offers good advice. For those starting out, he suggests visiting galleries and checking out what is comparable in terms of type of work, and amount of experience. What I particularly appreciate is the paragraph where he talks to prospective buyers about why the work costs so much. He explains that most of the artists in his gallery have worked for 20 to 40 years . They have gone through a lot of struggle and to use his word "privations" to get to this point. Then he asks the client how much they would charge, and they usually say"more." Then he says he closes the deal. It's a great piece from a thoughtful dealer. pauldorrell.com/blog. Something else I would like to throw in. Don't ever lower your prices. It's too hard to raise them again. People wonder why they were higher in the first place. I have had individuals approach me for a "deal." It's never worth it in the long run to undercut a gallery working to sell your art. The old saying goes "Don't bite the hand that feeds you."

Everything Old Is New Again

I recently came across a book called"The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson," by David Silcox. It is about a famous Canadian group of artists who are little known to most of us in the United States. They worked as a group around the early 1900s to the 1930s. They sought to create an art that was distinctly Canadian and promoted it in schools, museum exhibitions, print media, you name it. The work is monumental and breathtaking. I particularly like Lawren Harris. There is a certain sylized quality to his landscapes that I find intriguing. Give them a look.

An Inspiring Artist

This is my first initiation into the blogsphere, so here goes.My entry is about an artist whose body of work impresses and humbles me. His name is George Johanson and he is currently exhibiting a retrospective of his work at the Hallie Ford Museum in Salem,Oregon. The show follows his work from college days in the 1940s to present day. It illustrates his mastery of color, his intricate weaving of a story, and his great sense of composition. I highly recommend any artist or art lover see this show.